With the constant increase in supplements available on supermarket shelves and across the internet, many people wonder if their health is suffering because they do not use them or perhaps do not take the right combination of supplements.
The bottom line: for most healthy adults and children, supplements are not necessary and can even be harmful. Here, I will talk about the best source of vitamins and minerals, and the dangers to watch out for when taking supplements.
What are vitamins and minerals?
Vitamins and minerals are micronutrients. They are called “micro“ because we need them in smaller amounts than the “macronutrients:“ carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Needing them in smaller amounts does not mean they are unimportant – it is the total opposite! Vitamins are necessary for all major body processes including energy production, cell renewal, nerve function, wound healing, and as antioxidants. Minerals are found in all hard body parts like bones, teeth, and nails, and are necessary for nerve function, hormone production, and brain functioning. Without these micronutrients a person could experience a variety of poor health outcomes from low energy, neurological disfunction, or even death.
Dangers in the supplement market
With the constant increase in supplements available on supermarket shelves and across the internet, many people wonder if their health is suffering because they do not use them or may not take the right combination of supplements.
The nutrition supplement market is mostly unregulated and under-researched. New products are regularly flooding the market, promoted most intensely by the companies who benefit from the sale of their product. Few have long-term, validated evidence of health benefit.
Another important factor to consider is the word “micronutrient.” We need vitamins and minerals in relatively small amounts. Supplements that provide mega-doses or combining multiple supplements with the same nutrients can end up providing more than your body can handle and be harmful. For example, overdosing on:
Vitamin A can lead to hair loss, liver damage, headaches, bone pain, and birth defects in pregnant women
Iron can lead to nausea, dizziness, and blood in stool, and death in young children (usually after consuming a family member’s iron supplement)
Vitamin D can lead to abnormal cardiac rhythms, muscle weakness, and confusion
Vitamin E can lead to problems with blood clotting
Vitamin B6 can lead to nerve damage
It is vital that you consult with a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist or your physician before starting any supplement to make sure you are not taking too much or taking something that would interfere with current medications. So, what is the better option? What is the best and safest source of vitamins and minerals?
The best source of vitamins and minerals
Food first! Getting our vitamins and minerals from food sources has multiple benefits that will provide the balance of nutrients our bodies need and protect from overdosing. Here are two factors to consider:
The synergistic effect of food – our food has combinations of nutrients that naturally work best together. This has not yet been replicated in a supplement. For example, when you eat an egg, you consume many nutrients including healthy amounts of vitamins A, D, and E. These are fat-soluble vitamins, meaning there must be fat in the diet to best absorb them. Eggs also contain healthy fats! So eating an egg gives you nutrients in a combination that naturally helps your body absorb them best.
Additionally, nutrients in foods are naturally more balanced and more closely match what our bodies need - larger amounts of macronutrients and smaller amounts of micronutrients. If we look at a few nutrients in eggs again:
Macronutrients:
Fat – 5 grams
Protein – 6 grams
Micronutrients:
Vitamin D – 1 microgram
Calcium – 30 milligrams
Iron – 0.5 micrograms
Vitamin B6 – 0.1 milligram
Foods offer a natural balance of nutrients that supply our bodies with the nutrition needed in a balance that protects from overdoses on any given vitamin or mineral.
The exceptions
As stated above, for most healthy adults and children supplements are not necessary. The exceptions are when a person either cannot or will not consume foods with certain nutrients (for example, picky eating in children or food allergies) or when the body does not properly absorb a nutrient, or needs an increased amount of a nutrient in certain medical conditions.
Vitamins and minerals are vitally important to life, needed in small amounts, and are most effective and safe when consumed in our foods. Consult a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist to get the best recommendations if you are considering adding a vitamin or mineral supplement to your daily routine.