Nutritional Supplements – Who Needs Them?

It is often said that food is the best source of nutrients, and that is a fair statement. Nutrients in food are generally more bioavailable than those in nutritional supplements. Undoubtedly, food also contains micronutrients that scientists have not yet identified and that are crucial for good health.

That being said, I do believe that nutritional supplements are valuable as a sort of insurance policy, to ensure that you are getting enough vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and trace elements in your diet.

This can be important when it comes to maintaining a healthy weight. If a person is not getting adequate nutrients, the body will compensate by making them want to overeat in order to supply the missing nutrients.

But the question arises, if you eat a balanced diet, why don’t you get enough nutrients? There are many reasons. Let’s start with the most obvious.

THE MODERN DIET

The modern diet consists primarily of grains, beans, and roots. Compared to above-ground plants, fruits, nuts, and lean protein sources, these food sources are low in vitamins and minerals.

To make matters worse, in the last fifty years or so, more and more of our food has become more and more processed, removing what little nutritional content the food might have had. McDonald’s burger, anyone?

LIFESTYLE ISSUES

If you smoke, you are consuming vitamins and minerals cannibalized by the chemical processes inherent in smoking. The reason this happens is that smoking generates large amounts of oxygen free radicals. Nutrients such as vitamin A, vitamin E, and vitamin C are used by the body to neutralize these free radicals and are therefore depleted.

In an animal study published by the American Society for Nutritional Sciences, smoking was shown to cause vitamin A depletion, leading to emphysema.

Additionally, in a study conducted at Columbia University, New York, vitamin C and vitamin E supplements were administered to smokers and non-smokers and their plasma levels were monitored for 6 days. The scientists concluded that smoking depletes vitamin C and vitamin E.

Recreational drugs such as marijuana, speed, crack, heroin, and alcohol can also have analogous effects in terms of vitamin depletion.

FOOD IRRADIATION

These days, food products are commonly irradiated to improve their shelf life. According to a report by a joint PAF/IAEA/WHO Study Group, this results in the loss of nutrients, in particular vitamin B1, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin A, vitamin D and vitamin K, vitamin B6, vitamin B2 and b12 vitamin. Additionally, this effect is exacerbated by the prolonged amount of storage time these foods are subjected to.

ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION

Industrial pollution causes the formation of free radicals, which can cause cell damage, one of the main causes of premature aging. Although there isn’t much you can do about pollution, taking antioxidant supplements can help fight free radicals. For example, a review of randomized controlled trials published in Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics, the journal of the College of Optometrists, showed that taking antioxidant supplements reduced the incidence and/or severity of macular degeneration, the leading cause of vision loss in people over 10 years old. 50 years in the developed world. This is not surprising, considering that oxidation is recognized to be at least partially responsible for many degenerative ocular disorders.

PESTICIDES

Pesticides widely used in agriculture for pest control decrease the nutritional value of crops. A review of 41 published studies, conducted by nutritionist Virginia Worthington, found that organic crops (which do not use pesticides) had 27% more vitamin C, 29.3% more magnesium, 13.6% more phosphorus and 21.1% more iron than their conventionally grown counterparts.

SOIL DEPLETION

According to a study by David Thomas, the mineral content of soil on farms in the United States has declined markedly between 1940 and 1991, and vegetables harvested in 1991 show 76% less copper, 46% less calcium, 27% less % less iron and 24% less magnesium than their 1940s counterparts (Nutrition and Health 2003;17:85-115).

Why has this happened? According to Dr. William A. Albrecht, chair of the Department of Soils at the University of Missouri, “NPK formulations, as legislated and enforced by state departments of agriculture, mean malnutrition, attack by insects, bacteria, and fungi, invasion of weeds, crop loss in dry weather and general loss of mental acuity in the population, which leads to degenerative metabolic diseases and premature death”.

By NPK formulas, Dr. Albrecht is referring to the common use of inorganic fertilizers, which has been around since the 1920s, consisting primarily of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium, with calcium and iron sometimes added. Essential trace elements, which would be replaced if organic fertilizers were used, never return to the soil.

CONCLUSION

As you can see, there are many reasons why simply eating a balanced diet may not be enough to provide a person with adequate nutrition. The quality of food is not the same as it was 50 years ago, and modern lifestyle and environmental factors can also deplete our body of nutrients.

That is why taking nutritional supplements to ensure proper nutrition is a good idea.