What are Supplements?
Supplements are usually an oral form of a concentrated vitamin or mineral, usually in pill or liquid form. They are normally taken to help the body get that specific vitamin or mineral that a person can’t get normally via their diet. They may also be used to get a surplus of a vitamin or mineral so that the individual can get the benefits associated with it without having to eat a specific food, possibly due to the cost or taste of it. Depending on your reference, the business of supplementation is reportedly over a $100 billion dollar industry. Supplements are made by many different companies for many different types of vitamins and minerals for almost every type of condition. Since the FDA has a different set of regulations for supplements versus food and medicine, many of the claims on supplementation bottles are not necessarily true and can be used to trick the user.
Even though they can be bought over the counter, it is often a good idea to check with your health practitioner on the safety and viability of a supplement. One of biggest reason for this is that supplements and medicine can have negative chemical reactions when taken together! Some supplements have been shown to block or counter the affect of known drugs and medicine. If an individual absolutely needs to be on specific medicines to function or even live, it is important to make sure that supplementation will not alter its intended use. To see a short list of which supplements should not be combined with certain medicines, see the related article via the link at the bottom of the page.
Synthetic versus Whole Food Supplements:
The two major types of supplements are synthetic and whole food supplements. The major difference is that synthetic supplements are man made in a laboratory and whole food supplements are concentrated granules of food that typically are rich in a specific mineral or vitamin. Most people liken the two as organic versus inorganic. There are pluses and minuses to both types and the difference as to which is better or if it even matters is heavily debated.
Most Commonly Taken Supplements:
Consuming supplements are very common with the CDC reporting that over half of all Americans take at least one. The most commonly taken supplement is the multi-vitamin accounting for 40% of Americans taking them. Commonly taken supplements for specific conditions are listed below. Please note that this list is just a commonly used list and does NOT mean that they should be used for these conditions. Some of these supplements have no scientific proof of actually helping said condition. Others (ie ginko biloba) have actually been proven to have no benefit for said condition. Some can actually harm the individual if taken improperly (iron for women).
- Vitamin C – common colds, the flu, immune function
- B vitamins – energy
- Calcium – osteoporosis
- Vitamin E - skin health
- Vitamin A (beta carotine) – vision
- Vitamin D – general health, anti cancerous, immune function
- Omega 3 fatty acids – general health, heart health, memory and brain function
- Ginko biloba – memory
- St John’s Wort – depression
- Iron – women’s health
To find out more about supplementation or to see if a particular supplement can help you, consult with us in our Los Angeles clinic or your own health care practitioner.
Related Articles:
Synthetic versus Whole Food Supplements
Supplements that should NOT be taken with Certain Medicines
