Vitamin supplements have been taking a beating lately in current news and plenty of people who use them (including myself) to help ensure they’re in good health are now left wondering whether these pills are still worth what they were claimed to be or should be dumped in the trash… But before we go and do that, there’s another side to the vitamin question that you should know-most of the negative findings are misreported and/or the studies are flawed. After decades of research backed by more than 26,000 in medical journal articles and countless years of clinical practice of well educated doctors treating thousands of patients, it has come clear that supplements can and often do you work. Now the question is, which of the supplements are the most important?
What Everyone Needs To Know
In a perfect world, we all know that we would get all the nutrients we needed from our foods and there’s a powerful synergistic effect when our vitamins and minerals are found in our foods. But the reality is that most people don’t get enough of these crucial nutrients. A recent study shows that 86% of our population is deficient in vitamin E, for example. And that’s why certain individual supplements can help. Even if you take a standard, over-the-counter multivitamin such as a Centrum or One A Day, you may still benefit from the following supplements because most multis don’t contain enough of these nutrients.
MY FIVE KEY SUPPLEMENTS – We all should be taking
B-Complex
The B vitamins – thiamine, riboflavin, niacin and several others-are a must for the body’s production of energy. They also play a key role in the health of the brain and nervous system. However when foods are refined, for example, kernels of whole-wheat are stripped of their outer coverings for fibrous bran and the
inner core of wheat germ and turned into white flour, (as it’s commonly occurs in American manufacturing …) The B vitamins are lost. A new study of over 1000 middle-aged and older adults published this summer showed that taking 3 B-Vitamins (folic acid, B6 and B12) lowered levels of the amino acid homocysteine in people with very high levels (which is linked to heart disease) and improved several measurements of mental functioning, such as memory.
So what’s a typical dose… Look for a B-complex supplement that contains at least 20 mg of most of the B vitamins, including B-6, thiamine and niacin AND 50 mcg (that’s micrograms) of B-12 and biotin.
Magnesium
Without this miracle mineral you couldn’t produce energy, build bones, regulate blood sugar or even move a muscle. But recent studies have shown that most Americans do not get enough of this mineral in their diets. Magnesium is used by nutritionally oriented clinicians to treat many health problems including insomnia, chronic muscle pain, headache, heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis and even hearing loss. Overall from what I’ve read, magnesium seems to be the most beneficial supplement. Typical dose: 200 mg, twice a day. (I actually take 600mg a day). A capsule or chewable or even liquid is preferable to a tablet only because of the issues with absorbency. But all types of magnesium, including Magnesium oxide, magnesium citrate and magnesium aspartate, are equally effective for most conditions. However some may developed diarrhea and you need to reduce the dose until the diarrhea eases. To put it plainly, you probably aren’t getting enough magnesium and this mineral is crucial.
Fish Oil
I recently made a post a few weeks back explaining the difference between EPA and DHA oils. So that led me to you also push a little bit more on the matter at hand. There’s a large body of scientific research that shows that fish oil can help prevent and treat heart disease, enhance brain health, fight against inflammation, weight and cholesterol control and do a WHOLE bunch more. Trust me, it’s great for you. Dosage: well, it depends some people say you need as little as 1g a day (1000 mg) two up to 6g (6000 mg) a day. I take 3000mg myself…
Vitamin D
Vitamin D deficiency is quite common these days and it can increase the risk for bone loss (osteoporosis) , falls in older people, the flu, autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and multiple sclerosis, and some links to even cancer. Some studies have shown that at least one third of all children in America are now vitamin D deficient. (I wonder if it’s because kids are spending too much time on their tablets and video games instead of going outside these days…?) Anyhow, they used to say that 400 international units (IU) daily was enough to preserve and prevent falls but now studies show that you need 800 IU daily. In fact even a higher dose (up to 1200 IU daily) may be needed depending on age, weight, and skin color. You may actually want to ask a doctor on what is the best dose for you but I will definitely advise that you use a vitamin D-3 (the type derived from sunlight and animal sources).
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is an antioxidant-a nutrient that protects you from oxidation, a kind of in a “rust” that destroys your cells, so to say. A low level of oxidation is normal but it’s increased by many factors such as stress and chronic disease. Vitamin C is also recommended for prevention and assistance with musculoskeletal diseases. It is also good for prevention of high cholesterol as well. Recommended dose: only 100 to 500 mg daily as needed for general nutritional support however, if you have a family history of some of the above named diseases you should consider taking up to 1000 mg at three times a day.
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