10 Reasons Why Everyone Should Take Dietary Supplements
It is good if we get all the nutrients which is required by our body through our food. But in real world it is difficult to achieve due to factors beyond our control and even sometime awareness. These nutrients a very important for our health and well being. We sometime ignore its important till it deficiency starts impacting our overall health.
Nothing is perfect in this word not even your food!!
We eat food to get energy and nutrition so that our body remains the way it should be ideally but in real world we are not getting enough of nutrition and energy form foods. There are gaps between nutrition we get from our food and actual nutrition requirements of our body.
To fill this gap with nutrition we need Dietary Supplements.
Dietary supplements are products which supplement the diet when taken orally. They are in form of pill, capsule, table, or liquid. Role of dietary supplements is to provide adequate amounts of nutrients which we are not able to get from our diet. Supplements provide nutrients either extracted from sources or synthetic, individually or in combination.
This class of nutrient compounds includes vitamins, minerals, fiber, fatty acids and amino acids.
No matter how healthy your lifestyle may be these are 10 reasons why you should take dietary supplements.
Everyone has different Nutrition requirements :
In a family we eat same types of food but may have different need and it cannot always maintain by increasing the quantity food we eat.Not all of us has the same level of nutritional requirement. It depends on following factors.
- Age
- Height
- Weight
- Special need.
Dietary supplement required to Fill the nutritional gap
Most of us don’t get the recommended amount of important nutrients from food alone. Most of us fail to meet dietary recommendations due to strict dieting, poor appetite, or changing nutritional needs.
Dietary Supplements intend to bridge the nutritional gap, so that we maintain the proper balance of nutrients from food and supplementation. This will enhance the nutrient density of your diet and be sure you are obtaining the right types of nutrients tailored to your dietary needs.
Nutritional Gap also exists in India due following factors.
· Socio-economic status
Food what we eat vary from person to person based on their education, income, type of occupation, place of residence, and, in some populations, heritage, and religion. For example, In India some are restricted from consuming meat and are strictly vegan, which means, they do not consume any sort of animal product, including dairy and eggs. It is observed that the type of protein that cereal contains does not parallel to the proteins that animal product contain. This also gives very strong reason to take the supplement.
· Region
Overweight status and obesity are over three times higher in urban areas than in rural areas. This indicates lifestyle difference from region to region which means some foods are easily and priced less than other. In India there are different food habits in different area, for instance, some states are consuming more rice per person than other.
· Religion
We have many religions and in some cases it governs our food habits.
Dietary Supplement neutralizes Nutrient Absorption Declines with Age
When you get into your late 40s and beyond, sometimes the bad habits from your younger years start to get in the way of your bested health. This is mainly because as we age we are not able to absorb most of nutrient since production of digestive enzymes, which breaks down and absorbs nutrients from your food, naturally begins to decline the older you get. You may also be taking more medications than you did when you were younger. Most modern medications actually deplete essential nutrients. Supplements can help to restore this imbalance.
Exercise increases the Dietary Supplements Need
Individuals with high level of physical activity needs greater amount of nutrition supplements and dietary supplements, for example Athletes and Bodybuilders require a lot of energy and nutrients to stay in shape. As you exercise, your body uses up the energy and nutrients that have been stored in your body. It is vital to replenish these essential nutrients, fuel your energy levels, and promote recovery after an intense workout.
Unhealthy Eating Habits
Erratic eating habits, eating processed junk food, and stress contribute to poor digestion, making it difficult for our bodies to extract all the nutrients it needs from food. While supplementation cannot replace a poor diet, it can help to prevent the damage poor eating habits are causing.
· Mindless Eating
· Nighttime Noshing
· Endless Snacking
· Skipping Breakfast
· Eating Too Quickly
· Vegging Out With Video Games
· Eating Junk Food
Dietary supplements Prevent Health Issues
Prevention is better than cure and having proper nutrients and supplements is a good way to maintain your health. Basically it helps to increase and maintains our immune system and hence we feel less ill.
Soil Depletion
In today’s world farming techniques utilize fertilizers that actually depletes the soil of essential nutrients. Agriculture relies on the elements in the soil for absorption of proper amounts of minerals, and when this process is interrupted, the plant does not contain essential minerals and cannot form essential vitamins. And if the plant doesn’t have it then you’re not going to get it from eating the plant!
