The Case for Nutritional Supplements Part 4

In my previous posts, I have laid out the reasons why we can no longer get our nutrition from our food.  So we know we need to take supplements, but which ones should we be taking and why?

Certain nutrients are labeled as essential – essential fatty acids, essential amino acids, etc.  These are nutrients that our body can’t make, so we have to get them from our diets and from supplements.  If your body can’t make it, you have to take it.

Here are some specific vitamins, minerals, and nutrients, and what they do for our health:

Vitamin A – supports normal growth and tissue repair, healthy night vision, and functions as an antioxidant

B Complex Vitamins – increases energy, decreases stress and aids in cardiovascular health

Vitamin C – functions as an antioxidant, supports a healthy immune system and cardiovascular health.

Vitamin D – maintains bone health, cardiovascular health and immune system functionality

Vitamin E – functions as an antioxidant than prevents damage to our cell membranes

Calcium – essential for bone health, proper contraction of skeletal and heart muscles, and proper nerve conduction

Magnesium – involved in over 300 biochemical reactions, helps to maintain cardiovascular and bone health

Omega 3 Fish Oils – helps to maintain normal cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood, enhances mood, and decreases inflammation.  They also contain the essential fatty acids EPA and DHA which are needed for proper health.

Antioxidants – reduces inflammation, scavenges free radicals to prevent their damage, maintains joint flexibility and promotes cardiovascular and immune system health.

So what should I be taking?  At the bare minimum, you should be taking a good Multivitamin, a good Omega 3 Fish Oil, and a good Antioxidant.  I have already shown in these posts that it is necessary to take a multivitamin.  As listed above, Omega 3s do a number of things for us.  And if you move, bend, lift, and twist on a daily basis, you will be generating free radical, which an Antioxidant will combat.

So are all supplements equal?  The answer is no. In a previous post, I addressed this.  If you have further questions, please contact me.

In conclusion, I hope that this series of blog posts debunked the scientifically incorrect conclusions about nutritional supplements in the mainstream press, and that I have laid out the case for nutritional supplements.  So what should you say to your friends who are not as informed as you are and say that supplements are not necessary?  Please forward these blogs to them.  Also, ask them a question – do they eat foods that are enriched or fortified with nutrients?  Then they are taking supplements already as enriched foods have supplements added back into them after processing, and fortified food have nutrients in them that are not normally there (think Milk fortified with Vitamin D).  So in other words, they are contradicting their own conclusions about supplements.  Share this information with them and spread the word about supplements.  You only have improved health to gain!

To Your Health!

Dr. Harvey