Other Supplements That May Be Beneficial

In my last article on whether or not to take supplements, I said that I would talk about any other supplementation beyond a multivitamin. The more accurate term is really “multi-vitamin and mineral” or MVM for short, because it contains both the vitamins and the minerals (like calcium, boron, iodine, etc).

Remember I mentioned that beyond a good quality multivitamin, supplementation should be targeted and for a specific purpose, and you should know why you’re taking it and for how long. Over-dosing on supplements can be just as problematic as not getting enough nutrients.

Before I embarked on my nutritional therapy studies, I wouldn’t have thought twice about this, but now that I know what I know, I recognise that there are essentially two groups of supplements – those that are safe to self-supplement on a daily basis, and those which should only be taken with professional guidance.

The supplements that are safe for supplementing every day are the MVM we already talked about, and possibly, an omega-3. Please always check with your doctor beforehand. What I’m sharing with you here is educational, and in no way, is it personal advice for you.

What are omega-3s?

Omega-3s are essential fatty acids that have been found to support the nervous system, skin health, brain development, cardiovascular function and much more.

They are called “essential” fatty acids, because we cannot make them in the body and must consume them through our diet. They are polyunsaturated fats, found naturally in oily fish, like sardines, mackerel, tuna and salmon, and these omega-3s are called eicosapentanoic acid and docosahexanioc acid – much easier to say EPA and DHA.

Omega-3s may also be obtained through plant foods, such as flaxseeds, chia seeds or walnuts. These omega-3s are called alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), and although they can be converted by the body into EPA and DHA, the conversion rate is both variable and low, ranging from 0.2% to 20%. This means that it can be potluck whether you’ll get the healthful benefits of EPA and DHA if you are relying solely on plant omega-3s. Hence, oily fish is the best way of getting omega-3s.

But wait, there is another omega fatty acid that is also an essential fatty acid, and must be consumed through your diet. It is omega-6, which is found, for example, in nuts and seeds, poultry and eggs and vegetable oils. It can therefore also be found in many foods cooked or made with unhealthy vegetable oils.

Hence, omega-6s are far more widely and easily found in our average foods than omega-3s, and thus, most people eat proportionally more omega-6 than omega-3. It is thought that with our modern diet, we likely consume a ratio of between 15:1 or 20:1 of omega6:omega-3. However, an ideal ratio would be in the region of 4:1.

Why are omega-3s important?

Dietary fat is used by the body as a building block within your cell membranes. To put it another way, when you eat fat, your body builds your cell membranes from that fat. So, the more saturated fat that you eat, the higher the proportion of saturated fat that is incorporated into your cell membranes, which make them stiffer. On the other hand, the more unsaturated fats (such as omega-3 and omega-6) you eat, the higher the proportion of unsaturated fats that get built into the membranes and the more flexible your membranes become.

We don’t want our cell membranes to be too fluid or too stiff, because this can affect the ability of molecules to pass in and out of our cells, and hence impact on our body’s ability to work effectively.

Further, omega-3 has a primarily anti-inflammatory effect in our bodies, while omega-6 has a mostly pro-inflammatory effect in our bodies, as they influence chemical messaging. We need both. We need the omega-6 to help promote inflammation when it is needed, for example, when we incur an injury. However, we do also need a balance of omega-3 in order to help counter inflammation, and here’s the crux; both omega-3 and omega-6 are converted by the same enzymes, so they compete for it in our body. Too much omega-6 and omega-3s lose out.

A certain amount of omega-6 is important for our health, but as most people already get enough omega-6 in their average diet, and may not be eating enough oily fish (two to three times a week), then taking a fish oil omega-3 supplement may be beneficial, as it can further help them to get EPA and DHA directly.

It is interesting to note that our brain is made up of some 60% fat, and fatty acids (DHA, in particular) are crucial for our brain’s integrity and ability to perform. They are involved in the production of brain neurotransmitters (chemical messengers) and have been found to help protect brain nerve cells. Indeed, observational studies have linked imbalanced intake of fatty acids to reduced brain performance. Perhaps this is why, as a child, my mother always said that fish was good for the brains, and why some people consider fish to be a “brain food”.

That’s a good reminder that it’s always, “food first,” and supplements are not a substitute for a good diet. So consider whether you may already be getting enough omega-3 in your diet, and whether you are taking any medications that omega-3 supplements could interact with (for example, antihypertensive or anticoagulant drugs), and always check with your doctor first.

