What are nutrient supplements?

The nutrient supplements we come into contact with daily mainly cover vitamins, minerals, proteins/amino acids, essential fatty acids, and various plant active ingredients. They are essentially used to fill the gap in daily dietary intake and absolutely cannot replace normal meals.

A while ago, I helped an elderly friend in the community compile a supplement list at home. Half of the basket was made up of vitamins, with vitamin D, vitamin B complex, vitamin C, and folic acid accounting for the majority. In winter, when there is less sunshine, many elderly people will take the initiative to buy vitamin D3. Folic acid, which is required for pregnant mothers in the first three months, is actually a type of B vitamin. However, there is a lot of controversy about the role of vitamins. For example, whether vitamin C can prevent colds has been debated for many years, and the academic community has not yet reached a conclusion. Some studies believe that daily supplementation of about 100mg can shorten the course of colds. Others believe that if you can usually eat one pound of vegetables and half a pound of fruits every day, additional vitamin C supplements are a complete waste of money, and even excessive supplementation may cause stomach upset.

In addition to vitamins, the most common ones are mineral supplements. The familiar calcium tablets, iron supplements, and zinc supplements all fall into this category. My best friend was diagnosed with iron deficiency anemia during pregnancy last year, and the ferrous succinate prescribed by the doctor is a typical mineral supplement. However, there are many pitfalls with this type of supplement. For example, many people in coastal areas eat iodized salt and seafood every day, and also take extra iodine preparations, but they develop thyroid nodules. Therefore, it is best to check whether you are deficient before taking supplements, and don't buy them randomly after being fooled by merchants.

Friends who regularly exercise must be familiar with protein/amino acid supplements, such as whey protein powder, branched-chain amino acids, and isolated protein. I used to go to the gym every day during my muscle-building period and had to eat 120g of protein every day. It was too much for me just to eat chicken breasts and eggs, so I drank it with whey protein powder, which was really convenient. However, I have also seen people who originally ate enough meat, eggs and milk every day, but also drank two cups of protein powder every day. In the end, the physical examination revealed that the protein in the urine was high, which put a unnecessary burden on the kidneys.

There are also fish oil, algal oil DHA, and flaxseed oil capsules that many people often buy. These are essential fatty acid supplements. Many parents are afraid that their children’s brains will not be enough, so they feed DHA from an early age. In fact, if the child can eat deep-sea fish two or three times a week, and eat a palm-sized piece each time, there is no need to supplement. On the contrary, excessive supplementation may increase the risk of bleeding, which is not good.

In recent years, there have been a lot of supplements based on plant active ingredients that have become popular, such as lutein, anthocyanins, lycopene, and coenzyme Q10. I write plans on the computer every day. I used to have extremely dry eyes, so I also bought lutein. After taking it for more than half a month, the soreness and swelling were relieved a lot. However, don’t treat this product as a miracle drug. It is unrealistic to expect it to cure myopia, antioxidant and anti-aging. It is just a dietary supplement at most.

Anyway, the core principle of buying supplements is to make up for what is lacking. If you have a balanced daily diet and eat enough meat, eggs, milk, vegetables and fruits, you don’t need to eat extra. The more money you save, the more fresh ingredients will taste better.