Review of Nutritional Supplements

This chapter is designed to discuss both the pros and cons around the taking of nutritional supplements. It is aimed to empower you with the knowledge and a better understanding of the research, such that you can make an educated decision for yourself.

To start with, a little bit of market research shows us that the health and wellness industry is currently one of world’s fastest growing industries. It is largely driven by the fact than baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) are getting older and are willing to spend big money on anything that might make them look and feel younger, as well as maintain health status and prevent the onset of disease.

Nutritional supplements are one of main products sold within the health and wellness industry and despite the fact that they have been on the market for over 50 years they continue to spark much debate as to what benefit they can actually provide. Add to this some of the marketing hype and often false claims it is easy to see why people question whether we really need to be taking supplements.

The truth is, while some people may benefit from the use supplements, others might not and given the fact that the health status and diet of every individual varies, than so to should our advice around recommending supplements.

Throughout this chapter we will help you to assess your own personal situation, look at whether you can meet the recommended dietary intakes through diet alone, assess the role of nutritional supplements in providing dietary support and if you do believe you should be taking supplements we’ll show you what to look for such that you’re getting a quality product.

During this chapter we’ll discuss the following issues:

• Can we get 100% of Recommended Dietary Intake’s from our diet alone?
• Nutritional Supplements - Health Benefits or Just Expensive Urine?
• Understanding Bioavailability
• Liquid vs Tablet Supplements
• Chelated Minerals
• Checklist to Identify Quality Supplements

To understand the potential benefits of nutritional supplements we advise that you take the time to work through each of the subheadings. To start with, let’s discuss whether we can get 100% of Recommended Dietary Intake’s from our diet alone?

References:
1.Pilzer, P Z. The Next Trillion. Video Plus. Lake Dallas TX, 2001.