In an ideal world, we would get all the vitamins and minerals we need through our diets.
Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world, and our nutrition usually falls short of where it should be. Much of our produce is conventionally grown in nutrient-depleted soils, and unhealthy substances like sugar, trans fats, high-fructose corn syrup, fast food and processed junk food have become staples in many Americans’ diets.
This is why having a daily supplement regimen is so important. Supplements help fill nutritional voids that we all inevitably experience, even if we try to maintain healthy, balanced diets most of the time.
Luckily, you don’t have to go overboard with the amount of supplements you take every day. There are five key supplements you should be taking on a daily basis to create a strong nutritional foundation.
Multivitamin
Think of a multivitamin as your nutritional safety net. It fills the gaps in your diet and ensures that you get all the vitamins and minerals you need.
Despite sensationalistic news reports in the mainstream media expressing the potential “dangers” of multis, there is an overwhelming amount of positive research in support of multivitamin use.
Well-designed studies have shown that multivitamins can lessen cardiovascular risk factors —namely high blood pressure and inflammatory marker C-reactive protein)1 —and improve nutritional status in older adults, as well as those who avoid entire categories of food (like dairy, grains or gluten).2-3 And no obstetrician would go without recommending the use of prenatal multivitamins during pregnancy to help reduce the risk of low birth weight in newborns by up to sevenfold,4 as well as the risk of a variety of birth defects.
Even the American Dietetic Association agrees that “consumption of a wide variety of nutritious foods is the best way to maintain health and prevent chronic disease,” but that “additional nutrients from supplements can help some people meet their nutritional needs.”5
Vitamin D3
Often called “the sunshine vitamin,” vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that’s necessary for the absorption of calcium. But research recently has uncovered many other important benefits associated with adequate levels of D in the body, including the prevention of certain cancers, heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, depression and cognitive impairment.6
However, researchers are finding that more and more people are deficient in this critical nutrient.7 In fact, almost 50 percent of the worldwide population is deficient in D —an estimated one billion people!6
The prolific use of sunscreen to protect against skin cancer has interfered with the body’s ability to absorb ultraviolet rays, so the body is often not able to naturally synthesize the vitamin D it needs every day.
Furthermore, very few foods naturally contain vitamin D, with fatty fish like salmon and tuna as the only two truly beneficial sources. For this reason, many foods are routinely fortified with D, including many dairy products and breakfast cereals.
Even so, vitamin D deficiency has obviously become a widespread problem, so much so that we recommend that you supplement this critical nutrient every day.
Be sure to choose vitamin D3, a more effective and bioavailable form of the vitamin. Aim for 1,000-5,000 IU a day, depending on your current vitamin D blood levels.
Probiotics
Many people think of bacteria as bad or harmful. But nothing could be further from the truth. Beneficial strains of bacteria —called probiotics —actually help keep you healthy and prevent a variety of conditions and diseases.
Up to 500 different species of bacteria reside in your gastrointestinal tract alone,8 all existing in harmonious balance —at least most of the time. It’s only when the bad strains of bacteria get out of control that problems can occur. This can result in conditions as simple as diarrhea or digestive upset to more complex or serious systemic infections.
Moreover, research has shown that probiotic supplementation and having an abundance of beneficial bacteria in your system can prevent many serious health problems outside of the digestive conditions, including gestational diabetes, obesity, food allergies, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes and even cardiovascular disease.9-14
For all of these reasons, it’s a great idea to take a probiotic every day to ensure that the beneficial forms of bacteria in your system always have the competitive edge.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
The health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids are seemingly endless. Whether you are talking about EPA or DHA, research has shown that omega-3s protect the heart and help to prevent heart disease.15
But the protective nature of omega-3s isn’t limited to the cardiovascular system. A myriad of research shows that these essential fatty acids also protect the brain from Alzheimer’s disease, the joints from arthritis, the eyes from dry eye and cataracts and contribute to healthy fetal development.16-19
Wild, cold-water fish such as salmon, mackerel and tuna are excellent dietary sources of omega-3s, as are krill and squid. However, eating seafood every day is not recommended due to the potential mercury content in many types of fish.
Therefore, taking a fish or krill oil supplement every day is the easiest way to make sure that you get this important nutrient. Be sure the supplement you choose has been tested for mercury, lead and other contaminants.
Coenzyme Q10
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a powerful antioxidant that is particularly critical for heart health.
CoQ10 acts as an escort in the body, shuttling electrons from the food we eat to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP) —a nucleotide that contains energy used for a myriad of metabolic processes (in this case, to help your heart do its job).
CoQ10 also scavenges free radicals in the body, helping to protect your heart and arteries from oxidative stress and inflammation.
Studies have shown that CoQ10 supplementation can reduce the risk of coronary artery disease and improve outcomes in cases of heart failure.20-21 Interestingly, research indicates that deficits of CoQ10 could compromise brain function as well, leading to memory decline. According to one study, maintaining healthy levels of CoQ10 can slow brain deterioration by 44 percent.22
However, as we age, our body’s natural production of CoQ10 declines, which is why supplementation becomes so important. It becomes exponentially more critical if you take statin drugs, as statins deplete the CoQ10 in your body. According to one study, just 30 days of statin use can decrease your CoQ10 levels by up to 50 percent!23
Aim for 50-100 mg of CoQ10 (as ubiquinol) per day, preferably with a meal.
References:
- Wang C, et al. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2009;18(1):121-30.
- Barringer TA, et al. Ann Intern Med. 2003 Mar 4;138(5):365-71.
- Harvard Women’s Health Watch. January 2007. www.health.harvard.edu/newsletters/harvard_womens_health_watch/2007/January.
- Scholl TO, et al. Am J Epidemiol. 1997 Jul 15;146(2):134-41.
- Marra MV and Boyar AP. J Am Diet Assoc. 2009 Dec;109(12):2073-85.
- Nair R and Maseeh A. J Pharmacol Pharmacother. 2012 Apr-Jun;3(2):118-26.
- Ginde AA, et al. Arch Intern Med. 2009 Mar 23;169(6):626-32.
- http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/digestion/basics/gi_bugs.html.
- Barrett HL, et al. Acta Diabetol. 2012 Dec;49 Suppl 1:1-13.
- Arora T, et al. Nutrition. 2012 Dec 31. [Epub ahead of print.]
- Gigante G, et al. Dig Dis. 2011;29(6):540-9.
- Starovoitova SA, et al. Mikrobiol Z. 2012 May-Jun;74(3):78-85.
- Panwar H, et al. Diabetes Metab Res Rev. 2012 Dec. 5. [Epub ahead of print.]
- Rajiv S, et al. Cardiovasc Dis Res. 2010 Oct-Dec;1(4):213-4.
- Kris-Etherton PM, et al. Circulation. 2002;106:2747-57.
- Laurin D, et al. J Alz Dis. 2003;5(4):315-22.
- Katz J, et al. PAIN. 2007;129(1):210-23.
- Tuo J, et al. Am J Pathol. 2009 Aug;175(2):799-807.
- Swanson D, et al. Adv Nutr. 2012 Jan;3(1):1-7.
- Lee BJ, et al. Nutrition. 2012 Mar;28(3):250-5.
- Fotino AD, et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 2012 Dec 5. [Epub ahead of print.]
- Shults CW, et al. Arch Neurol. 2002 Oct;59(10):1541-50.
- Rundek T, et al. Arch Neurol. 2004 Jun;61(6):889-92.