Unhealthy Lifestyle habit
The relationship of lifestyle and health should be highly considered. Today, wide changes have occurred in life of all people. Malnutrition, unhealthy diet, smoking, alcohol consuming, drug abuse, stress and so on, are the presentations of unhealthy life styles that they are used as dominant form of lifestyle. In the short term, poor nutrition can contribute to stress, tiredness and our capacity to work, and over time, it can contribute to the risk of developing some illnesses and other health problems such as being overweight or obese, tooth decay, high blood pressure.
Long distance Food transportation
Nowdays we get what we want, this is true in foods as well. Earlier we used to eat what is locally available especially in case of vegetables, meat and fish and also seasonality was also an important factor. But now we are getting most of these round the year irrespective where we live. Thanks to long distance food transportation and storage but this can reduce it nutritional contain. Below are so factors why and how.
- Many perishable foods need to be preserved to prevent spoilage and contamination during transits.
- Pesticides are used after harvest on fruit and vegetables to extend shelf-life and prevent damage in transport.·
- The distance food travels influences not only the way it is treated before and during transit, but also production itself.
Stress
Being under a lot of stress can deplete many nutrient including calcium, magnesium, and zinc. Among other implications, stress reduces digestive strength. This in turn, reduces nutrients absorption and utilization even further; It’s not always external factors that contribute to deficiencies
How Much Of Each Dietary Supplements I Need ?
Essential nutrients can be grouped into 6 categories: Carbohydrate, protein, fat, vitamins, minerals, and water. Carbohydrates, protein, and fat are macronutrients because they make up most of our diet. Vitamins and minerals are micronutrients because you need them in much smaller amounts.
A person needs to consume all six types of essential nutrients to ensure the best possible health. These nutrients support vital functions, including growth, the immune, the central nervous system, and preventing disease.
Shown below are some of your major nutrient requirements.(daily intake)
| Nutrient | Daily requirements (Male) | Daily requirements (Female) |
| Protein | 64 g/day* | 46 g/day* |
| Fluids | 2.6 L/day** | 2.1 L/day** |
| (Including plain water, milk and other drinks) | ||
| Fibre | 30 g/day** | 25 g/day** |
| Vitamin A | 900 μg/day of retinol equivalents | 700 μg/day of retinol equivalents |
| Thiamin | 1.2 mg/day* | 1.1 mg/day* |
| Riboflavin | 1.3 mg/day* | 1.1 mg/day* |
| Niacin | 16 mg/day of niacin equivalents | 14 mg/day of niacin equivalents |
| Vitamin B6 | 1.3 mg/day* | 1.3 mg/day* |
| Vitamin B12 | 2.4 μg/day* | 2.4 μg/day* |
| Folate | 400 μg/day as dietary folate equivalents | 400 μg/day as dietary folate equivalents |
| Vitamin C | 45 mg/day* | 45 mg/day* |
| Calcium | 1000 mg/day* | 1000 mg/day* |
| Iodine | 150 μg/day* | 150 μg/day* |
| Iron | 8 mg/day* | 18 mg/day* |
| Magnesium | 420 mg/day* | 320 mg/day* |
| Potassium | 3800 mg/day* | 2800 mg/day* |
| Sodium | 460-920 mg/day* | 460-920 mg/day* |
| Zinc | 14 mg/day* | 8 mg/day* |
Above data is for information and indication purpose only.
It vary form person to person with age,Height and over conditions.
Source : eatforhealth
Please Note – An individual should speak to their doctor about any medical conditions and the medications they are taking before they start to take any supplements. Also, they may want to see a dietitian or nutritionist to discuss their nutritional intake before they begin taking any supplements.
Some forms and types of Dietary Supplements
Whey Protein
Whey protein and Isolate is the protein contained in whey, the watery portion of milk that separates from the curds when making cheese.
It is commonly marketed as a dietary supplement, and various health claims have been attributed to it. For muscle growth, it is considered to show better result compared to other types of protein
- Increases your strength and muscle mass.
- Helps you feel fuller, eat lesser.
- Aids in recovery from exercise.
- Lowers cholesterol.
- Helps regulate blood pressure.
Creatine Monohydrate Supplements occur naturally and used to boost athletic performance. Found naturally in muscle cells and helps your muscles produce energy during heavy lifting or high-intensity exercise. Taking Creatine Monohydrate supplements are very popular among athletes and bodybuilders in order to gain muscle enhance strength and improve exercise performance.
