Are supplements good for you? Is taking supplements worth it?
This is a key question with no easy answer as you will see below. Some are, some aren’t and it depends a lot on you.
Are you wondering what supplement should I take? Which supplement is best for my hair? For my skin or my weight gain? Do you regularly buy some supplements off the counter? Read on to find out why you may want to get some guidance from a qualified registered nutritional therapist.
Before I studied 3 years to become a nutritional therapist, I used to love going to health food shops, look at the supplements range, buy a couple of well marketed beautiful bottles that would hold the promises of helping with acne, or irregular periods, bloating or such and such symptoms.
I get it: the thrill of feeling you are finally doing something to address what’s bothering you. You feel empowered to act. It’s within hands reach and not too costly, not too difficult to do.
But how helpful is the supplement you have picked ?
Here are a few thoughts on supplementation:
1. It is supplementary: there is no magic pill, there is no quick fix. Change starts in the plate, in your bed (sleep😉), in the way you handle stress etc…
2. Dosage is important: there is no such thing as more is always better. Micronutrients (vitamins, minerals) are needed by our body in small doses (hence the name micro- nutrient) to over-supplement can be dangerous in certain cases. To under-supplement (low doses) may be a waste of money that will not yield any therapeutic effect.
3. The form is key. For instance there are 10 main forms of Magnesium (magnesium citrate, magnesium oxide, magnesium chloride, magnesium malate, magnesium lactate, magnesium taurate, magnesium l-threonate… You get the picture). Each form is best indicated and researched for certain usage and is associated with different side effects….who has never experienced constipation with an iron supplement? Some forms are not very easily absorbed by the body, whilst others may be causing problems (see the whole debate on folic and folate in prenatal vitamins for instance).
4. You get what you pay for. For example you can find really cheap fish oil almost anywhere. But do you know which fish was used to make it? Has it been tested for heavy metals? Is it purified? Is it tested independently? What in the formulation guarantees that the oil will stay fresh and will not oxidise (where it would then become counterproductive)?….
5. Quality, professional quality supplements don’t tend to live on the high street…or at least not in all health food shops you may bump into. The people in the store are trained to sell the products in the store. Their 3 minute advice does not replace a personalised consultation looking at your antecedents, symptoms, medications!!!(yes supplements and medication can interact!) and a tailored plan just for you.
6. What’s good for your friend Emily may not be good for you. You may both have constipation but she may have an underactive thyroid or endometriosis and you may just not be drinking enough water.
7. Excipients, stabilisers… The ingredients that you are not too sure why they are here do matter. They could really make a difference to how you feel when you take the supplement and to longer-term health.
8. Nothing is forever (at least not in supplementation 🥰). Any recommendation needs to be reviewed as symptoms progress and as nutrient level progress. Testing is required to assess this at a granular levels. Some will be available through a GP and some won’t (budget is often tight). A nutritional therapist guides you as to which test to order and will interpret results for you, looking at what level is optimal (not just in range/normal) for you.
Hope these reflections were useful!
