Currently, consumers do not experience a shortage of products on store shelves. On the one hand, this is good, but less and less balanced in composition can be found. Due to the use of food additives, our diet has been enriched with various taste sensations, but the content of vitamins, minerals and essential trace elements has sharply decreased.
Now in pharmacy chains you can find a huge number of dietary supplements that are recognized as solving the problem. In this article we will try to figure out what dietary supplements it is.
What are dietary supplements
If you look at it from a medical point of view, they are not mandatory components of nutrition. They are not needed for full life. If a person’s diet is balanced, then he gets everything he needs from the foods he eats.
If there is a deficiency, it is quite possible to change the situation for the better by taking multivitamins, since there are a huge number of them in pharmacies. Then the question arises: dietary supplement - what is it?
Such additives are obtained by extracting from various organic and inorganic complexes. This process is quite lengthy and complex, which requires manufacturers to comply with all production technologies. Since private companies are more often involved in this, it is sometimes not at all profitable for them to comply with all the rules.
Because of this, situations occur when poorly purified substances get into the tablet or they are not there at all. For complete assimilation, it is necessary to observe a combination of components with each other, and this is often not done. As a result, most doctors confidently claim that dietary supplements are practically useless for the body; it is quite possible to live without them.
It’s good if, instead of a useful tablet, the package contains ordinary chalk or a neutral substance, but there are cases when you even come across combinations that are dangerous to health. So think about it after this, BAD - what is it, benefit or harm to the body.
Composition of dietary supplements
All supplements contain various food components and biologically active substances. Among them are the following:
- Squirrels.
- Fats and fat-like substances.
- Vegetable oils.
- Polyunsaturated fatty acids.
- Triglycerides.
- Carbohydrates.
- Vitamins and microelements.
- Enzymes of plant origin.
- Probiotics.
- Bee products and many others.
Despite the fact that dietary supplements can be purchased at any pharmacy completely freely, without a doctor’s prescription, you should think twice before using them. It is better to consult a doctor to weigh the pros and cons, calculate the dosage and need for use.
Classification of dietary supplements
Since they are most often prescribed for medicinal purposes, their classification is based on this use. There are two classes of dietary supplements:
- Nutraceuticals.
- Parapharmaceuticals.
The first group of drugs is intended to eliminate nutritional deficiencies. This includes all synthetic vitamin preparations, amino acids, and polyunsaturated fatty acids. By taking them, you can normalize the diet of both adults and children.
Parapharmaceuticals, or they are also called bioregulators, affect the body differently. They affect the functioning of organs, increase the body’s resistance to various unfavorable factors of the external and internal environment.
Bioregulators have a more powerful and targeted effect. They are usually prescribed for the prevention of various diseases. But very often it is quite difficult to separate these two classes from each other, since the same drugs can belong to two groups at once.
Historical reference
Traditional medicine has always played a major role in the search for remedies and methods of treating various diseases. At the dawn of human existence, this was a common need, since official medicine did not have such development.
Almost until the mid-19th century, medicine relied on the experience and knowledge of folk recipes that had accumulated over centuries. Information was collected and recorded by famous scientists of antiquity, for example, Hippocrates, Avicenna, Galen and many others.
Despite the widespread use of plant objects for treatment, with the development of the chemical industry, they learned to isolate active substances and produce medicines based on them. Gradually they began to displace folk recipes. Currently, we continue to observe this process, with a huge number of new drugs being synthesized every year.
It was assumed that it would gradually cease to be used, but the opposite is true. Modern synthetic drugs result in a large number of side effects.
Again, more and more often, we are trying to get rid of our ailments using folk remedies in order to do less harm to our body. Medicine did not wait long and decided to use it. This is how a new generation medicine appeared - dietary supplements. What is it, briefly, it is the official successor of traditional medicine, only in a slightly different guise.
There are many supporters of the idea that it is dietary supplements that can finally cure a person, and not traditional medicine.
Despite the fact that we have not yet fully figured out whether dietary supplements are good or bad, in medicine they are usually recommended to be used in the following cases:
- To quickly fill the deficit of missing substances, for example, vitamins, microelements.
- To reduce caloric intake in order to reduce body weight.
- To satisfy the needs of a sick body for certain substances.
- To increase resistance to adverse environmental factors.
- For preventive purposes to prevent metabolic disorders.
- In order to change metabolism, for example, to speed up the elimination of toxic substances.
- To restore immunity.
- To normalize intestinal microflora.
- To regulate the functioning of the body.
- Many dietary supplements are excellent antioxidants.
Based on this, we can conclude that biological supplements can be prescribed to almost every person; the reason and justification for taking them can always be found.
Principles of using dietary supplements
The use of additives is based on some principles:
- The principle of functionality and consistency. That is, the impact must be complex, since the functioning of organs in the body is directly related to nutrition.
