Reasoning for Taking SupplementsSupplements may help healthy people for a number of reasons. They can help prevent vitamin and mineral deficiencies when the diet is not adequate to provide all necessary nutrients. They can also provide amounts of nutrients that are larger than the diet can provide; larger amounts of some nutrients may provide protection against future disease. People may consume diets that are deficient in one or more nutrients for a variety of reasons. The typical Western diet often provides less than adequate amounts of several essential vitamins and minerals. Recent nutrition surveys in the US have found large numbers of people who consume too little calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, and, possibly, copper and manganese.
Weight-loss, pure vegetarian, macrobiotic, and several other diets can also place some people at risk of deficiencies that vary with the type of diet. Certain groups of people are at especially high risk of dietary deficiencies. Studies have found that elderly people living in their own home often have dietary deficiencies of vitamins A and E, calcium, and zinc, and sometimes of vitamins D, B1 and B2. Pre-menopausal women have been found often to consume low amounts of calcium, iron, vitamin A, and vitamin C.
Also, we all live in different environmental situations and are subjected to different stresses, so quite naturally we may have different nutritional needs. Researchers know, for instance, that our ability to detoxify a variety of environmental toxins is based, in part, on certain key nutrients. People exposed to high levels of pollutants may have increased demands for specific nutrients. Many people have parents and grandparents who lived to old age without taking the best care of themselves--and without taking supplements. These elders grew up during a time when the environment and the food supply were healthier, and certainly not dangerous. Today, frequent and early-onset degenerative diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and cancer are much more common among the U.S. population than they were several generations ago. Unfortunately, the average modern diet comes up short in nutrients that might help solve the problem.
Modern agricultural practices such as over-fertilization and heavy pesticide use diminish soil quality and, consequently, affect the foods grown in it. In one region of China, an investigation found, low levels of certain key nutrients were associated with increased risk for a number of cancers. Picking foods before they are ripe (for better transport and storage) also affects their nutritional value. The detectable flavor difference between a home-grown tomato and a typical supermarket variety reflects their different nutrient levels. In addition, plant breeding today often concentrates on improving food's appearance, pest resistance and shipping resilience rather than increasing its nutritional value.
Supplements help make up the difference. Numerous studies show that supplements can help prevent degenerative diseases and often can be part of an effective treatment program. On a preventive level, they also ensure that we have enough nutrients for our needs. Human cells need a constant, abundant supply of nutrients including vitamins, minerals, protein, carbohydrates and fats. This requires a healthy diet--and, in many cases, additional nutrient intake. Nutrients also protect against environmental toxins and the cellular damage they cause. Whether from food or water toxins, mercury in dental fillings, or aluminum in cookware and antiperspirants, our bodies are bombarded with a huge variety of toxins. Such exposure taxes the body's detoxification system that relies on specific vitamins and minerals. Inadequate nutrient levels in the face of rising demand may lead to health problems.
The idea of what constitutes a balanced diet, what food components are essential, and what amounts are beneficial is not as simple as the RDIs would have us believe. Dietary supplements can foster good health and vigor in all stages of life. You may have inherited a strong constitution, but is it wise to wait 40 or 50 years to find out? Dietary supplements are good preventive medicine--consider them a form of health insurance. But remember, there is more to a health program than supplements. An exercise program, stress management and a whole-foods diet combined with a positive, energetic outlook on life and lots of laughter will increase your chances of living a long and vigorous life.