Minerals good for the body; benefits of food supplements

Minerals (Essential Elements)Minerals are essential components of our diet that serve as cofactors in the thousands of enzyme-controlled reactions that power the machinery of the cell. Throughout the body, minerals form critical structural elements, control the action of nerves and muscles, help maintain the body's water balance, and buffer the pH (acidity) of the cell and extracellular fluids. Although minerals only make up a small percentage (5%) of body weight, their role in the body is significant and life would not be possible without them.There are 22 minerals that have been identified to be necessary for specific metabolic functions or whose absence would result in physiological impairment. These minerals which are also referred to as essential 'elements' or essential 'mineral elements' must be obtained through consumption in our diet and then through the absorption process which takes place in our gut. Minerals in our diet are often broken down into two categories by health professionals, 'major minerals' which are required in the largest quantities (eg calcium, magnesium ) and 'micro minerals' or 'trace elements' which are required in smaller quantities (eg copper, selenium).It is important to realise that the physiological role, digestion, absorption, interaction with other nutrients and metabolism of each mineral varies. For more information on the role of each individual mineral including good food sources of each and recommended dietary intakes please review the links listed below.Major Minerals:Calcium Magnesium Chloride Phosphorus Potassium Sodium Micro Minerals (trace elements)Copper Fluoride Iodine Iron Selenium Zinc It was originally thought that because minerals are so widely distributed in food and that the physiological requirements for minerals is only small that it was easy to obtain adequate mineral quantities in our diet, however deficiencies are far more common than toxic overloads. There are a number of factors that could contribute to this including specific forms of the mineral, bioavailability and alterations to the absorption process which may result from competing nutrients or disease.http://www.expert-nutrition.com/minerals.htmlReview of Nutritional Supplements To start with, a little bit of market research shows us that the health and wellness industry is currently one of world’s fastest growing industries. It is largely driven by the fact than baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) are getting older and are willing to spend big money on anything that might make them look and feel younger, as well as maintain health status and prevent the onset of disease. Nutritional supplements are one of main products sold within the health and wellness industry and despite the fact that they have been on the market for over 50 years they continue to spark much debate as to what benefit they can actually provide. Add to this some of the marketing hype and often false claims it is easy to see why people question whether we really need to be taking supplements.The truth is, while some people may benefit from the use supplements, others might not and given the fact that the health status and diet of every individual varies, than so to should our advice around recommending supplements.Throughout this chapter we will help you to assess your own personal situation, look at whether you can meet the recommended dietary intakes through diet alone, assess the role of nutritional supplements in providing dietary support and if you do believe you should be taking supplements we’ll show you what to look for such that you’re getting a quality product.During this chapter we’ll discuss the following issues:Can we get 100% of Recommended Dietary Intake’s from our diet alone? Nutritional Supplements - Health Benefits or Just Expensive Urine? Understanding Bioavailability Liquid vs Tablet Supplements Chelated Minerals Checklist to Identify Quality Supplements To understand the potential benefits of nutritional supplements we advise that you take the time to work through each of the subheadings. To start with, let’s discuss whether we can get 100% of Recommended Dietary Intake’s from our diet alone? Meeting Recommended Dietary Intakes Meeting Recommended Dietary Intake'sIn this section we will discuss recommended dietary intakes and how we can meet those recommendations to achieve health benefits. Doctors have known for hundreds of years that our diet plays a significant role in the health of an individual. In modern times this is supported by very strong evidence that shows that diet can not only reduce, but also increase the risk of various diseases. For this reason across the world there is a number of governing health bodies which set guidelines to help individuals meet adequate dietary intakes of certain nutrients which are known to provide health benefits (eg fruits and vegetables), as well as toxicity levels set for those that pose a health risk (eg alcohol).In Australia we make reference to the Recommended Dietary Intakes (RDI’s) set by the National Health and Medical Research Council, in American they use the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI’s) set by the Food and Nutrition Board (Institute of Medicine) and in the UK they use values set by the Dept. of Health. Regardless of where you live or what system you use the reference values for recommended dietary intakes are pretty much the same everywhere with only minor discrepancies throughout. So, what is required for us to meet these guidelines? Is our diet alone sufficient? Let’s review what the research has to say. Is it possible to get adequate nutrition from our diet alone?Regardless of whether you live in American, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Europe it doesn’t really matter, the short answer to this is ‘Yes', we can actually obtain 100% of recommended dietary intakes through a healthy diet and by regularly consuming a variety of different food sources. Therefore your goal should always be to eat a healthy diet that helps you meet these guidelines. But before you go making any big assumptions based around this one paragraph, let us now ask another question. Although it is possible to meet recommended dietary intakes through our diet alone, how many of us actually do? To start with, let’s review the recommended dietary intakes of fruits and vegetables which the National Health and Medical Research Council refers to as “protective foods”. Research