- The principle of phasing. At different stages of the disease, it is advisable to select different supplements. For example, in the first stages it is necessary to urgently eliminate the symptoms of the disease, and at the end of treatment, eliminate the toxic effect of taking medications.
- The principle of adequacy. It is necessary to prescribe dietary supplements, taking into account the nature of the disease and the characteristics of its course.
- Syndromic principle. The prescription of biological additives should be made taking into account those symptoms that are pronounced.
- The principle of optimality. When treating or preventing diseases, the dosage must be selected individually.
- The principle of combination. Dietary supplements can be combined with food and other medications.
Analyzing all the principles, we can say about dietary supplements that this is a substance that must be used in combination with other therapy during illness. It is impossible to cure with supplements alone.
Even though supplements are not a drug, there are some rules for taking them.
- You should start taking it with a small dosage to see how the body reacts, and then you can increase it to the one recommended by your doctor.
- For more effective absorption, biological supplements are best taken with food.
- If a dietary supplement contains calcium, it is better to consume it half an hour before or after meals, so as not to affect the acidity of gastric juice.
- If a dietary supplement is prescribed, it is advisable to take it in the first half of the day so as not to disturb night sleep.
- Dietary supplements containing live microorganisms must be stored in the refrigerator and used between meals.
- You should not take more than the dose prescribed by the doctor or the one recommended on the package.
- You cannot take several types of dietary supplements at the same time.
- Biological additives are stored in a dark and dry place. Do not refrigerate unless otherwise specified in the storage instructions.
We considered the question: “Dietary supplement - what is it and how to use it?” Now it is necessary to study the pitfalls of taking such drugs.
Danger and harm of dietary supplements
It is already known that dietary supplements are obtained through a complex technological process; one tablet can contain a whole orange, but its cost will be several times more expensive than fresh fruit. Trying to help their body, some take supplements in large dosages, but all the excess is still excreted, which means our money goes down the toilet.
Here are just some of the dangers that lie in wait when using dietary supplements:
The benefits of dietary supplements
Dietary supplements cannot be taken as medicine; they are a common food additive. Although using it with natural ingredients that our body needs can be beneficial. Taking this into account, it can be noted that dietary supplements can prevent the development of many diseases or assist in their complex treatment.
- For the prevention of certain diseases.
- Replenishment of vitamins and minerals.
- Strengthening the immune system.
- In the complex treatment of chronic diseases.
Differences between dietary supplements and medications
If you ask a pharmacist: “Dietary supplement, what does this mean?”, then most likely he will answer you that these are substances of plant and animal origin, that is, completely natural. There are some features of supplements that distinguish them from medications:
- The active substance is contained in small doses.
- Milder effect on the body.
- Non-toxic.
- The body tolerates them more easily.
- Very rarely cause complications or give side effects.
- Can relieve the toxic effects of drugs.
- Do not accumulate in the body.
After studying this information, you already doubt that dietary supplements are harmful.
You shouldn’t believe everything that is shown and advertised on television, everyone’s body is different, and the reaction to taking dietary supplements can be unpredictable. Take care of your health, lead a healthy lifestyle, and then you definitely won’t need biological supplements.
Numerous clinical studies have confirmed that it is possible to prevent many diseases, reduce the risk of their occurrence, avoid relapses of chronic diseases, and normalize metabolic processes in the body only on the basis of balanced diet , which must include biologically active food additives.
But our diet is notbalanced, and the lack of many important substances occurs due to a limited range of products or our taste preferences.
For example, in modern Russia, scientists constantly record iodine deficiency in the body of the majority of the population. It is well known that insufficient iodine intake from water and food is a cause of thyroid dysfunction.Dietary supplements, as an additional source of iodine, are simply irreplaceable in this case
Unfortunately, there are a lot of “myths” and outright “speculations” in the media around dietary supplements. Popular publications either scare readers by declaring that all this is “chemistry” that can lead to “pollution” of the body, or, on the contrary, they praise the extraordinary properties of these additives as a panacea for the most terrible diseases and the “elixir of youth” that humanity has dreamed of for many thousands of years! Let's figure it out calmly.
What are dietary supplements and why do you need to add something to your food?
First, you need to give a clear definition of what a dietary supplement is: is it an additional food, a medicine, or something else? - It is a food additive that complements nutrition. (Many people confuse that “dietary supplements” equal “vitamins”).
You need to understand what your dietary supplements are aimed at: for weight loss, compensation for vitamin deficiencies, boosting immunity, etc. How do the components of dietary supplements combine with each other?
These are very important points. We need to create an information field that will allow our dietary supplement manufacturing companies and experts to competently tell the public about them. 
Can dietary supplements replace medications (tablets)? - Not really... They have very different tasks!
Dietary supplements are not medications and cannot replace them - at least in their “medical function” - to treat diseases.
Dietary supplements are an intermediate sector between food and medicine.
