How useful are food supplements?

As the name suggests, dietary supplements are not medications, but rather essential substances that food normally supplies. Supplements only work if body lacks these substances. For example, those with a sufficiently supply of vitamin C cannot protect themselves from colds by consuming additional vitamin C.

Fresh salad in the background and a spoon with tablets in the foreground

Confirmed deficiencies

The goal of dietary supplements is therefore not to "dope" the body, but to prevent deficiencies. The fact that the latter occurs more and more often is shown by regular studies carried out which are regularly carried out on behalf of the US Department of Health and Human Services and the US Department of Agriculture. In particular, Americans lack enough calcium, potassium, iron, vitamins A, C, D and E, choline and magnesium.

Modern nutrition and nutritional deficiencies

Such deficiencies are due on the one hand to changes in eating habits and on the other to the quality of food. This is because the content of vitamins and minerals in our food has deteriorated dramatically in recent decades. Reasons for this are factory farming, over-fertilization of fields, gene manipulation on plants and of course heavy food processing.

In the last 60 years, the greatest change in nutrition ever observed in human history took place, with obvious consequences. It is estimated that 80 to 90 percent of all diseases today can be traced back to poor nutrition. Whether obesity, cardiovascular disease, cancer or joint diseases, in all of these lifestyle diseases can a deficient diet be held responsible. While on the one hand people are confronted with an oversupply of calories and becoming ever fatter, on the other hand they suffer from a chronic undersupply of vital substances.

Staying healthy with nutritional supplements

Since data from consumption studies can be based solely on information provided by the respondents, it may be that deficiencies are higher than reported. People who pay attention to their health and keep an eye on their supply of minerals and vitamins enjoy fewer illness and more vitality and capabilities as seniors. Their quality of life can thus be significantly increased. Dietary supplements make sense for people exposed to daily stress, athletes, people who eat little and senior citizens, in order to compensate for deficits and to meet daily requirements.

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