has consistently shown that fruit and vegetable consumption is strongly linked to the prevention of chronic disease and to better health. Guidelines suggest that we need to consume 2-4 serves of fruit and 5-8 serves of vegetables everyday in order for us to meet recommended dietary intakes of most nutrients including vitamins, minerals antioxidants and fibre. Analysis of data from the 2004–05 Australian National Health Survey shows that 85.7% of people aged 18 years or over did not usually consume five serves of vegetables per day, while 46.0% did not consume two serves of fruit. The study concluded that although there are concerns about the over consumption of food in Australia contributing to a rapid increase in overweight and obesity, Australians as a population fall short of meeting basic dietary requirements needed to help prevent numerous diseases. These claims have been supported by The Cancer Council of Australia who suggest 25% of cancers in Australia could have been prevented through better diet (including reducing alcohol consumption) and exercise. Australians are not alone, a study in American conducted by the USDA surveyed approximately 21,500 people and discovered that only 3 percent of American’s ate a healthy, balanced diet. More concerning was the fact that not 1 single person met the Recommended Daily Allowances for the 10 most important vitamins and minerals regularly. The good news is that although many people fall short of meeting the recommended dietary intakes for common vitamin and minerals, traditional nutrient deficiency diseases such as scurvy and rickets are now rare. In modern times however they have been replaced with chronic degenerative diseases such cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, arthritis and macular degeneration, which take can take many years to develop and are all largely influenced by lifestyle factors such as our diet. So although our current diet might be sufficient to prevent traditional nutrient deficiency diseases such as scurvy, it is probably not sufficient for optimal health and to help protect against chronic degenerative diseases such as heart disease and cancer.“Ageing is not a disease. Nor are the so called diseases of ageing - cancer, heart disease, arthritis and senility the inevitable consequences of ageing” - Mark WahlqvistIt is important to clarify that we are not saying that all individuals are not meeting the recommended guidelines, in fact some individuals do the exact opposite and go to extremes to ensure that they do, but as a population the western world on average does not meet the recommended dietary intake's which are set to be protective of health.What can we do about it? The first and most important thing to do, is to review your current diet and look for ways to improve it, primarily focusing on increasing the number of plant based foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, grains, cereals, rice etc. while trying to reduce the amount of saturated fats, added sugar, additional salt and alcohol.The Healthy Tips chapter can help you to look at practical ways to improve your diet. You may also wish to consider additional support through the use of nutritional supplements.In summery, although it is possible to meet the recommended dietary intake of most nutrients through diet alone, reality is, that only a small percentage of people actually do. The majority of the population unfortunately are at risk of poor health due to failing to meet the nutrient requirements that are known to be protective to health.Nutritional Supplements - Health Benefits or Just Expensive Urine?Do Nutritional Supplements Provide Health Benefits?Although traditional nutrient deficient diseases such as scurvy, rickets and beri beri are today rare in western society, a poor diet has also more recently been identified as a major risk factor for chronic degenerative diseases such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis. Given the prevalence of these diseases and the lack of cure, the primary intervention currently taken by governing health bodies is therefore to focus on prevention and in particular the importance of a healthy diet.In 2001, an article published by the American Medical Association recognised the prevalence of chronic diseases and how a suboptimal intake of vitamins typically associated with the American diet was a risk factor for chronic disease that could be corrected through supplementation. This study reviewed many of the health benefits of nutritional supplements and clearly stated that nutritional supplements provide positive health outcomes. The report concluded that all American adults should be taking a multivitamin on a daily basis to achieve health benefits and assist in the prevention of chronic diseases. There has now been over 40 years of research supporting the use of nutritional supplements in providing health benefits and in the prevention and treatment of nutrient deficiency diseases. For example research has consistently shown that women who supplement with folate prior to and during pregnancy have up to 70% fewer deformed babies. Supplements containing folate, vitamin B12 and vitamin B6 have been proven to be beneficial in the reduction of homocysetine a powerful oxidising agent associated with heart disease. Whilst other studies have confirmed that supplements that contain calcium and vitamin D are beneficial when used in both the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. So the good news is ‘yes’ nutritional supplements can help people to obtain nutrients that are necessary to maintain health and prevent some diseases, however it is important to remember that a supplement will always be an adjunct to, not replace, a well chosen diet. Are Recommended Dietary Intakes Sufficient?Recommended dietary intakes set by governing health bodies are designed to be sufficient to meet the nutritional requirements of healthy individuals and provide health benefits. It should be noted however that the organisations responsible for these guidelines recognise that there is some evidence that a range of nutrients could have further benefits in the prevention of chronic disease at intake levels above the recommendations that they have set. Additionally people who suffer from nutrient deficiencies or disease may require greater nutrient intakes.In particular the nutrients for which higher than recommended dietary intakes have been linked to benefits for chronic disease risk include antioxidant vitamins