Are supplements the answer?

 

 

Many people are tempted to pop a vitamin or mineral supplement to make up for their unhealthy eating habits.

Supplements should never be seen as a quick fix for a poor diet. It's no use living on junk food, then just taking a pill and thinking you will be fine!

Also, some people think that if vitamins and minerals are good for you, then taking a mega-dose must be even better. Impressive sounding health claims have been made for high-dose supplements. However, the evidence for these nutrients reducing our disease risk is seen when we get them from food, not from pills. As yet there's no conclusive evidence that the pills help at all, and they could even be dangerous. Some nutrients and minerals, notably the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, can accumulate in the body to toxic levels.

People who have high nutrient requirements or find it impossible to get enough from a normal healthy diet, might benefit from a good-quality low-dose multivitamin and mineral supplement. Low dose means no more than the recommended daily intake, to top up their natural levels. For example: pregnant women, those planning a baby, children and the eldery have higher nutrient needs. so m ight be advised to take a low-dose supplement. In these cases, look for a supplement that's specially formulated for your particular age group or life stage, such as pregnancy. 

Smokers have an increased requirement for vitamin C, so might like to take a vitamin C supplement (not a mega-dose) as well as eating plenty of C-rich fruit and vegetables. If you are unsure whether you have special nutritional needs, ask your doctor, practice nurse, dietitian or registered nutritionist.

The bottom line is: supplements should only ever be used as a supplement to a healthy diet, not as a replacement for one!