Yes, dietary supplements have a certain place in therapy.
During the period of rehabilitation treatment and prevention, for example. It is known that preventing stroke is not very expensive. And treatment costs about 20 thousand dollars. If people care about their health, they need to start taking biologically active substances even when there is no pathology.
But it is impossible to “cure the disease” with dietary supplements. Although every person, with the help of dietary supplements, has the opportunity to try to prevent the onset of the disease and support their body.
But still, this is not exactly a product for medical use.
Regenerative medicine - YES, prevention - YES. But not treating the disease when it has already developed - NO! Dietary supplements contain substances in doses in which they cannot have a pharmacological effect, like strong drugs. They just have a DIFFERENT task. (Well, you don’t take medicine every day, do you?!)
Dietary supplements are concentrates of natural food and biologically active substances isolated from food raw materials of animal, marine, mineral origin, food or medicinal plants, or obtained by chemical synthesis (synthesized substances identical to natural analogues). (This is by no means a “placebo”!)
The body is not always able to synthesize these essential nutritional and biologically active substances, so we must include them in our diet every day. Otherwise, their deficiency develops and increases over time, the body weakens and cannot withstand adverse environmental factors. As a result, performance deteriorates and the aging process intensifies. Long-term deficiency of these substances in the body can lead to serious illnesses and, in the worst case, death.
Throughout its history, humanity has lost hundreds of millions of lives from scurvy. A person who has contracted it has a decreased performance, then bleeding gums develop, bruises appear on the skin from the slightest mechanical impact, then general bleeding begins, teeth fall out, and ultimately a painful death occurs.
And the cause of this disease is a deficiency in human food of a simple, easily synthesized compound - ascorbic acid or, more simply, vitamin C. The human body is not capable of synthesizing this vitamin, so it must be received with food or in the form of ready-made vitamin preparations. Today, vitamin C deficiency is observed in the population of all regions of Russia. And this is just one example demonstrating the importance of vitamins in human life.
The level of nutrients in our body is greatly influenced by negative factors in our lives. Here are some examples of external factors that increase the need for certain vitamins and elements:
Stress increases the body's need for vitamins B and C;
Air pollution in urban areas requires the consumption of sufficient amounts of vitamin E and other antioxidants;
People who work in artificially lit areas suffer from a lack of vitamin D and poor calcium absorption, which leads to osteoporosis;
Our food is contaminated with radionuclides and pesticides, which “displace” the microelements necessary for the body (calcium, potassium, etc.);
Prolonged heat treatment of food destroys vitamins A, B, C, E;
Constant consumption of large quantities of coffee and tea reduces the synthesis of vitamins and the extraction of minerals from food;
Excess alcohol negatively affects the absorption of vitamins in the body;
Smoking, “active” and “passive”, requires large quantities of vitamins C, E and beta-carotene;
Sports activities increase the need for vitamins B and C, and a sedentary lifestyle leads to metabolic disorders - obesity and early aging.
However, one should not think that one should start taking dietary supplements and vitamins only when “something is already sick...” This is not correct.
Health is the most precious thing we have!!!
Practically healthy people for:
Preservation and maintenance of health;
Improving the functions of organs and body systems;
Eliminate micronutrient deficiencies;
Reducing the risk of various diseases;
Cleansing the body of waste and toxins;
Rejuvenation and life extension.
People suffering from various diseases need dietary supplements:
For the same reasons as healthy people
PLUS as an important component in the dietary therapy of these diseases.
Today, more than 15 vitamins and more than 20 minerals are known - microelements that the body needs in milligrams or even thousandths of a milligram. But a person cannot live completely without them. For example, with a deficiency of iodine in food, goiter develops; with a deficiency of selenium, myocardial dystrophy or tumors develop.
We again recall the catchphrase of Hippocrates “A man is what he eats.” Nutrition is not only a state or medical problem, it is a problem for each of us. Most of the 600 micronutrients are absolutely essential, are not synthesized in the human body, and are present in food in very small quantities.
Fortunately, in our time, thanks to high special technologies, irreplaceable, nutritionally deficient 
They have learned to isolate human nutrients and biologically active substances from various sources, concentrate them in tablets, capsules, powders, extracts, elixirs, etc. This is a dietary supplement.
They can be added to various food products, for example, dry drinks, etc. And the release of additives in the form of pharmaceutical forms allows them to be recommended not for general nutrition of the population, but for specific groups of people, children, elderly people, women or men at a certain age or physiological condition. A dietary supplement is not only a concentrate of substances useful and necessary for humans, but also, figuratively speaking,a concentrate of the most modern knowledge and technologies.
It is extremely important to know and remember that dietary supplements are only food additives. They cannot replace medications, but are excellent nutritional aids in the treatment of a wide variety of diseases, as well as their prevention.
Therefore, dietary supplements should, like any other quality food, be present in the daily diet of every person!
