What to know about using dietary supplements.
Do we need to take dietary supplements? The short answer: very likely.
If we were living on this planet thousands of years ago, in hunter-gatherer societies, dietary supplements would be unnecessary for most of us. We would be eating diets full of nutrient-dense foods because that’s all that was available. Our plant foods would be growing in high-quality soil and passing on those extra nutrients to us when we ate them. But we have experienced a major environmental shift:
We consume far fewer unique plant species, creating less diverse diets
Our soil is less diverse and more depleted of nutrients
Chemical-laden pesticides are a part of our daily intake
Empty calories from white sugar, flour, and vegetable oils make up over half of our caloric intake
Along with other modern changes such as lack of sleep, antibiotic use, chronic stress, minimal movement, and less contact with nature, these differences result in an increased need for dietary supplementation.
Are supplements safe and effective? It depends on where you get them.
Unfortunately, the dietary supplement industry is hardly regulated. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) did create a set of standards called Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP), that, when followed, ensure that the manufacturers comply with all current standards, procedures, and documentation regarding the product’s identity, strength, purity, and more. Products complying with FDA standards will have a cGMP seal to confirm this compliance.
However, this is all up to the manufacturer as each is expected to ensure the ingredients are safe, and that the product label is truthful before going on the market. The manufacturer is not required to register nor get approval from the FDA before marketing their product. The FDA isn’t involved until later and is only responsible for taking action against any unsafe dietary supplements AFTER they’ve reached the market. (Read more: Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994).
One company randomly tested 58 products from various retail stores. Twenty-five percent of them were positive for steroids and 11% contained stimulants not disclosed on the label. In other words, customers unknowingly purchased supplements that could risk their health and even get them banned from athletics.
How to use dietary supplements wisely and safely.
Let’s look at what we can do to make sure we are supplementing in the safest and most effective ways:
Third-party testing means that a company has voluntarily invited scrutiny into their business and asked for an unbiased verification of their product’s quality. Some respected third-party certifications include NSF (National Sanitation Foundation), cGMP (Current Good Manufacturing Practices), and certified organic.
Nutrients should be in their naturally occurring form whenever possible. For example, trans fat is known as dangerous, posing a high risk to our health. But this is based on the man-made trans fat that’s produced when we process industrial seed oils. There is also trans fat produced naturally by ruminant animals and found as conjugated linoleic acids in dairy. And it’s these fats that are beneficial to your health! Another example is folic acid, a synthetic form of folate. Folic acid can not cross the placenta like folate can and may even increase cancer risk, which folate does not.
Be specific with your dietary supplements. Some supplements are meant for maintenance and some are meant for a specific therapeutic purpose and should be discontinued once no longer needed. It’s important you don’t confuse the two. Just because a supplement was recommended for you years ago, doesn’t necessarily mean that you should still be taking it.
For maintenance supplements, there are three that I recommend to everyone already eating a whole food, nutrient-dense diet and these are vitamin A, vitamin D, and magnesium. These nutrients are very difficult to get enough of, even with the best of diets and most of us can benefit from them long-term. For high-quality versions of these supplements, check out this protocol on my dispensary that I’ve already researched for you.
For additional and specific support, I strongly advise working with a practitioner qualified to make these recommendations. And make sure you take safe dietary supplements made with the right ingredients.