The supplements most of us need.
While a tip-top, balanced diet can cover most of the essential nutrients, there are some nearly everyone is missing out on - and in these cases, a supplement can be important.
- Vitamin D - 'Our skin makes this from sunlight and in the UK, the sun isn't strong enough for us to produce it from October through to March,' says Bond. 'So it's recommended everyone takes 10mcg of vitamin D from autumn to spring. Certain groups need it all year round - for example, anyone who spends little time outside, such as the elderly, and those with darker skin.'
- Omega-3 -'Most people just don't eat enough oily fish to get the omega -3 fatty acids they need,' says Bond. So it's a good idea for nearly all of us to supplement. If you are a vegetarian or vegan, it's very hard to get enough omega-3 - although foods such as walnuts and chia seeds contain it, your body doesn't use it as well from these forms. Try an algae-based omega-3 supplement - algae are the source from which oily fish get their omega-3.
- Pre- and Probiotics - With a raft of research showing a diverse community of gut bugs is essential for our health, probiotic supplements- which deliver good bacteria direct to the gut - are big news. Prebiotics feed these good bacteria. 'Essentially, you need both particularly if you've recently taken antibiotics, as these can deplete the friendly bacteria levels in your gut,' says Dr Derbyshire. 'Taking a probiotic can top up your levels, which prebiotics encourage good bacteria to flourish.' While fibre's the best prebiotic out there, most of us fall short, which is where a prebiotic supplement comes in.
Know when to take them
'Fat-soluble vitamins A,D,E and K should be taken with food to help you absorb them better,' says Dr Derbyshire. 'Vitamins B and C should be taken with water as they are water-soluble. And probiotics are best taken on an empty stomach so they reach the gut without food hampering absorption.'
Quick Guide to Vitamins A, B and C.
Vitamin A
Needed for: Healthy skin, vision and the immune system.
Found in: Oily fish, liver, dairy and as betacarotene in yellow, red and green vegetables, and yellow fruit such as mangoes.
What you need to know: Too much vitamin A may affect bone health, so don't regularly take more than 1.5mg daily. If you are taking a multivitamin, be careful with liver and products containing it, as it contains very high quantities of vitamin A.
Vitamin B
Needed for: A healthy nervous system, and helping your body convert food into energy. There are eight B vitamins, including, folate niacin and biotin. They all have slightly different jobs, but also work together.
Found in: Meat, fish, dairy, green leafy veg, wholegrains.
What you need to know: Vitamin B12, needed for healthy red blood cells is mainly in meat, fish and dairy, so you need to supplement if you are vegan.
Vitamin C
Needed for: Healthy skin, blood cells and wound healing, and for the immune system.
Found in: A wide range of fresh fruit and vegetables, and at particularly high levels in strawberries, blackcurrants, Brussels sprouts, red peppers and broccoli.
What you need to know: Vitamin C is relatively easy to get in your diet so it's not likely you'll be deficient. But it's not stored in the body so you'll need to make sure you get enough every day.
When supplements are a must.
Although you may get away without supplements if your diet's great, experts agree certain groups always need to top up. These include:
- Vegans and Vegetarians - 'If you're vegan or vegetarian, there are nutrients you may not get from your diet, such as vitamin B12 and omega-3s,' says Dr Derbyshire. 'You may also be low on iron, which is found at good levels in meat.'
- Menopausal women - One Iranian study found that folate could help ease hot flushes. And as levels of bone-protective oestrogen fall, your need for calcium and vitamin D - both essential for healthy bones - rises. A supplement designed for this time can help you get back in balance.
- Women who are pregnant or trying to conceive - 'You have an extra need for certain nutrients. chiefly folic acid, which is essential pre-conception and during pregnancy for preventing neural tube defects in your baby, and vitamin D,' says Bond. Look for special supplements that contain everything.
- At that time of the month - Make sure you're getting enough vitamin B6 - it may help smooth PMS-related low moods, research suggests. Low zinc and iron levels can also make PMS moods and other symptoms worse, found a study in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
- When you're under stress - For many, tough times mean a depleted diet. 'You may grab nutrient-poor convenience food or simply not eat enough to fit in the vitamins and minerals you need,' says Bond. And according to Australian research, you may have an increased need for B vitamins when under pressure - the research found supplementing with these could help ease stress symptoms.
- When you have a restricted diet - 'Dairy is a classic example: some people avoid it due to lactose intolerance, or choose to for ethical reasons,' says Bond. 'But it's our best source of calcium, so you need to think about replacing this. If you're trying to lose weight, you may miss out on nutrients. When using an intermittent fasting diet you need to make extra effort to ensure you include enough nutrients in the limited meals on the calorie reduced days.
Check for deficiencies.
Your GP can carry out blood tests to check for common deficiencies, such as iron, vitamin D and B12. 'But you'd have to pay for a test to find out if you're getting enough of other vitamins and minerals,' says nutritionist Dr Emma Derbyshire. 'There are crucial plant compounds in fruit and vegetables, such as polyphenols and all-important fibre, needed for healthy digestion. In foods, the nutrients often have better bioavailability, so you absorb them more efficiently.' However, she adds, supplements do have an important role. 'The reality is, lifestyle can make it difficult to have the right diet, and supplements give a precise dose, so can be good insurance.' 'A common mistake people make is to take a multivitamin and then top up with additional single nutrients, which could mean you're taking excess amounts of something,' says Dr Derbyshire. In some cases, going overboard with nutrients can lead to side effects - take too much niacin (a B vitamin) for example, and you can develop a prickly rash. And don't assume supplements are harmless. 'Betacarotene is shown to raise the risk of lung cancer in smokers, for example,' says Bond. 'And if you have a health condition or are on medication, speak to your doctor first. Fish oils, for example, can be dangerous when taken with the blood-thinning drug warfarin.'
The number one question for most people when it comes to supplements is: do I need to take any at all? Generally, says dietician Helen Bond, the answer is 'no'. 'You don't need vitamin and mineral supplements if you're an average person with no particular needs and you have a great nutritionally balanced diet that includes each of the five food groups and lots of variety. Unfortunately, though, very few of us have that kind of diet. Only a third of us are managing to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables daily - and that's the minimum we should be having. We're not getting anywhere near enough fibre, few of us eat enough oily fish and over 50% of the food we eat falls into the ultra-processed category, meaning it contains too much salt and sugar and not enough nutrients. In the UK, there are problems with deficiency in lots of nutrients, including zinc, iron, magnesium, selenium, iodine and vitamin D.'
There are special groups who need supplements because they're at a certain life stage or have a restricted diet. For everyone else, there's no easy way of telling whether you should top up. 'If you're tired and keep getting lots of coughs and colds, that can indicate you're missing out on nutrients,' says Bond. 'But you might be deficient without any signs like this. People often picture someone who's low on nutrients as looking thin and pale. But obesity is connected with malnourishment as it usually means someone has a poor diet, high in fatty, sugary foods and low in nutrients.'
Source: Healthy magazine July 2019.
A definitive guide to VITAMINS and MINERALS