TWENTY-FOUR reasons to take vitamins, Dietary Supplements (BAS) and Health Cocktails.
Reason 1. ALCOHOL.
New Year, Birthday, March 8th, feasts, holidays... Alcohol has a negative effect on the availability and absorption of most nutrients. (Dietary supplements eliminate this imbalance. But we should not forget about the need to abstain from excessive alcohol consumption!)
Reason 2. HOT DRINKS AND SPICES.
Coffee... tea... soups... meat broth... salt... spices... vinegar... Can lead to disruption of water-salt metabolism, leading to a deterioration in the absorption of vitamins and minerals from food. What subsequently affects your skeletal bones, ligaments, cartilage, joints, muscles, nervous system, kidneys, endocrine system, genitourinary system.
Reason 3. READY TO EAT PRODUCTS, fast food (“fast food”)
Foods loaded with refined carbohydrates (sugar and glucose). White flour, white bread and white rice significantly increases the need for B-vitamins.
Such foods are overloaded with fat and protein. Contains an insignificant amount of vitamins and minerals, enzymes and other useful substances we need every day.
Each cell of the human body requires a daily intake of 600 to 650 nutrients - micronutrients. Our diet should contain approximately 32 different foods: bread, meat, fish, milk, vegetables, fruits, herbs, cereals, vegetable oils, etc. Food largely determines a person’s health and life expectancy.
Systematic epidemiological studies conducted by the Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences in various regions of Russia over the past few years indicate that the nutritional structure of the population is largely defective and the nutritional status has significant deviations from the formula of a balanced diet, primarily in terms of the level of consumption of micronutrients - vitamins, minerals, especially trace elements, polyunsaturated fatty acids, many organic compounds of plant origin, which are of great importance in the regulation of metabolic processes and the function of individual organs and systems.
1. Excessive consumption of animal fats.
2. Deficiency of polyunsaturated fatty acids.
3. Deficiency of complete (animal) proteins.
4. Vitamin deficiency:
Ascorbic acid
Thiamine (B1)
Riboflavin (B2)
Folic acid
Retinol (A) and beta carotene
Tocopherol (E), etc.
5. Deficiency of macroelements: calcium, etc.
6. Deficiency of microelements: selenium, iodine, fluorine, zinc, iron
7. Dietary fiber deficiency.
OVERPROCESSING FOOD, long-term cooking or overheating of meat and vegetables lead to the oxidation and destruction of such thermally unstable vitamins: A, -group B, C and E. Frozen and then “heated” food loses most of the vitamins, enzymes and other useful substances. The use of preservatives, dyes, and flavor enhancers in food is not beneficial.
Reason 4. SMOKING OR CONSTANT INHALETION OF SMOKE.
Smoke, city smog, car exhaust, etc. seriously depletes or completely suppresses vitamins C, E and beta-carotene.
Reason 5. POOR DIGESTION.
Even if you eat good food, ineffective digestion limits the body's absorption of vitamins.
Reason 6. INJURIES.
Physical damage to the skin and bones increases the need for zinc, calcium, vitamin E, vitamin A, vitamin B, and other nutrients involved in cell repair.
Reason 7. LAXATIVES.
abuse of harmful synthetic laxatives can lead to poor absorption of vitamins and minerals from food, as the time the food spends in the gastrointestinal tract decreases.
Reason 8. ANTIBIOTICS, MEDICINES
Necessary to destroy dangerous bacteria, antibiotics, at the same time, destroy beneficial intestinal bacteria that synthesize substances such as vitamin K and folacin. Antibiotics also cause a decrease in vitamin B levels. Therefore, taking vitamin B supplements during antibiotic treatment is not advisable because vitamin B neutralizes their therapeutic effects.
If people care about their health, they need to start taking biologically active substances even when there is no pathology.
Reason 9. STRESS.
Chemical, physical or emotional stress increases the body's need for vitamins. B, and C. Air pollution increases the need for vitamin E.
Reason 10. LACK OF NUTRIENTS IN PLANT PRODUCTS.
Long-term intensive exploitation of soils, the use of fertilizers and chemicals lead to the depletion of odors of trace elements in soils. Most soils today contain virtually no vitamins and minerals, so these essential elements are also absent from plants.
Reason 11. VEGETARIAN DIET.
A vegetarian diet that excludes meat and other animal products must be carefully planned to avoid vitamin B12 deficiency. The consequence of such a deficiency is pernicious anemia.
Reason 12. FOOD ALLERGY.
Individual allergies lead to the exclusion of certain food groups from the diet. This in turn leads to the loss of important sources such as thiamine, riboflavin and calcium.
Reason 13. MALNUTRITION.
Our diet should contain approximately 32 different foods: bread, meat, fish, liver, milk, eggs, vegetables, fruits, herbs, cereals, vegetable oils, etc.
