The need for dietary supplementation
There
has been a rapid recent expansion of the body of scientific
evidence in peer-reviewed journals whichdemonstrates that
use of food supplements can improve overall nutritional
status and key bio-markers for health as well as reduce
risk of chronic diseases.
However, many of the large scale clinical studies carried
out to investigate the effects of nutrient supplementation
have involved single or limited numbers of nutrients, often
at sub optimal doses. Such studies are likely to underestimate
the benefits of supplementation, given that many nutrients
function synergistically.
A major review of studies on the relationships between
vitamin intake and various diseases published between 1966
and 2002 demonstrated that sub optimal levels of vitamin
intake are associated with increased risk of contracting
a variety of chronic diseases, including cancer, heart disease
and osteoporosis. The authors of this study concluded that
many physicians may be unaware of common food sources of
vitamins or may be unsure which vitamins they should recommend
for their patients and given the current status of scientific
knowledge it may be prudent for most adults to supplement
their diet with a daily multivitamin.
A study which followed 11,178 people between the ages of
67 and 105 over the period 1984 - 1993 concluded that the
overall risk of death was reduced by 42% for those who took
higher dose supplements of vitamins C and E.
Most
of us are very familiar with the importance of good nutrition
for health. Fewer of us know what is meant by "good
nutrition". Actually, government departments (such
as the Department of Health in the UK) set targets for particular
nutrients but these targets tend to focus mainly on macronutrients
like proteins, carbohydrates and fats. They are however
increasingly recognising the importance of fibre as a micronutrient,
but then they tend to ignore the other vast array of micronutrients
such as vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, amino
acids, phytonutrients, enzymes, pre-/pro-biotics, etc.,
despite increasing scientific evidence that micronutrient
deficiencies lead to a wide range of health problems and
prevent the body from functioning optimally.
Optimum nutrition is a concept that goes considerably beyond
nutritional levels that are simply adequate. It is about
focusing on a very much better than average diet and consuming
and absorbing micronutrients in forms and at levels that,
without supplementation, would typically be well beneath
those levels shown to appreciably improve particular functions.
Optimum nutrition can help to elevate energy levels or improve
immune system function. It can help to reduce blood pressure
and reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer.
Adequate, rather than optimal, nutrition can get you by,
but it seldom does much more. Someone who follows government
guidelines for an adequate diet while failing to meet optimum
nutritional guidelines may be feel okay, and not demonstrate
any clinical symptoms of illness as determined through conventional
medicine. But they will very rarely feel optimally well,
both physically and mentally. Optimum nutrition and hydration
is about finding the optimum resource foundation for your
body. You are quite literally what you eat and absorb.
More
and more researchers and clinicians are working on understanding
more about the levels of particular nutrients and nutrients
forms required for optimum nutrition and there is increasing
consensus that optimal levels vary from individual to individual,
over your lifetime, with age, with stress, and with a variety
of other factors. Ultralife nutritional products are about
providing foundational nutrient complexes that suit most
people most of the time. Combined with a very good diet,
they form an exceptional basis for an optimum nutrition
lifestyle.
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