Health Care Content Writer Test – Vishwapriya Swaminathan
Dietary Supplements: To Nourish or Replenish?
New age discussions over the
web, are starting ponder if dietary supplements can indeed adequately compensate
giving your body the nutrition
it needs, to thrive and enable you to live a fit and healthy life.
But what are dietary supplements? What is their purpose?
Dietary supplements comprise additional nutrition encompassed into a bite-sized pill. They come in a variety of shapes and forms, including pills, capsules, syrups, powders, drinks and energy bars. The best and most common supplements include Vitamin D, B12, C, Calcium, Omega 3,6, and 9 and so on. They offer range of supplements in the market, including not only the aforementioned but also minerals, probiotics, amino acids and enzymes. Their intake leads to an increased level of total nutrition intake. A trip to your local pharmacy, or eff late to the local grocery will lead you to chance upon a wide array of supplements, some extracted from food sources, while others, synthetic in nature.
A vast
majority, close to 60% of Americans take at least one or more dietary
supplements daily, or on occasion. The idea is to consume
them to make sure your body gets the adequate
nutrition it needs.
But here’s the catch. Even though supplements are touted
to be products to consume for added health benefits, they do sometimes
cause unpleasant side effects. Many supplements contain
strong and potent active ingredients. You are likely to have side effects from dietary supplements if you consume them in high doses or attempt to substitute prescribed medicines with them or,
mix and consume many supplements at once.
For example:
● Excessive consumption of Vitamin K could lower the ability of the blood thinner – warfarin to prevent blood
from clotting.
● Excessive consumption of Vitamin C and E, which contain high levels of antioxidants, often renders chemotherapy of some types of cancer
ineffective.
● Excessive intake of Vitamin A could cause headaches and liver damage.
●
Excessive
intake of calcium may cause kidney stones and iron can cause nausea and vomiting.
●
Sometimes, manufacturers may incorporate vitamins, minerals and other supplement ingredients to the food you daily
consume, due to which the added consumption of
supplements may do more harm than good for your body.
So, the question arises,
can dietary supplements be substituted with natural food? Could you survive on dietary and nutritional supplements alone?
The answer is a hard no. Supplements are meant just as they sound, they supplement the food you eat. They have never been made with
the intention to substitute your primary intake of food, fruits and vegetables. Fruits and
vegetables, low-fat lean proteins, dairy foods and whole grain are vital in a daily diet. It boils down to the fact that, while supplements can source you
with
only one dose of vitamin or
a small cluster of nutrients, healthy food contain a wider array of nutrition and essentials.
Food has a greater nutritional value Several phytochemicals and pro-actives
Macronutrients like carbohydrates, proteins and fibre.
While it is understandable
that some people tend to gravitate towards that added nutritional kick, it is
extremely detrimental to substitute dietary and nutritional supplements for a
nutrition- packed meal. Supplements can not replace
a healthy diet. It is very imperative to understand the chemical makeup of these supplements
in order to deduce if they are suitable for your individual requirements. At best, it is heavily
recommended to consult your physician to arrive at the same conclusion. They will be able to guide you with greater
precision and clarity and reaffirm
the efficacy of said supplements.
A handful of dietary supplements cannot substitute the
fibre, carbohydrates and proteins fresh fruit or a wholesome cooked meal provide your body.
Overconsumption of dietary supplements not only put your body at high risk but could push your body to the brink of collapse if made to be the sole source of nutrients to your body.
At best, they need to be
consumed sporadically, along with the approval of your physician or health care provider.
They are meant to be an added complementary source of nutrients
for your body, instead
of the primary.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in- depth/supplements/art- 20044894#:~:text=Supplements%20aren%27t%20intended%20to,Greater%20nutrition.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/harmful-effects-of-supplements-can-send-you-to-the- emergency-department-201510158434
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