But how can you maintain your figure? The question is very difficult. On the one hand, we understand that in order to be gracefully slim and beautiful we need to eat less, on the other hand, it is well known that the diet of a modern person is sorely lacking in vitamins, polyunsaturated fatty acids, minerals, microelements, dietary fiber, and therefore we need to eat more . Needless to say - two mutually exclusive recommendations! On one side of the scale is BEAUTY, on the other is HEALTH. So should you eat well or not?!
Some people eat very few HEALTHY foods, and NOT just because they are on a diet, for example, to lose weight. Studies have shown that the average person receives 7560 kJ per day... However, this level is maintained through a diet low in thiamine, calcium and iron. People eat little fresh meat, fish, seafood, fruits and greens... they eat a lot - fast food, frozen and “heated” food, white bread, pasta, potatoes, sugar, etc.
By the way, one of the reasons for malnutrition (among others) is...
Reason 14. ECONOMIC reason - eating well is "too EXPENSIVE" for many people.
The economic aspect of dietary supplement consumption is also important. Of course, a high-quality product, backed by scientific developments, made from certified raw materials, cannot cost less than a certain amount. And yet the use of dietary supplements makes economic sense. After all, in order to get the required amount of microelements and vitamins from food, you will need to eat a set of products that will cost much more. For example, the daily requirement of vitamin C is contained in 2 kg of apples, vitamin A - in 1.5 kg of carrots, potassium and magnesium - in 2 kg of bananas. And the point is not even the price of the products, but the fact that it is impossible to satisfy the daily need for biologically active substances in this way. Even the most correct diet of normal caloric content is deficient by at least 20 - 30% in most vitamins, minerals, flavonoids, etc.
If these are products that have undergone long-term storage, transportation, canning, or heat treatment, then the content of vitamins and minerals in them tends to zero, and these are the products that we mostly use for 9 months a year. For example, when storing fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator for three days, up to 30% of vitamin C is lost.
During heat treatment of foods, 25 to 100% of vitamins and minerals are lost. And in dietary supplements these substances are much more preserved than even in fresh products from the garden.
Reason 15. LOW RESERVES OF VITAMINS IN THE BODY.
Despite the fact that the body is able to store some vitamins (for example: A and E), studies by Canadian scientists have shown that almost 30% of people have reserves of vitamin A “at risk.” Vitamin A is essential for healthy skin, mucous membranes and good vision.
Some vitamins and substances (for example, vitamin C) do not accumulate in the body. In other words, we need these substances constantly - with daily food intake.
Reason 16. LACK OF SUN (and we live in a climate where there are not many sunny days a year).
People who rarely spend time in the sun may be deficient in vitamin D, which is necessary for calcium metabolism. Vitamin D deficiency causes rickets and osteoporosis (thinning of the bones).
Reason 17. TRANSITIONAL AGE.
To support accelerated physical, biochemical and emotional development, a balanced and nutritious diet is necessary.
Reason 18. SPORTS.
Athletes consume large amounts of food and experience significant stress. These factors increase the need for B vitamins, vitamin C and, especially, iron.
Reason 19. ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES.
They weaken the absorption of folic acid and increase the need for vitamins, B6 and C, zinc and riboflavin.
Reason 20. PRE-MENSTRUAL SYNDROME (PMS).
According to research, taking vitamin B6 helps 60% of PMS sufferers.
Reason 21. PREGNANCY.
causes an increase in nutritional requirements in order to ensure the normal development of the child and not deplete the mother’s body. During this period, the mother’s body experiences a particularly acute deficiency of almost all nutrients. According to statistics, 85% of pregnant women have conditions of vitamin deficiency, iron deficiency anemia, etc. And the result? According to the Ministry of Health, more than 70% of women experience pregnancy problems. If the mother has avoided nutrient deficiencies throughout her pregnancy, the reward will be a much healthier child, because it is in the first trimester of pregnancy that organs are formed and developed, and in the last months of pregnancy the child’s immunity is laid for life. Under no circumstances should this moment be missed.
Reason 22. RADIATION
Microdoses of radiation exposure from the environment and food negatively affect most physiological processes in the human body and the absorption of necessary substances.
(This is especially true for residents of “dirty” areas, big cities, people working in such production, and even people working with household appliances, computers, etc.)
Reason 23. AGE-related changes and OLD AGE.
Older people tend to have low levels of vitamins and minerals (especially iron, calcium and zinc).
Reason 24. PERSONAL EXAMPLE. CARING FOR YOUR LOVED ONES.
When you feel great, look great, are active, full of energy, etc. You can recommend people's favorite products. Take care of yourself - take care of your loved ones! They also need good products.
