How do you know where to start when it comes to buying supplements? Dr. Leigh Erin Connealy offers some advice before you head out to face the wall of vitamins and supplements at your local store. Find out what you might be able to do before your purchase and what 3 supplements almost anyone can benefit from as 'insurance'.
Are Vitamin Supplements Necessary?
| By: Jack Feka | |
You may wonder if vitamin
supplements are really necessary. Some healthy individuals who adopt a
wholesome diet and stick to healthful eating habits have no need for
vitamin supplements. However, these days that is exceedingly rare and
there are so many instances in our lives when vitamin supplements are
essential to good health.
Conditions Warranting Use
Here are just a few of the more important conditions that warrant the use of vitamin supplements. Take note that you should ask your doctor for specific vitamins and the dosages that best fit your circumstances. After all, there are such things as overdoses, misuses and abuses of even the most beneficial of vitamin supplements!
First, children need vitamin supplements especially if they are picky eaters. They tend to miss out on the important nutrients necessary for proper growth such as calcium, fluoride and iron. Even when you present foods in imaginative ways, they may still favor less healthy foods. There are also children who are on special diets such as vegetarian and hypoallergenic foods. They also need to bridge the gap between what foods are allowed for them and what their growing bodies need, and vitamin supplements are what will do the job.
Second, pregnant women require vitamin supplements both for themselves and for their unborn babies. When you’re expecting, your diet may not be sufficient for your increased needs, not to mention that there are certain vitamins necessary to ensure that your baby does not develop congenital defects.
For example, folic acid is necessary to lower the risks of congenital defects while vitamin C is good for increased resistance especially against colds and flu. Third, there are diseases and genetic disorders that adversely affect the body's ability to absorb nutrients from food sources. Thus, vitamin supplements are necessary to fill in the resulting nutrient deficiency.
For example, all types of cancer, stomach problems like Chron's diseases and even liver diseases require some form of supplementation to replace the vitamins and minerals lost due to the weakened immune system. Also, after-surgery care requires the consumption of vitamins, like ascorbic acid, proven to speed up the healing of wounds.
Things to Remember
No matter your reason for taking vitamin supplements, certain guidelines must be adhered to, namely:
Conditions Warranting Use
Here are just a few of the more important conditions that warrant the use of vitamin supplements. Take note that you should ask your doctor for specific vitamins and the dosages that best fit your circumstances. After all, there are such things as overdoses, misuses and abuses of even the most beneficial of vitamin supplements!
First, children need vitamin supplements especially if they are picky eaters. They tend to miss out on the important nutrients necessary for proper growth such as calcium, fluoride and iron. Even when you present foods in imaginative ways, they may still favor less healthy foods. There are also children who are on special diets such as vegetarian and hypoallergenic foods. They also need to bridge the gap between what foods are allowed for them and what their growing bodies need, and vitamin supplements are what will do the job.
Second, pregnant women require vitamin supplements both for themselves and for their unborn babies. When you’re expecting, your diet may not be sufficient for your increased needs, not to mention that there are certain vitamins necessary to ensure that your baby does not develop congenital defects.
For example, folic acid is necessary to lower the risks of congenital defects while vitamin C is good for increased resistance especially against colds and flu. Third, there are diseases and genetic disorders that adversely affect the body's ability to absorb nutrients from food sources. Thus, vitamin supplements are necessary to fill in the resulting nutrient deficiency.
For example, all types of cancer, stomach problems like Chron's diseases and even liver diseases require some form of supplementation to replace the vitamins and minerals lost due to the weakened immune system. Also, after-surgery care requires the consumption of vitamins, like ascorbic acid, proven to speed up the healing of wounds.
Things to Remember
No matter your reason for taking vitamin supplements, certain guidelines must be adhered to, namely:
- Always consult your doctor before taking any vitamin supplements.
- Follow prescriptions to avoid overdosing. Keep in mind that toxicity is always hazardous to your health.
- Vitamin supplements are not substitutes for a healthful diet and wholesome eating habits. You must still adopt a salubrious lifestyle so as to secure maximum benefits out of supplementation.
- Always check the labels to make sure that you are not allergic to any of the ingredients, that you are not just taking fillers and binders and that you are getting the right amounts of the desired nutrients.
