via Shutterstock
Opinions vary so widely about what kinds of nutrition supplements to take, we asked two experts to steer us right. Paul Ratté, a naturopathic doctor who focuses on clinical nutrition, is an assistant professor at Northwestern Health Sciences University. Lizzie Streit is a registered dietitian nutritionist and NWHSU adjunct faculty who writes the blog It’s a Veg World After All.
Should everyone take a multivitamin?
Streit: The limited research that exists suggests that multivitamins provide no additional benefits for the typical adult. This is likely because multivitamins cannot replicate the natural combinations of nutrients that exist in whole foods and work together in the body. But targeted supplementation to address specific issues can be therapeutic and is often necessary to treat malnutrition, malabsorption, and other micronutrient deficiencies, such as vitamins B12 and D.
Ratté: Multivitamins are like an insurance policy. You can take a multivitamin to cover all your bases. But with the standard American diet, the likelihood of being deficient in vitamins is extremely low. I’m more interested in having people take certain supplements if they present with an insufficiency.
What should we know about Vitamin D?
Streit: Current guidelines recommend 400 IU of Vitamin D a day for infants; 600 IU a day for children and adults until 50; and 800 IU a day for people over 50. However, several studies have suggested that these guidelines are too low. Vitamin D deficiency is rampant in the United States. Some experts recommend that adults get between 1000 to 4000 IU of Vitamin D a day. However, with any supplement, you should discuss the best dosage for you with your doctor.
Ratté: It’s a really hyped vitamin right now. Vitamin D, fish oil, and turmeric are all heavily marketed, and some people are insufficient. There is definitely a benefit to taking Vitamin D, but some people are low because they have trouble absorbing it. Then it’s a digestive issue, not an insufficiency, and we need to address that, not take more and more.
What makes for a good protein powder?
Streit: Look for protein powders with ingredients that are derived from whole foods without unnecessary additives and sweeteners. Examples of proteins powders that are typically well absorbed and provide high-quality protein include whey, casein, egg white, hemp, soy, or pea powders.
What is the current thinking about prenatal vitamins?
Streit: All women who are trying to conceive or are pregnant should take a prenatal vitamin. Even if you are eating a healthy diet, you need more of certain nutrients during pregnancy to support the baby’s growth and development. Look for prenatal vitamins that contains folic acid, iron, calcium, and vitamin D, and you may choose to take one that also has vitamin C, zinc, and copper.
Ratté: Prenatal vitamins are important, and two components are essential: iron and folic acid. Folic acid prevents neural tube defects, but the neural tube develops in the third week of pregnancy before women even know they are pregnant. So women in their reproductive years should take a prenatal vitamin, or at least folic acid, because 50 percent of pregnancies are unplanned.
What supplements work well to prevent inflammation?
Streit: Chronic inflammation that results from poor diet choices, lack of exercise, and stress may play a role in the development of several health problems. Anti-inflammatory foods—including fatty fish, nuts and seeds, leafy green vegetables, ginger, berries, and herbs and spices—can help you fight inflammation. Some supplements may prevent inflammation, including fish oil, ginger, resveratrol, and curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric.
Ratté: Inflammation happens when your body’s immune system is woken up and mobilizes resources to repair it. I can treat inflammation, but there might be something else playing a role. It might be something you’re eating, stress, your lifestyle. You can take over-the-counter medication like ibuprofen, and there are whole groups of nutrients that have some ability to function that way. There are supplements like turmeric or resveratrol, which is found in red wine, or green tea extract, or fish oil. Are you throwing your money away? I will say that diet is a stronger mediator than supplements, but they may provide some benefit. They turn down the heat a bit.
What is the biggest mistake people make with supplements?
Ratté: The thinking that if a little bit is good, more is better. They’ll take supplement after supplement, like fish oil. It’s an essential fatty acid, so they think, ‘If it’s essential, we need more of it.’ It’s not true. We do need it, but we don’t need gallons of it. It’s hard for the body to absorb.
What under-the-radar supplements do you like?
Streit: Inositol, which exists naturally in plant foods, may have benefits for certain populations. While more research is needed, some studies suggest that inositol supplements can help improve symptoms of polycystic ovary syndrome, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and other mental health issues.
Ratté: I’m interested in liposomal complexes. They take things that are poorly absorbed and make them more absorbable. Quercetin is one. It has good cell-stabilizing properties and it’s an antioxidant that works well with vitamin C. You can only absorb so much vitamin C. If I take it with quercetin and get better absorption, then maybe I don’t need to take as much.
Anything else you’d like people to know?
Streit: Supplements are not regulated as strictly as drugs by the FDA. Look for supplements that have a seal from a third party that signifies that they have been quality tested by an independent authority. Make sure it was produced in a facility that meets the standards for Good Manufacturing Practices, usually signified by a GMP seal or stamp.
Located in Bloomington, Northwestern Health Sciences University is a pioneer in integrative natural healthcare education, offering degree programs in chiropractic, acupuncture, Chinese medicine, massage therapy, nutrition, post-bac, pre-health/pre-med and B.S. completion. Its clinic is open to the public and provides chiropractic treatment, massage therapy, acupuncture, Chinese medicine, naturopathic medicine, and physical therapy.
See more content from Northwestern Health Sciences University.
Sign up for our Be Well newsletter to get the latest health and wellness coverage.