CONCLUSION: throughout a person’s life, there are ENOUGH reasons to start and continue to take vitamins, dietary supplements, to maintain health, well-being, healthy sleep, etc. By replenishing the deficiency of vitamins and minerals in your body, you act not on the symptoms, but on the very cause of the disease. By replenishing the deficiency of vitamins and minerals in your body, you act not on the symptoms, but on the very cause of the disease..
Nature has provided our body with perfect cleaning and protection systems. Biologically active substances (vitamins, minerals, etc.) are responsible for the performance of these systems. If the body experiences their deficiency, the protective (immune) systems will be inactive. And as a result, pollution and oxidative processes, which underlie almost ALL known diseases, will inevitably begin to increase. (Stomach ulcer and hypertension, prostatitis and osteoporosis, heart attack and other diseases are a direct or indirect consequence of a CONSTANT deficiency of biologically active substances.
By replenishing the deficiency of vitamins and minerals in your body, you act not on the symptoms, but on the very cause of the problem.
Once in the body, the capsule with dietary supplements dissolves and 100% natural biologically active substances are absorbed into the blood, from which they are carried throughout the body. They strengthen and activate the immune systems, and the body immediately begins to fight damage. This is a “treatment” by replenishing the body’s deficiency of those substances that it naturally should have, but which are missing. Leading scientists of the world call this direction the most promising in medicine of the 21st century. You will feel the results of the dietary supplement gradually as you solve problems.
You should start taking natural products with small doses, as if checking the body’s reaction to a specific product. After 2 - 3 days, the dose can be gradually increased to the recommended one. What is this recommendation based on? This is a completely natural feature of the body, which needs time to adapt to new products. Remember, have you ever had to suddenly change your eating style (for example, on business trips, tourist trips, etc.)? Even with the best quality food, you probably experienced discomfort in the first few days. Similar symptoms can be observed when starting to use dietary supplements. But this phenomenon should not be feared, because we are not talking about a deterioration of the condition, but only about restructuring the body to better-quality CELLULAR nutrition.
Also, while taking natural dietary supplements, it is recommended to observe a physiological drinking regime, unless there are special contraindications:
Adults - at least 2 liters of fluid per day
For children - according to age.
Why is it important? When the body, with the help of dietary supplements, replenishes the deficiency of vital nutrients, all organs and systems are strengthened. The first thing the body does is strive to cleanse itself of poisons, waste and toxins. If at this moment your body does not experience a shortage of fluid, the cleansing will take place as quickly and comfortably as possible, because water is the conductor through which harmful substances are naturally eliminated.
Is it possible to get vitamins and minerals from natural products?
By definition, dietary supplements are food additives, not food substitutes.
Of course, you can replenish the missing vitamins and minerals through your diet, which these days should contain more than 600 different substances (nutrients). But how REAL is this? The first question is, for example, to provide our body with the daily requirement of calcium, we need to eat 10 kg of meat or 3 kg of carrots, to provide the body with vitamin C - we need to eat 2 kg of apples or 3 lemons.
The second issue is the quality of the products themselves. Perhaps someone could replenish the necessary substances in this way, but given the “naturalness” of today’s products, there is almost no hope of getting the required result. Therefore, modern people need to search for additional sources of vitamins and microelements.
And here biologically active food additives (BAA) come to the rescue. But dietary supplements are not a panacea; this should also be remembered. That is, for example, when taking a dietary supplement that contains blueberry extract, you should not expect the complete disappearance of vision problems. But, if you work a lot at the computer or often sit in front of the TV, your visual apparatus will definitely be under strain. Therefore, if you take 2-3 tablets of blueberry extract or eat a glass of this berry every day, this will help maintain the normal functioning of the visual apparatus.
Or, for example, dietary supplements that are used to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases. If you do not take dietary supplements, you need to structure your diet in such a way as to balance it in the content of vegetable oils and reduce the amount of saturated fat. Or you can take a complex of fully balanced polyunsaturated fatty acids. Prevention, as we know, is the best treatment. Experts recommend taking dietary supplements to reduce the risk of developing diseases, especially for those people who need it.
Think about it and be healthy! (Lessons by Vladislav Dinapoli)
Series of messages " ":Dietary supplements appeared in our lives for a reason. This is a kind of alternative to those products that are poor in nutrients, minerals and vitamins.Part 1 -
Part 2 -
...
Part 7 -
Part 8 -
Part 9 - WHO AND WHY SHOULD TAKE SUPPLEMENTS. 24 reasons.
Let's figure out what a dietary supplement is? Many people react negatively to the word dietary supplement and do not want to know about their beneficial properties. A dietary supplement is a biologically active food supplement that contains natural ingredients from various foods, herbal extracts, vitamins, macro and microelements. Even in ancient times, our ancestors knew the beneficial properties of food and the beneficial properties of herbs, from which decoctions, tinctures and powders were made.