Then, if you are going to supplement, make sure that it is a high quality omega-3 (fish oil) supplement. Check the expiry date and use it before that date. Oils can easily go rancid (technical term – they become oxidised), so keep it in the fridge. Getting a smaller bottle also helps you finish it sooner and allows less time for it to oxidise. If it tastes or smells bad (not “fishy” but off), then ditch the bottle.

References

Simopoulos, A.P. (2016). An Increase in the Omega-6/Omega-3 Fatty Acid Ratio Increases the Risk for Obesity, Nutrients Vol. 8(128).

Chang, C.Y., Ke, D.S. and Chen, J.Y. (2009). Essential fatty acids and human brain. Acta Neurologica Taiwan. Vol. 18(4): pp.231-41.

Should I or shouldn’t I take supplements?

There’s a lot of conflicting information out there about supplements. Some say it’s only good for making “expensive pee.” And worse still, could supplements be damaging to your health?

Here’s the lowdown. A healthy diet and lifestyle must always come first. As the saying goes, “You cannot supplement away a bad diet.” Not only does a healthy nutrient-focused diet provide a wide range of vitamins and minerals, it also provides phytochemicals (plant chemicals). Vitamins and minerals are considered “essential,” which means that you would suffer disease if deficient and this can be fatal. However, although phytochemicals are not considered “essential” in the same way, they are nevertheless needed for optimal functioning, and you’d get sick if your diet is completely devoid of them.

So, first and foremost, eat a healthy diet and live as healthy a lifestyle as possible. Think “nutrient-dense” real whole foods. The ideal is for you to get all of what your body needs from food, to keep your body functioning optimally and even slow down the effects of what we often put down to aging. This is especially important for our modern day lifestyle, where stress can deplete nutrients in our body, and where nutrients are needed to help neutralise the toxins that we take in from our environment. But getting ample levels of nutrients is unlikely for most of us, due to a combination of factors.

Firstly, our busy lifestyle often means that we tend to eat the same foods over and over, and if this is you, you may be missing out on certain nutrients. Eating a wide diversity of foods helps you get the broadest range of nutrients that your body needs.

Secondly, there are many foods that our grandparents ate, even relished, that many of us simply don’t eat anymore. One example is liver, which is a nutrient-dense source of vitamins B12, A, B2 and B9 (folate), as well as iron and copper. If you love liver, good for you! And make sure that it’s organic.

Thirdly, our modern intensive farming methods. Where farming once meant the production of many different crops or animals, specialisation has led to just one of two outputs. Rotation of crops which allowed the replenishment of soil nutrients such as nitrogen, and the use of horsepower which meant manure for the land, are now features of the past, contributing to soil depletion. Plants cannot make their own minerals and need to get it from the soil and hence, the need for using fertilisers. However, the overuse of chemical fertilisers can result in the depletion of other essential nutrients and can kill bacteria that create organic material essential to plants. Modern crops may provide a better yield but potentially at a trade-off for lower nutrient levels relative to traditional varieties. Indeed, although accurately measuring nutrient levels in foods can be difficult, it is thought that plants that our grandparents ate had a higher level of nutrients than the average plant we get today from our supermarket. On the animal side, the use of antibiotics and inappropriate feed, or crowded farming can jeopardise the quality of the meat.

Fourthly, the globalisation of our food supply means that we eat food that is flown from all over the world. However, we have no idea how old those green beans are that we got from the supermarket. Nor do we know how the food was stored and how long ago they were harvested. The moment a plant is harvested, the vitamins start to degrade, so that by the time that vegetable gets to you, there’s no knowing how much is left.

So, the long and short of it is that there is no guarantee that you are getting adequate amounts of the vitamins and minerals that your body needs on a daily basis. To put it another way, our modern diet can lead to small shortfalls in certain vitamins and minerals, and this can make a difference to how well your body runs.

A good quality multivitamin can help to make sure that you are getting at least your daily Recommended Nutrient Intake (RNI), which is the minimum nutrient level to keep the majority of the population from becoming deficient, and is suitable for daily supplementation. I am very particular about the grade of supplements that I recommend. It’s tempting to think that all supplements are created equal. They are not, so be sure to make sure it is a reputable brand.

Finally, should you supplement with anything else beyond a good quality multivitamin? Perhaps, and then, supplementation should be targeted and for a specific purpose and you should know why you’re taking it and for how long. Over-dosing on supplements can be just a problematic as not getting enough nutrients. Next, I’ll write about what other supplements may also be good to take.