Dietary supplements can significantly fill the nutritional gaps in our diets. And help us get sufficient amounts of essential nutrients if we are unable to consume a nutrient-rich diet.
These supplements, if taken in adequate amounts, also help people to improve their overall health and prevent various health conditions.
However, supplements cannot take the place of the natural diets that are essential to a healthy eating routine and should be taken in adequate quantities as, in larger amounts, they can exert certain harmful effects on our bodies.
Nutritional Supplements
- Maintain general health.
- Support mental and sports-related performance.
- Provide immune system support.
However, the most healthy and widely preferred nutritional supplements are calcium, multivitamins, magnesium, probiotics, fish oil, and vitamins B, C and D, etc. All of these nutritional supplements have significant benefits. And are necessary for the normal functioning of our body.
For example, calcium is essential for our bone health, whereas vitamin D helps our body to absorb calcium and vitamins C and E are antioxidants that effectively prevent cell damage and help maintain our overall health.
Multivitamin
Multivitamin is considered one of the most essential dietary supplements for optimal health, and the majority of people are unable to meet their nutrient needs by diet alone. A study has demonstrated that the nutritional products we consume contain lower levels of essential vitamins due to soil depletion.
Multivitamins can significantly fulfil the nutritional insufficiencies in our body and also help improve our mood and long-term memory.
They may also help slow down the progression of certain life-threatening diseases. In short, getting a nutritious diet with a high-quality multivitamin helps to ensure that we are giving our bodies what they need to function properly.
Fish Oil
Fish oil nutritional supplements provide our bodies with essential omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential for regulating inflammation. Omega-3 fatty acids are necessary for our health for numerous reasons, and they can be obtained through dietary supplementation and the food we eat.
Fish oil contains adequate omega-3 levels that are necessary for proper respiratory, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and immune health. These nutritional supplements have also been helpful for maintaining a healthy weight, regulating immune function, controlling blood pressure, supporting a positive mood, and promoting muscle and joint health.
Usually, people need to supplement with 500-900 mg of omega-3 fatty acids to meet optimal levels.
Magnesium
Magnesium is another one of the most healthy, widely preferred, and essential supplements for optimal health and is required for more than 600 enzyme reactions in our body.
Individuals who are relatively at high risk of magnesium deficiency include those who consume diets high in processed foods, drink large amounts of alcohol, have blood sugar abnormalities or diabetes, have gastrointestinal conditions, suffer from vitamin D deficiency, or have been on long-term antibiotics.
Low magnesium levels lead to issues with metabolism and result in the weakening of the bones, irregularities in blood pressure, blood sugar issues, irritability, anxiety, fatigue, muscle cramps and twitches.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D has many potential benefits for our health. It significantly reduces the risk of certain diseases, reduces depression symptoms, helps improve mood and also helps with weight management.
Although our body produces vitamin D naturally through sun exposure. Sometimes it is not sufficient enough to meet the body’s needs. Many factors limit the body’s ability to convert sunlight to vitamin D, including limited sun exposure in winter months. Darker skin pigmentation, ageing, etc.
Vitamin D is essential to maintain proper neuromuscular function, bone integrity, normal inflammatory response, calcium absorption, muscle strength, healthy immune response, and normal blood pressure.
Moreover, studies have shown that adequate vitamin D levels are linked to decreased stress fractures. Reduced injuries, and decreased rates of respiratory tract infections. Vitamin D supplements have also been proven to improve migraine and headache symptoms.
Probiotics
Probiotics are essential for the maintenance of our gut health, which makes them essential supplements for optimal health. Typically, probiotics are beneficial bacteria that help improve the functionality of the gut. The gut contains certain pathogens and bacteria that can decrease gut function and result in various diseases and illnesses.
Bacterial imbalances in the gut lead to nutrient deficiencies even if we consume a balanced diet and supplement it with various nutrients and vitamins.
Research suggests that supplementing the diet with probiotics supports healthy immune function, proper brain health, inflammation regulation and also aids in weight management. Probiotics can also counteract some of the harmful side effects of taking medications, such as antibiotics.
FAQs
Are Dietary Supplements Safe to Take?
Dietary supplements should be taken in adequate amounts as their overdoses can lead to severe consequences. Always make sure to consult your healthcare professional before adding any kind of nutritional supplement to your everyday diet and follow some simple steps before consuming them:
- Read the label of every supplementary product, including drug interactions, ingredients, and percent values.
- Keep supplements away from the range of children.
It is necessary to find out all the details about a dietary supplement before consuming it. That’s why you should always speak to your healthcare provider if you have any doubts or queries.
What Are the Possible Reasons That Lead to the Intake of Supplements?
Dietary supplements are essential for our bodies and allow them to function properly. Though people can get all the essential nutrients by eating healthy foods, others may still need a little extra nutrient boost. That’s where supplements come in and provide such people with the support their body requires to stay healthy. There can be various other reasons that lead to the need for supplementation, including:
- One has dietary restrictions.
- People in a mature age group.
- Your daily food lacks essential nutrients due to soil depletion.
- Individuals have certain health condition that restricts their bodies from absorbing the necessary nutrients.
One of the most common targeted audiences for dietary supplements are the people. Who are linked to sports and fitness professions. Supplementary diets are also preferred by people who take an interest in their physical health and want to build strength and muscle.