We ourselves still use healthy foods to prevent and treat many diseases - garlic, onions, honey, propolis, various oils, rose hips and whole grain cereals and many other products that we use for food. At the beginning of the last century, people began to produce and study pharmacological synthetic drugs, which were much more effective than dietary supplements, and therefore dietary supplements were no longer considered as healthy food for humans and healthy natural products gradually began to disappear from the diet.
Now all food has become refined, look at the composition of any product, there is nothing natural in the composition, only “Eshki”, taste enhancers and flavorings. This food does not contain any beneficial substances, but, on the contrary, sharply increases the risk of most diseases, such as cardiovascular disorders, diabetes, and obesity. That is why we so need Dietary Supplements to maintain our body. A deficiency of dietary supplements is very dangerous; a person experiences serious changes in the body, and to prevent this from happening, we take dietary supplements during meals.
The dietary supplement helps normalize the intestinal microflora, lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, protects and renews our joints, and helps fight osteoporosis. A good dietary supplement helps with inflammatory processes in the body, is also taken to prevent heart thrombosis, has an antioxidant and antitumor effect and protects our body from premature aging.
Dietary supplements have fewer contraindications and side effects than pharmaceuticals, so they can be used by more people to replenish our body with useful macro- and microelements, vitamins, essential oils and natural concentrates of biologically active substances. The dietary supplement contains several ingredients; with the gradual accumulation of useful substances, the body begins to fight diseases on its own, and this is a long-term process.
We must always remember that a dietary supplement is not a medicine, but a biologically active food supplement, and in our modern world, a person needs it like air if we want to be healthy. The manifestation of any disease is directly related to a deficiency of dietary supplements, such as omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, dietary fiber, and a lack of vitamins and minerals. Pharmacological drugs are artificial and foreign substances for humans and have many side effects. To treat one problem, several drugs are prescribed; the effect occurs quickly, but is short-lived.
Taking pharmaceutical drugs only affects the numerous consequences of the disease; they have a strict chemical composition and one main active ingredient, and are taken only in conditions of a mature disease and under the strict supervision of a doctor. Dietary supplements become an excellent way out of a situation where slight ailment and discomfort greatly spoil our mood. According to experts, more than 600 different nutrients should be present in the daily diet of every person.
Most common diseases are caused by a deficiency of dietary supplements in human food, so the use of dietary supplements helps to cope with many problems and eliminates the cause itself. Numerous stories of people who took them testify to the healing effects of dietary supplements on the body.
Dietary supplement is a centuries-old folk recipe, folk methods of treatment and prevention. Take dietary supplements, and the body will say “thank you” for the useful and necessary nutritional elements to maintain health.
Even the ancient sages knew: nutrition is one of the most important factors determining our health. A healer and a cook in one person is a tradition of Eastern philosophy: “If the father of the disease is unknown, then the mother is nutrition.”
Biologically active food additives (dietary supplements, nutriceuticals, parapharmaceuticals) can be considered from different perspectives. For example, as the colossal evolutionary and historical experience of mankind, its accumulated knowledge of the healing properties of plants, objects of animal origin and mineral raw materials. Many of them still attract close medical attention today. However, according to our outstanding compatriot - Academician A.A. Pokrovsky, who devoted his talent to dietetics: “...food should be considered not only as a source of energy and plastic substances, but also as a very complex pharmacological complex.”
In recent years, a new field of knowledge has been actively developing - pharmaconutritiology, blurring the sharp boundaries between nutrition science and pharmacology. And this is quite logical: food substances in the process of metabolism become structural elements of our cells, ensuring the life and performance of the body, determining both health and life expectancy. A rational, balanced diet has always been considered by doctors as the most important factor in the prevention of human diseases. Moreover, in our age of scientific and technological progress, which has radically intervened in the production of food products. High technologies that ensure growth in production volumes (and profits) are merciless to their naturalness, to the chemical composition planned by Nature. Technological processing of products, canning, refining, and long-term storage do not in any way increase the content of vitamins, macro- and microelements, dietary fiber and biologically active substances in food.
There is another important aspect of technogenic civilization. For centuries, humanity has sought to free itself from hard physical labor by mechanizing and automating production, inventing cars, elevators, household appliances, and developing public utilities. And not without success: over 100 years, our daily energy consumption has decreased by 1.5-2 times (to 2300–2500 kcal/day for men and 2000–2200 kcal/day for women).
And here’s the paradox: the basic law of rational nutrition dictates the need to match the levels of energy intake and energy expenditure, therefore, we must reduce the amount of food consumed. But in this case, we violate the 2nd law of rational nutrition, which requires us to fully cover the body’s need for vitamins and other vital (essential) substances. After all, only the maximum variety of food can ensure that the chemical composition of the diet matches the physiological needs of a person. And the body needs to receive a huge amount of certain substances from which cells, tissues, and organs are built. These are not only proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, but also mineral salts, fiber, enzymes, minor components (present in small quantities) - bioflavonoids, indoles, anthocyanides, isoflavones and many others. If these components are insufficient, the body finds itself in a state of “hunger with a full stomach,” leading to serious health problems.
