OK, in an ideal world, no one would need dietary supplements. Our balanced diets would provide all the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients our bodies need. Alas, the world of American eating is far from ideal, can I get an “Amen.” And that, some nutrition experts and supplement advocates argue, is why we need dietary supplements.
The latest federal data show that more than half of U.S. adults use dietary supplements, mostly multivitamins.
The latest version of the federal Dietary Guidelines for American urges us to get our nutrients primarily from food:
“A fundamental premise of the Dietary Guidelines is that nutrients should come primarily from foods. Foods in nutrient-dense, mostly intact forms contain not only the essential vitamins and minerals that are often contained in nutrient supplements, but also dietary fiber and other naturally occurring substances that may have positive health effects.”
This “food first” approach is based on the emerging understanding that our bodies may process nutrients in food differently from those supplied by supplements and that foods contain scores of compounds whose synergy may be what makes them good for us. The document also points out that “sufficient evidence is not available to support a recommendation for or against the use of multivitamin/mineral supplements in the primary prevention of chronic disease for the healthy American population.”
But meeting your daily dietary needs without using supplements is a challenge, even when you’re choosing ultra-healthful foods under a professional dietitian’s guidance, and how many of us do this 85-90% of the time; yep, that is what I thought. It’s a widespread challenge. Society has “invested a lot in the science behind the Dietary Guidelines for Americans,” says the vice president for scientific and regulatory affairs for the Council for Responsible Nutrition, a dietary supplement trade group. “When you think about people and what they’re eating, a significant number are not meeting those benchmarks.”
Robert Post, deputy director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, says too few Americans are meeting all their nutritional requirements and that dietary supplements, used sensibly, can help fill gaps in our diets. In particular, he notes, the guidelines single out four “nutrients of concern” that most of us need more of to maintain good health: potassium, Vitamin D, calcium and fiber. The guidelines, call for people to get their fill of those four nutrients from food and to consider supplements only for a handful of dietary deficiencies related to our stage of life and dietary preferences.
Those include:
Iron: Women who are able to become pregnant need more iron, especially heme iron, which the body absorbs more readily than non-heme iron. Heme iron is found in lean meat and poultry; non-heme iron is in white beans, lentils, spinach, enriched breads and cereals. Foods rich in Vitamin C can aid iron absorption. Adult males need just 8 mg of iron per day; women need 18 mg, and pregnant women need 27 mg.
Folate: Women who can bear children also should eat more foods containing folate, such as beans, peas, oranges, orange juice and dark-green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale and mustard greens. Because folate and folic acid (the nutrient’s synthetic form) help prevent neural-tube defects in infants, women who can become pregnant should consume 400 micrograms of folic acid (from fortified foods or supplements); pregnant women should consume 600 mcg of folic acid daily.
Vitamin B12: Some people age 50 and older have trouble absorbing Vitamin B12 from food. To compensate, people 50 or older should increase consumption of cereals fortified with this vitamin or take supplements of it. Because B12 occurs naturally only in animal-based protein, vegetarians and vegans also should eat fortified cereals or take supplements. Most adults need 2.4 mcg per day.
Most personal trainers and dieticians still observe that good nutrition and supplements are “not an either-or situation.” Used together they can help support a complete and healthy lifestyle. If you have questions about whether or not a supplement may benefit you, please ask me. I am happy to answer your questions and offer some healthy suggestions.
In health,
Coach C