Supplements – Is taking supplements beneficial? Visit your local supermarket, drugstore or health food store and you will find rows upon rows of vitamins and supplements. Each is minutely measured giving you the RDAs, DVs, IUs, milligrams and so on. It's enough information to make your head swim!
Some studies suggest that specific vitamin and mineral supplements can help reduce your risk of heart disease by 30 to 40 percent and even slow the progress of the disease according to Jeffrey Blumberg, M.D. associate director and chief of the Antioxidants Research Laboratory at the U.D. Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging in Boston. They are relatively inexpensive and easy to obtain over the counter.
Vitamins are also credited with boosting the immune system and it is believed that older people who take vitamin and mineral supplements do have stronger immune systems.
Generally speaking, the immune system begins to decline around age 50 and by age 60 may already be seriously compromised. The belief is that if your immune system can't protect you, the door is thrown wide open for cancer and other serious diseases to waltz right in.
So, the answer is yes, supplements can help but don't expect them to work miracles. You can't continue to do the steak and eggs or burger and fries thing and think that popping a pill will be a cure-all because it isn't!
If you are over 55, vitamin supplements will help prevent disease even though it may take at least six months to a year to register the improvement. That's not an excuse to put it off, because the sooner you begin, the better the results.
Let's take a look at weight for instance. If you take in too many calories and gain weight you increase the risk of cancer, heart disease and stroke. But, cutting the calories to either lose or maintain your weight may result in deficiencies in vitamins and minerals. You can replace key vitamins and minerals lost by dieting with carefully selected supplements.
Another challenge is compensating as the body's systems begin to slow down. As we age, our systems are not working as efficiently as they once were. For example, you don't have as much stomach acid that helps to get nutrients from food. That means that as much as 40% of the nutrients you ingest may go unused resulting in deficiencies of vitamins D, B6, B12, riboflavin, folate and calcium.
Your body's system for storing the nutrients isn't as efficient either because the percentage of body fat increases with age. While your metabolism keeps you alive and healthy, it also produces by products that can be harmful including free radicals and other compounds that cause damage to cells' DNA and can lead to many of the effects of old age.
As we get older, the body reduces the amount of antioxidants it produces and it will become more difficult to get enough antioxidant protection just from your food. Although you can get most of the nutrients you need from a multi-vitamin, you may want to take extra supplements of certain vitamins and minerals to promote optimum health.
As a cautionary measure, however, make certain that you are not exceeding the recommended ranges. You can get too much of a good thing. It is also advisable to consult with your physician regarding any supplemental regimen as some supplements may have adverse interaction with certain medications you are taking.
While we won't delve into the vast subject of supplements here, there are a few suggestions we would like to share with you.
Avoid multi-vitamins with time release formulas. By the time they dissolve they may be too far down the intestinal tract where absorption is poor.
Store your vitamins away from hot or humid places. It is better to keep them with your spices rather than the bathroom or near direct sunlight or heat.
Take your vitamins with a meal. Some nutrients are only released with fat so taking them with your low-fat meal is optimum.
Check the expiration date on the bottle. Buying a large amount just to save a few dollars isn't a bargain if you won't be using them before their effectiveness expires.
If you drink even moderately, take extra vitamins and minerals.
If you want to lose weight, take more calcium. If you don't consume enough calcium your body will over produce calcitriol. This hormone promotes fat storage in the body. But, calcium supplements won't be as beneficial as dietary calcium. Have four daily servings of nonfat or low-fat dairy products.
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