Food supplements: how to best use them

Supplements: what are they?

We talk more and more often, not only in sports, about food supplementation, but exactly what are supplements and what are they for?

Food supplements provide the nutrients necessary to complete a suboptimal diet and can help compensate for an unsolvable nutritional deficiency by varying the usual diet, for example due to the impossibility of taking certain foods due to the presence of chewing, swallowing or digestion disorders or for other health reasons (allergies, intolerances, metabolic diseases, etc.).

On the other hand, as also underlined by the legislation that regulates their production and placing on the market, supplements should never be proposed or considered as an alternative to a healthy, varied and balanced diet, in itself able to provide a healthy organism with all the substances necessary to stay healthy and carry out all the activities required in daily life efficiently, Whether it’s study, work, sports or leisure.

In addition to vitamins, amino acids, proteins and fiber, the main elements that can be provided through food supplements are:

The forms in which they can be found on the market are the most diverse and include tablets to be swallowed or dissolved in the mouth, effervescent tablets and sachets, single-dose solutions, bars of various composition and flavor.

What are supplements used for

To feel more dynamic and fit, to support the metabolism of athletes and those who dedicate themselves to fitness, to make more in the study, to lose weight or promote the increase of muscle mass, to counteract physical fatigue or alleviate mental fatigue, to strengthen the immune system, to protect cardiovascular health and intellectual function, to improve the appearance of skin and hair or counteract aging, to compensate for a specific nutritional deficiency.

The reasons for using a food supplement in recent years have multiplied in parallel with the number of preparations available, the diversification of their composition and the formulations on the market.

But is it really so? Even in case of chronic fatigue, are food supplements really useful or only if it is temporary? When? To whom? And what should be realistically expected from their intake? Here is some useful information to make the most of these allies of health and well-being, without being influenced by fashions or deluding yourself that you can become beautiful and efficient with a magic pill.

When to use supplements and for what purpose

The more or less essential micronutrients that can be included in a food supplement are many and the possible useful combinations are countless. Depending on the deficiency to be compensated and / or the physiological objective to be achieved, the manufacturers have studied mixtures of compounds able to support specific metabolic reactions and complex organic functions in a synergistic way. Here are the main ones.

Multivitamin supplements

They are used in case of deficiency, resulting from a low dietary intake or an increased need, of one or more vitamins essential for the health and well-being of the body, such as vitamin D, whose benefits are not limited to bone health. They are useful in the presence of difficulty in eating properly, malabsorption syndromes, eating disorders, restrictive diets aimed at weight loss or motivated by health reasons, after an infectious disease, surgery or antibiotic therapy. There are also supplements for the summer, which contain vitamins and minerals important in this season.

The supplement can be multivitamin or only with vitamin C (or other vitamins as needed).

Mineral salt supplements

They are indicated in all cases where there is a high loss of mineral salts, for example with sweating or increased diuresis due to diuretic drugs. Their intake, combined with adequate hydration, is recommended especially during intense physical activity, especially if practiced in hot environments (there are, for example, supplements for running or for the gym). The need for mineral salts (especially potassium and magnesium supplements) is signaled by the appearance of muscle cramps during or after training. In addition, mineral salts can support normal intellectual performance in moments of intense study or work stress and can counteract the feeling of exhaustion due to the heat.

Protein or amino acid supplements

They are especially indicated in those who cannot take sufficient amounts of protein through food, athletes who undergo intense training or aimed at increasing muscle mass and those who go through periods of fatigue and psychophysical stress. They provide the substrate for cell and tissue renewal and help replenish the energy consumed during physical activity.

Multivitamin supplements can also be useful for athletes. Among the vitamins for athletes we remember for example those of group B, such as riboflavin (vitamin B2), which is important for energy metabolism.

Energy supplements

These are mostly preparations with a high content of ready-to-use sugars, often associated with vitamin E or water-soluble vitamins such as vitamin C and B vitamins (for example niacin, thiamine or pantothenic acid, often also present in supplements for the over50s) and, in some cases, amino acids. They are used as dietary supplements by athletes before or during long-term training, as an immediately available source of energy, and in the event that the diet cannot include bread, jam, biscuits, sweets, cereals and potatoes due to specific diseases. They rarely also contain polyphenols, which are used to protect against oxidative stress damage.

Supplements for the musculoskeletal system

In the presence of alterations in bone metabolism, such as osteopenia and osteoporosis, supplements based on vitamin D and vitamin K, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium can be recommended, while vitamin C is indicated, as well as for the prevention of colds and flu, also to support the health of cartilage and bones. In case of joint problems, especially those related to osteoarthritis, glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate supplements may be useful.

Supplements for the cardiovascular system

The main allies of cardiovascular health are omega-3 fatty acids, prescribed as a real preventive therapy to reduce the risk of new acute events in people who have already experienced a heart attack. On the other hand, vitamin B12 supplementation should be carefully evaluated.

