Should You Be Taking Supplements?

By Author: Dr. Victor Marchione
Total Articles: 90
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Sometimes it’s a good idea to take supplements. Many of us suffer from vitamin deficiencies for one reason or another. Supplements, however, should never be a substitute for a healthy, well-balanced diet.
The bottom line when it comes to supplementing is that the nutrients in most supplements can be found naturally in food. That’s the one point that you should always keep in mind. A diet that is healthy should provide you with your recommended levels of nutrients.
As an adult, you may find that there are times when it is beneficial to supplement with some form of multivitamin. However, this doesn’t mean substituting a regimen of supplements for nutrients in foods. Unfortunately, this is what many people wrongfully believe — or, perhaps, are being led to believe by their local health-food stores.
Our life support and good health are found in the nutrients that form the foods that we eat, which are originally part of the earth and water on this planet. Our bodies eat the food and digest it, and ...
... during this phase, our enzymes metabolize it and extract the parts that they can use for energy and maintenance of all of the cells that make up our systems.

Not as Many Vitamins as You Think
The ultimate key to good health is eating a diet that is rich in whole foods. These are not refined in any way and are power-packed with an entire dose of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fiber and other health-promoting substances. Whole foods consist largely of fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains. Nothing can be substituted for the diverse nutritional power that these foods give you.
We know, for instance, that certain foods contain many other substances besides the ones that we already know about — and it is this wealth of “phytochemicals” and “flavonoids,” which we are just beginning to understand, that could be responsible for a food’s disease-preventive qualities.
As you grow older, every year that passes increases the importance of maintaining a diet that is rich in nutrients. Wear and tear has started to take a toll on all of the organs and systems of the body, and subsisting on anything other than whole foods for a prolonged period of time will inevitably result in illness.
If you don’t get enough fruits and vegetables in your diet (eight of out every 10 people don’t), then supplements might be a good idea. While they can’t replace your diet, they can complement it.
However, don’t make the mistake that they can ever be substitutes. Remember that your body’s ability to absorb what you are feeding it can be influenced in a number of ways by the manufacturing of supplements. In the end, it’s possible that you are only truly using 15% of any particular ingredient in a multivitamin. This is one thing that most health-food stores won’t discuss. Food is your greatest resource for health: focus on it first.

Common Supplements vs. Foods
The following is a list of common nutrients that are sold in supplement form — and purchased by the millions. These nutrients are definitely important when it comes to boosting your health, but why not look for them in delicious foods instead of pills?

Beta-carotene
This nutrient is turned into vitamin A within your body. Beta-carotene is a “precursor” to vitamin A, as its molecules are very similar to the essential nutrient. While vitamin A can be toxic if you take it in very high amounts, beta-carotene is not. Its link to this vitamin sets beta-carotene apart from all other “carotenoids.”
Beta-carotene is a very powerful antioxidant, reducing the risk of heart disease through its efforts to prevent fats and cholesterol from oxidizing and forming plaque in your arteries. It helps deactivate free radicals that can damage cells and cause chronic diseases. It is a potent immune-booster, as well.
Therapeutically, the nutrient can slow the progression of cataracts and “macular degeneration,” which are the two biggest causes of blindness or reduced vision in older adults. Studies continue, as the evidence is anything but indisputable, but scientists have suggested that beta-carotene plays a role in treating all of these, as well: osteoarthritis, depression, asthma, headaches, cystic fibrosis, heartburn, infertility, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, epilepsy and sunburn.
It is normally suggested that you obtain beta-carotene from food, not supplements. If your diet provides at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day — including brightly colored fruits and dark-green, leafy vegetables — then it should provide you with all the beta-carotene that you need.

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