- Helps muscle cells produce more energy
- Supports many other functions in muscles
- Improves high-intensity exercise performance
- Speeds muscle growth
- May lower blood sugar levels and fight diabetes
- Can improve brain function
- May reduce fatigue and tiredness
- Safe and easy to use
Multivitamin is a preparation intended to serve as a dietary supplement with vitamins, dietary minerals, and other nutritional elements. Such preparations are available in the form of Multivitamins tablets, Multivitamin capsules, Multivitamin powder and some other forms. The Most common form are tablets and capsules.
Multivitamins are used to provide vitamins that are not taken in through the diet. Multivitamins are also used to treat vitamin deficiencies (lack of vitamins) caused by illness, pregnancy, poor nutrition, digestive disorders, and many other conditions.
For people who struggle to eat enough to gain weight, mass gainer supplements are an effective way to increase your calorie intake. It provides excellent assistance to change your physique and build your muscles. Along with your regular workout, the mass gainer can do wonders for you. The weight gainer or mass gainers supplement help you to offer the right amount of nutrients and high-quality calories for hitting hard at the gym and multiply your muscle mass.
- Can help build muscle faster.
- Can help enhance recovery from exercise.
- Can improve exercise performance.
- Can improve protein balance.
Fat burner Weight loss can help enhance fat loss, but they’re only going to do so if a proper diet is in place. Fat burners work in a variety of ways. They can boost energy, help curb appetite, promote fat to be used for energy, and even increase your metabolism and core temperature so you burn more calories throughout the day.
BCAA supplement are commonly taken in order to boost muscle growth and enhance exercise performance. They may also help with weight loss and reduce fatigue after exercise.
Branched-chain amino acids supplement (BCAA Supplements) are a group of three essential amino acids:
*Leucine,
*Isoleucine and
*Laline.
Frequently Asked Question (FAQ)
What does a dietary supplement do?
The idea behind food supplements, also called dietary or nutritional supplements, is to deliver nutrients that may not be consumed in sufficient quantities. Food supplements can be vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fatty acids, and other substances delivered in the form of pills, tablets, capsules, liquid, etc.
Are dietary supplements necessary?
People take these supplements to make sure they get enough essential nutrients and to maintain or improve their health.
Do dietary supplements help you lose weight?
he most effective way to lose weight and keep it off is by eating a healthy low-calorie diet and being more physically active. Weight-loss pills — prescription drugs, nonprescription drugs, herbal products or other dietary supplements — are all, at best, tools that may help with weight loss.
Are dietary supplements bad for you?
Many supplements contain active ingredients that have strong biological effects in the body. This could make them unsafe in some situations and hurt or complicate your health. For example, the following actions could lead to harmful – even life-threatening – consequences
Why dietary supplements are bad?
When taken in high doses, some fat-soluble vitamin supplements like vitamin A can cause harm by building up to toxic levels in the body. Supplements can also harm people who have certain underlying health conditions, or who take prescription medications for those conditions
What products are considered dietary supplements?
Dietary supplements come in a variety of forms, including tablets, capsules, gummies, and powders, as well as drinks and energy bars. Popular supplements include vitamins D and B12; minerals like calcium and iron; herbs such as echinacea and garlic; and products like glucosamine, probiotics, and fish oils.
Should you take dietary supplements?
Common supplements include vitamins, minerals and herbal products, also known as botanicals. People take these supplements to make sure they get enough essential nutrients and to maintain or improve their health. But not everyone needs to take supplements.
What are the most popular dietary supplements?
Particularly popular dietary supplements include multivitamins and multiminerals, calcium supplements, folic acid supplements and vitamin D supplements. Fish oil supplements are also popular, as are glucosamine (for arthritis), echinacea (for colds and flu), and probiotics (for digestion).
What is a dietary supplement in food?
The idea behind food supplements, also called dietary or nutritional supplements, is to deliver nutrients that may not be consumed in sufficient quantities. Food supplements can be vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fatty acids, and other substances delivered in the form of pills, tablets, capsules, liquid, etc
What is the best Dietary supplement?
The best-selling supplements on the market today:
BCAAs. Branched-Chain Amino Acids comprise isoleucine, leucine, and valine.
Whey Protein.
Turmeric Curcumin.
Ubiquinol CoQ10.
Creatine
What are the 6 main types of nutrients?
Macronutrients include water, protein, carbohydrates, and fats.
The six essential nutrients are vitamins, minerals, protein, fats, water, and carbohydrates.
What are the side effects of dietary supplements?
Side effects may be
Increased heart rate.
High blood pressure.
Agitation.
Diarrhea.
Sleeplessness.
Kidney problems.
Liver damage.
Rectal bleeding.