Thyroid supplements

For proper thyroid functioning it is essential to take at least 150-200 μg of iodine every day: a modest amount that, however, many people are unable to take through the usual diet. Iodine can be supplemented using iodized salt instead of common table salt, or through supplements that contain it in a calibrated dose. This second option, to be used as an alternative and not in addition to the first, is particularly useful for those who have to follow low-salt diets due, for example, to hypertension, cardiovascular or kidney problems.

Supplements for the nervous system

There are several micronutrients that contribute to the normal functioning of the nervous system: among the mineral salts we remember for example potassium, while among the vitamins biotin and vitamin B6.

Pregnancy supplements

During the sweet expectation, the gynecologist can prescribe several supplements important for the health of the fetus, such as those based on folic acid (to be taken even before conception). Iron levels in pregnancy should also be kept under control, as during the nine months the need increases and anemia can occur.

Supplements for sleep

Insomnia can negatively affect most daytime activities. To counteract this or other sleep disorders, several supplements are available, such as those based on melatonin.

If, on the other hand, episodes of daytime sleepiness occur, for example during seasonal changes, how can you get to sleep? In this case, supplements based on magnesium and potassium or containing caffeine may be useful, whose benefits can help maintain concentration during periods of intense study.

How to use dietary supplements

Modus in rebus: so said the ancient Latins to remember that it is necessary to respect the right measure in all things. An absolutely valid rule in the field of nutrition, not only when referring to macronutrients such as carbohydrates, fats and proteins and their overall caloric intake, but also when it comes to essential micronutrients.

Any biologically active substance, in fact, is not beneficial to health in an absolute sense, but always and only within a certain effective and safe dosage range. Just like glucose or cholesterol, vitamins and minerals are also necessary for the proper functioning and integrity of the body, but only if you take them in adequate quantities.

Exceeding the intake of any food supplement, compared to the daily dosages indicated on the packages or indicated by the doctor, does not lead to an enhancement of the desired effect but, on the contrary, exposes to the risk of organic dysfunctions and unfavorable interactions with other compounds taken simultaneously.

Food supplements authorized by health systems have been designed to offer all the micronutrients necessary to support the body in general or its specific function in a balanced way and within precise safety limits.

These safety limits, called Upper Safe Level (UL), take into account the indications of specialists regarding the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) and protect against possible toxicity or adverse events resulting from excessive intake of one or more components.

Healthy adults who believe they need them to meet specific nutritional needs not met by the usual diet can take food supplements freely available in pharmacies, parapharmacies or in the dedicated departments of supermarkets, provided they comply with the instructions for use reported by the manufacturers.

In the case of food supplements for children or supplements for the elderly or for people who have specific diseases and / or are being treated with drugs of any kind, however, it is always good to seek the opinion of the pediatrician or general practitioner before starting to take nutritional supplements, including those to stimulate the immune system in children or those that are defined as “natural”, such as plant extracts and essential oils, for example guarana against fatigue.

In all these cases, the specific supplement to be taken, its dosage and the timing of supplementation must be established by the doctor, in relation to age, weight and health problems present. In particular, vitamin supplements for children and young people should only be used if the pediatrician finds significant nutritional deficiencies and not as a generic compensation for a suboptimal diet.

With regard to the methods of intake, in general, most of the supplements of common use are proposed in formulations to be taken only once a day to make them more manageable and favor a simple and continuous use (in the context of the expected supplementation period).

Overdose side effects

Food supplements authorized by the Italian Medicines Agency and available in traditional sales channels (pharmacies, parapharmacies and supermarkets) can be taken without fear of incurring side effects (except for specific individual hypersensitivity to one or more elements contained in the different preparations) or in toxicity from overdose.

The type and quantity of the individual components are, in fact, precisely determined by law on the basis of the evidence of safety, efficacy and tolerability obtained in animal and human studies, as well as on the basis of decades of clinical experience for micronutrients used for a long time in the context of food supplements and pharmacological supplementations.

Among the main risks that are run if you do not follow this recommendation and take excess food supplements should be remembered the states of hypervitaminosis (likely especially for fat-soluble vitamins such as A and D that accumulate in the body), overload and intoxication of liver and kidneys (resulting, for example, from excessive intake of amino acids and other compounds metabolised or eliminated by these organs), electrolyte imbalances with potentially severe effects due to cardiac, neurological and metabolic repercussions (in particular, excess potassium, calcium, sodium, chlorine and iodine).

The overdose of energy supplements (in the form of bars, drinks, tablets to dissolve in the mouth, etc.) can, however, alter some involuntary physiological activities, such as heartbeat, breathing, digestion and thermoregulation, with the result of reducing rather than supporting physical efficiency during training.

In addition to taking every single food supplement correctly, great care must be taken to combine different nutritional supplements with each other because the risk of reaching excessive intakes of one or more of the micronutrients contained is very high. The ideal would always be to avoid using multiple multi-component products at the same time or, at least, do it with the support of your doctor or a nutrition expert, verifying the exact amount of all the ingredients taken.

Find out which food supplement is right for you

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