As you may already know after reading the previous article Dietary supplements supplement the diet of a specific individual. We could ask ourselves why it is impossible to get all the necessary substances from food. In principle, it is possible, but such conditions are often difficult to meet due to constraints arising at least from our goal, a good example would be a period of fat reduction to improve body composition. This then requires us to take into account a kcal deficit, which will make it much more difficult and sometimes exclude the possibility of providing the body with everything it needs. In the long term, this can lead to nutritional deficiencies or overconsumption of certain products resulting in disorders of our body.
We already know what dietary supplements are, what use they have, today I wanted to create and briefly describe to you the division by the active substances contained in them.
The first group of supplements will be products containing vitamins and minerals
A very popular group of products, often used by people of all ages not necessarily trainers. Vitamin preparations include mono products (one ingredient), e.g.: vitamin A,D,E,K (fat-soluble that’s why there is often MCT or flaxseed oil in the formulation), B6,B12, biotin, niacin, vitamin C (water-soluble vitamins)
And multicomponent vitamin preparations containing several vitamin products, such as: D+K (often having a synergistic effect, or being a group of products with similar properties A+E (fat-soluble with strong antioxidant potential )
Preparations containing minerals :calcium, iron, zinc, iodine, potassium ,magnesium, manganese, chromium, etc.
Vitamin and mineral complexes also have a large share of the supplement market . These products include all the necessary micronutrients in one formulation. This is a more convenient option but is it optimal?
Everything, of course, will depend on the specific case from the deficiencies we have or the dysfunctions that have arisen due to past nutrition
After briefly describing to each other the first group of supplements , I would also like to mention a few words about how to select products from this group and determine the appropriate doses of supplementation.
The selection of supplements should be based on the principle of assessing the availability of particular micronutrients in the diet, or in a more precise way, i.e. laboratory tests and interpretation before a person with knowledge in the field. After determining the appropriate dose of the supplement and the period of supplementation, we should verify the changes that have occurred in the body after a longer period of use, then we consider the need for further supplementation or dose adjustment.
Bearing in mind the continuous decline in food quality (a good example would be an increasingly sterile diet less rich in minerals such as selenium which translates into less selenium in the food) , I believe that more and more people need “support” supplementation containing vitamins and minerals, of course, remembering that their selection is to be targeted and individual AND the highest quality products!
Nikolai Szyszka
Bibliography:
“A collected compendium of raw material knowledge using Swanson mold products as an example.”
“Dietetics nutrition of healthy and sick man ” Helena Ciborowska, Anna Rudnicka