One of the alternative ways to solve the problems of optimizing nutrition and correcting a person’s nutritional status was the creation of a powerful industry - the development and production of biologically active food additives (BAA). These products, in small volumes, should contain those nutrients or regulatory substances that are most deficient in the human daily diet. This product is produced by both food industry enterprises and pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and in various forms: in the form of powders, tablets, extracts, decoctions, infusions, balms, dry and liquid concentrates, syrups, tinctures, etc.
The global pharmaceutical market is abundantly saturated with a wide variety of dietary supplements. But a unified classification has not been developed for them. Most often, they are divided by composition, functional activity, effects, etc. As a rule, 3 basic components are distinguished for substantive study: nutraceuticals, parapharmaceuticals, eubiotics.
- Nutraceuticals are dietary supplements used to optimize the structure of food consumed, including chemical ones.
- Parapharmaceuticals are dietary supplements used for preventive purposes, as well as to maintain the body in proper shape.
- Eubiotics are dietary supplements containing microorganisms that can optimize the structure and activity of the gastrointestinal microflora.
We tell you what dietary supplements are and what benefits they can bring to our body.
Everyone knows that the human body requires vitamins, minerals and other nutrients to function properly. But not every person receives the entire range of important components from food every day, because for this you always need to eat a balanced diet. Some vitamins are difficult to obtain in proper quantities from natural products. For example, it is almost impossible to eat 10 kg of carrots or 5 kg of cottage cheese per day, but this is the amount of the listed products that contains the daily requirement of vitamin A and calcium. In this case, dietary supplements* come to the rescue.
How did dietary supplements* appear and why? The history of the emergence of biological additives stretches back to ancient times, when humanity only learned the medicinal properties of some plants. Over time, knowledge about the beneficial properties of herbs and natural minerals has only expanded, the practices of different peoples have been passed down from generation to generation, thanks to which today we have a wide selection of numerous biological supplements of plant and animal origin to maintain the healthy and proper function of the human body.
Dietary supplement* is a biologically active food supplement presented in the form of tablets, capsules, chewable lozenges or powder for preparing a drink. Dietary supplement* is a set of microelements that complement the human diet.
Dietary supplements* are very popular in different countries of the world. In countries with a high standard of living, they have become an integral part of people's healthy lifestyle. In Japan, for example, where the average human life expectancy is 82 years, about 90% of residents supplement their diet with biological food additives. In the USA, the same figure is 80% of the total population, in European countries – about 65%. In Russia, according to statistics for 2015, approximately 5% of the total population regularly take dietary supplements. The reason for this is the lack of a clear understanding of exactly what benefits the consumption of such supplements will bring.
Unfortunately, store shelves are filled with visually attractive, but minimally useful products. Fruits and vegetables may look like they were just picked from the garden, but they will taste little different from plastic theater props. It’s not even worth talking about the content of beneficial vitamins in such products. That is why it is worth thinking about an additional source of vitamins, especially in winter. After all, this method of obtaining a full spectrum of vitamins actually turns out to be the simplest and safest.
Interesting: As a result of studies conducted by nutritionists, it was revealed that in the diet of Russians there is a significant deficiency of proteins, vitamin C, folic acid and vitamins B1, B2, B6, semi-saturated fatty acids and micronutrients, while carbohydrates and fats, on the contrary, are in excess. For 80% of the population in the northern regions of the country, the problem of vitamin D deficiency, which regulates especially important body processes, is an urgent problem.
Most people living in a metropolis often experience an acute deficiency of various vitamins and nutrients, for example, a lack of B vitamins leads to frequent stress, nervous disorders, depression, iodine deficiency leads to dysfunction of the thyroid gland and cardiovascular system, iron deficiency leads to This results in anemia or anemia, general weakness, loss of strength. People who play sports need more vitamins B and C, as well as vitamin P, which are not enough in our usual foods. The complete absence or deficiency of any element can lead to serious consequences, so it is so necessary to maintain the overall tone and health of the body to eat properly and, if necessary, enrich your diet with additional substances. Unfortunately, even an increase in the amount of fruits and vegetables consumed does not guarantee an increase in the vitamins and nutrients entering the body, since with prolonged heat treatment and chemical fertilizers of the soil when growing crops, vitamins such as A, B, C and E are lost.
Important: Dietary supplements* are not medicine and do not replace food. First of all, it can be a complex of dietary fiber or extracts of medicinal plants, polyunsaturated fatty acids and amino acids. Dietary supplements help activate the body's internal reserves due to their composition rich in vitamins and minerals.
In order to contact an individual consultant who will create a nutrition plan for you and select dietary supplements that are suitable for you, follow the link:
* is not a medicine January 20, 2017, 14:16 2017-01-20