such as vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin A (in the form of beta carotene) as well as selenium, folate, omega 3 fatty acids and dietary fibre. Although greater intakes of these nutrients may provided additional health benefits and reduce the risk of some chronic diseases further research is required to confirm any potential benefit.In summary although nutritional supplements are not designed to replace a healthy diet there is growing evidence that when used to augment a healthy diet they are beneficial in correcting nutrient deficiencies and may potentially also provide additional health benefits in reducing some of the risk factors know to be associated with chronic disease. Given that the majority of the population are struggling to meet recommended dietary guidelines through their diet alone (discussed on the last page) and that dietary intakes above the recommendations may be required to help prevent chronic disease the use of supplementation to provide health benefits is well supported.In regards to disease prevention, in is important to understand that chronic diseases take many years to develop, it is therefore our opinion that a sustained healthy diet with the additional support of prolonged use of nutritional supplements is most likely to yield the greatest benefits. How To Find Quality SupplementsWhen purchasing a nutritional supplement we suggest you look for quality supplements that are safe and give you the nutrition that you require. For this reason we have developed a checklist of factors that you should consider when buying supplements. You might even like to print this page and discuss the content with whomever you are buying the supplement from to ensure you’re getting a good deal.Remember nutritional supplements are designed to supplement a healthy diet and not replacement it, so always aim to eat a healthy diet for best results.What should I be taking? A quality multivitamin and a good fish oil supplement is generally all you need. If you’re a healthy individual that eats well don’t fall into the trap of buying 10 different vitamin supplements in an attempt to prevent different ailments. Instead look for a quality multivitamin that has everything you need and combine it with a good fish oil (or omega 3).On the advice of a treating professional if you have a specific pathology extra supplementation may be required. For example if you have joint problems you may take a quality multivitamin + quality fish oil + a glucosamine supplement.Is the product delivered in a single dose?More isn’t necessarily better, many people believe that because one brand has more active ingredient than another, it must be the better option. It is important to realise that the body can only absorb so much in a single dose, so big doses quite often mean a lot of waste. It makes more sense then to buy a supplement that you would take 2-3 times a day as there is a better chance of it being absorbed. Also large doses of certain ingredients can lead to toxicity.Does the supplement contain toxic ingredients?Not only should we be looking for a quality supplement but also a safe supplement. In particular retinol (vitamin A) and iron can accumulate to toxicity within the body having a negative impact on our health and therefore we should be cautious of supplements that contain these ingredients. Supplements that contain vitamin A should do so in the form of "beta carotene" to eliminate the possibility of toxicity. We personally do not recommend that people take any supplements that contain iron unless specifically recommended by there doctor, refer to the page on iron for more information.Does the supplement contain beneficial nutrient ratios? The nutritionally quality of the supplement is always better then the quantity. For example a 1500mg fish oil tablet is not necessarily better than one that is only 1000mg. It's not the size of the capsule that is important but instead the amount of active ingredients (ie the omega 3's EPA + DHA). Are the nutrient ratios consistent with what the research has told us to be beneficial? For more specific information please follow the links to the chapters on vitamins and minerals.Are the ingredients provided in the most bioavailable form? Mineral salts are not as easily absorbed as chelated minerals or minerals bound to an organic carrier. Therefore if you are looking to purchase a mineral supplement, look for mineral ingredients that come in the form of chelated minerals as these are the most accessible to the body and therefore are better quality supplements. The exception is iodine, which is best absorbed in the form of iodised salts.How are the supplements manufactured? Companies that use pharmaceutical manufacturing standards will generally manufacture higher quality supplements than those manufactured at the basic food standard which is all that is required by law. Definitely stay clear of any lotions or potions that look as if they were made in the back shed as both the quality and safety may be compromised.Are the supplements listed in the Physicians Desktop Reference (PDR) or Mims? The PDR is a book that doctors use when prescribing medications (Mims is the Australian equivalent). Supplements that are found listed these publications meet stringent safety criteria are generally of better quality as there is some research to support their use.Is the company publicly traded or transparent about their manufacturing processes? The benefit of purchasing from a publicly traded company is that they are regularly audited and because they are transparent they have nothing to hide. Also anyone in the general public can find out all the information they need about the company including manufacturing standards, where they get there ingredients etc. If the company is not publicly traded, then all of this information remains behind closed doors.Does the supplement sound like a miracle pill? If so, don’t waste your money, although there are some high quality nutritional supplements on the market there are no miracle pills so if it sounds too good to be true, it probably will be. On this page we have only briefly discuss some important criteria that should be considered when looking for a quality supplement. In the coming month’s expert-nutrition will go into more detail on each of these topics, so come back and see us on a regular basis as this site continues to grow and we provide you with quality information you can trust.http://www.expert-nutrition.com/nutritional-supplements.html