supplementation
The pros, the cons and the questions
QUALITY SOURCES, TESTING, BIOAVAILABILITY & purpose
For most of us, supplements are intended to be supplementary. In ideal circumstances, we hope to acquire these additional nutrients through our diet, but in some cases, we require a little assistance. Not everything is intended to be taken forever but due to persistent symptoms or pathologies, many of us may need to keep a watchful eye on consistent nutrient uptake.
Not all supplements are created equally. When shopping for natural supplements, each country has different regulations to license, dose, test and disclose.
Quality products that have been approved by Health Canada all require an NPN: an 8-digit natural product number.
Pay attention to the medicinal and non-medicinal ingredients as you may be onboarding more than you need.
Even though vitamins and minerals are found naturally, they may be synthetically derived and altered to a point where your body can no longer recognize or utilize them. Although most supplements are designed to support our health in one way or another, they can still risk your wellbeing if taken in excess, or even outside of the recommended daily allowance and label instruction.
What does this stuff mean? Frequent terminology:
-Organic: Organic foods and nutrients are pesticide and chemical free. Organic nutrients are more naturally bound to tissues and safer for use. Nutrients must pass regimented testing to be labeled as organic.
-Inorganic: Inorganic nutrients can be chemically manufactured or extracted from unpure/non-organic natural sources.
-Synthetic: Synthetic nutrients are created in labs. They are designed to mimic natural substances and oftentimes more likely to contain fillers and excipients.
-Natural: Natural nutrients are extracted exclusively from natural food sources. Fruits, vegetables, herbs, leaves and plant matter are considered to be of natural origin.
-Methylated: Methylation is a biochemical reaction that occurs when methyl groups get added to a specific molecule. Methylation helps tricky nutrients become more easily absorbed and converts nutrients to their most active and effective forms.
-Chelated: Chelated minerals are designed to enhance absorption in the body. Chelated nutrients are chemically bound with amino acids. Chelating minerals reduces the likelihood of interactions with other chemical compounds and enhances bioavailability.
-Liposomal: Liposomal supplements come in a liquid delivery system for enhanced absorption. Liposomal nutrients target the appropriate location of the body where the nutrient is required instead of being digested immediately in the digestive tract.
-Bioavailable: Bioavailability dictates how accessible a nutrient is to the body by how readily it is digested, absorbed and transported to reach the desired bodily location and aim to address its ideal function.
-Cofactor: Cofactors are “buddy molecules.” They support other nutrients in achieving their desired function. Cofactors are often metallic ions, coenzymes or non-protein chemical compounds.
-Excipient: Excipients are additional ingredients packaged in supplements. They are not medicinal but can protect the nutrient’s stability and bioavailability. Excipients are involved in the production and packaging process. It is important to read product labels for excipients in case of allergies.
Dosage acronyms:
-RDA: recommended daily allowance: the average daily dose recommended for individuals of different
life stages, genders and nutritional requirements to obtain adequate nutrient levels for desired physiological function
-IU: international unit: the unit used to measure the amount of a substance present to exhibit a specific biological effect
-AI: adequate intake: the approximation of required nutrient levels for a specific group or demographic
-UL: tolerable upper intake levels: the maximum dose recommended before exhibiting potential risk or undesirable health effects to individuals not requiring a therapeutic dose
-EAR: estimated average requirement: the average daily intake value estimated for half or more of healthy individuals from a specific demographic. This is a basic estimate.