Dr Lalitha Badul
While supplements shouldn’t replace a healthy diet, they might help you get the essential nutrients you need.
In a perfect world, your daily requirement of essential nutrients would come wholly from a widely varied diet of nutrient-rich foods. This type of diet is the best way to promote health and reduce the risk of chronic disease.
“Diet tends to provide nutrients in small doses spread throughout the day, and the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is able to absorb them very well “Larger doses may not be fully absorbed.”
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That’s why it’s important to pay attention to what you eat and aim to include a variety of healthy foods in your meals and snacks. Sometimes, however, it may be difficult to get all the necessary nutrients from food. The right supplement can play an important role in helping you meet nutritional gaps — and make a difference in your overall health.
When to consider supplements
Dietary supplements may help prevent chronic disease.
Because oxidative stress underlies many chronic conditions, it’s possible that some combination of vitamins and minerals may help reduce that cause of illness.
Supplements may be effective for many other reasons, including:
Vitamin or mineral deficiencies: If a blood test found that you’re lacking in an important vitamin or mineral, it may help to take supplements, as recommended by your doctor, to correct the deficiency.
Dietary restrictions: If you eat a limited diet by choice — you’re vegan, for instance — or because of a health condition, you might not be getting all the vitamins and minerals you need through food and may benefit from specific supplements.
Pregnancy: Talk with your obstetrician/gynaecologist about pre-pregnancy and pregnancy supplements, such as folic acid, which help ensure your baby’s healthy development.
Aging: With age, calorie requirements change, and the amount you eat may decrease. This diet change, along with changes in vitamin and mineral needs, may warrant supplements.
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