Supplements

In the ideal world, we would be able to obtain everything we need from our food. This is unfortunately not the case.

We have over 100 times more stressors than our great grandparents, we have soil erosion from over-farming where our mineral content is dramatically reduced (in some cases down by 80%) and our live styles are detrimental to our health with late nights and bad food.

We have the RDA, the recommended daily allowance, is the absolute minimum amount required before diseases steps in – this is far from receiving optimal benefits.

Think of it as a salary, you can just about scrape by on minimal wage but compare this to earning £1,000,000 per year, you will be able to afford much more of the luxuries many may desire.

Something to take into account is that not all supplements are created equally. They may have lesser values, less bioavailable forms, fillers, binding agents and may have used a polluted source.

For instance, magnesium oxide only has a 4% bioavailability (working rate) whereas magnesium bi-glycinate has an 80% bioavailability.

Supplements aren’t an easy way out - they are an additional tool (meeting the minimum requirements are hard enough due to the quality of the food) whilst I am wanting you to have optimal levels which can be too hard due to availability and cost.

Multi-Vitamin

Multivitamins are a type of supplement that contain a combination of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients used to support better health.

These majority of enzymes, co-factors, vitamins, minerals and lipids needed for optimal function of the human body.

Multivitamins typically contain most of the vitamins and minerals that your body needs, including vitamins A, C, D, E and K, as well as B vitamins like thiamine, niacin and vitamin B12.

For this reason, they are most often used to help fill in the gaps in a balanced diet and may be especially useful for those who have restrictive diets, limited intake or just need some help squeezing in enough micronutrients each day.

Many of which are catalysts for conversions that are not easily obtained via diet alone.

Some of the benefits to your health for adding a multivitamin:

Corrects Nutritional Deficiencies
Supports Healthy Pregnancy
Promotes Proper Growth and Development
Helps Maintain Bone Strength
Improves Brain Function
Enhances Eye Health
May Benefit Heart Health

Omega 3

When it comes to omega-3 benefits, there are rarely nutrients that pack this many positive health outcomes into one compound.

The most commonly known benefit of omega-3s is a reduced risk of heart disease, but that’s not the only studied plus of getting lots of omega-3s in your diet.

In fact, omega-3 benefits everything from from fetal development to retinal function, weight management and a lot more in between. These acids support and promote optimal health for anyone.

But what are they?

Well Omega 3’s come in three main types:

ALA - Alpha Linolenic Acid - Plant based and found in green leafy vegetables, flax seeds and chia seeds.

EPA - Eicosapentaenoic Acid - found in oily fish alongside DHA are the Omega 3’s your body needs in high quantities to achieve the benefits they offer us.

DHA - Docosahexaenoic Acid - Also found in oily fish, your body will convert some DHA molecules to back up EPA’s in order to keep them at fairly equal level’s if you consume more DHA.

Ok so what’s the benefit’s?

Fat Loss - they turn on the fat burning genes (Lipolytic) and switches off the fat storing genes (Lipogenic)
Heart Health - Raises HDL (Good Cholesterol) and lower’s blood pressure
Improve mental health - With depression and anxiety, these common mental health concerns are some of the most prevalent in the world today, and conventional remedies for depression are, for the most part, disappointingly ineffective. However, people who regularly get large amounts of omega-3s are less likely to be depressed than those who are deficient.
Reduce Inflammation - One reason omega-3 fatty acids may be so beneficial to many aspects of health could be that they help decrease system-wide inflammation. Inflammation is at the root of most diseases and is related to the development of nearly every major illness. By eating a nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory diet, you give your body its best chance to fight disease like it was designed to do.

Magnesium

Considering all of the important roles that magnesium plays in the body — and the fact that a magnesium deficiency is one of the leading nutrient deficiencies in adults, with an estimated 80 percent being deficient in this vital mineral — it’s a good idea to consider taking magnesium supplements regularly. Of course, this is in addition to eating plenty magnesium-rich foods.

Ok so what’s the benefits?

Blood sugar control - helps improve insulin sensitivity
Improves thyroid function - which releases fat burning hormones
Improves Blood pressure - Lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol and acts as relief from constricted airways
Improve Sleep - Studies have found that magnesium supplements can help promote muscle relaxation, decrease leg cramps and muscle spasms, reduce tension and anxiety, and fight pain.
Better mind muscle connection - Magnesium assists with the transmission of nerve impulses so you can stimulate a better-mind muscle connection enabling you to recruit more muscle fibres which also improve the functioning of your muscle and definition.

Zinc

Zinc is a type of metal and an essential trace element. It’s present within all bodily tissue and needed for healthy cell division. It acts like an antioxidant within the body, fighting free-radical damage and slowing the aging process.

Zinc also has a major impact on hormonal balance, so for this reason, even a small zinc deficiency can result in an increased risk for infertility or diabetes.

Ok so what’s the benefits?

Anti-inflammatory and Antioxidant agent - helping fight oxidative stress and decrease the chance for disease development.
Digestive support - Assists in digestion with support with over 80 enzymes and use of nutrients which can lead to an Increased metabolic rate aids in maintenance for strong cardiovascular functioning, improving your circulation and performance.
Hormonal balance - Zinc benefits hormonal health and fertility because it plays an important role in hormone production, including increasing testosterone naturally, which has very widespread roles in both men and women. Zinc also impacts female sex hormones and is even involved in the creation and release of eggs within and from the ovaries.
Zinc is needed for the production of oestrogen and progesterone in women, which both support reproductive health. Either too high or too low levels of oestrogen’s can cause problems with menstruation, mood swings, early menopause, infertility and possibly even increase the risk for certain cancers.
Maintains Heart Health by Supporting Blood Vessels - Zinc is needed to maintain the health of cells within the cardiovascular system, while also lowering inflammation and oxidative stress.
The endothelium, the thin layer of cells that lines the blood vessels, partially relies on adequate levels of zinc. Zinc benefits heart health by supporting healthy circulation, since it helps as a natural remedy for high blood pressure and cholesterol levels from clogged or damaged arteries.
Helps with Muscle Growth and Repair - Zinc plays a crucial role in cell division and cell growth, so zinc benefits muscle repair and growth by making it possible for the body to heal itself and maintain strength in the muscular and skeletal systems.
Zinc also helps with the release of testosterone, growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), all of which build muscle mass and a healthy metabolism.
Zinc benefits muscle mass because it helps increase the amount of testosterone the body is able to produce following exercise — especially weight-training and high intensity interval training — because it enhances the conversion rate of androstenedione to testosterone.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble nutrient. It is one of the 24 micronutrients critical for human survival.

Did you know: People with inadequate levels of Vitamin D have been shown to be at increased risk of infection and disease.

The sun is the major natural source of the nutrient, but vitamin D is also found naturally in fish and eggs. It is also added to dairy products.

The body produces vitamin D from cholesterol, provided there is an adequate amount of UV light from sun exposure. There is only a sufficient amount of UV light coming from the sun when the UV index is 3 or higher.

So if not sunlight, how do I get Vitamin D?

This is where the role of supplementation comes into our life, Vitamin D3 supplementation (cholecalciferol) is recommended over D2 supplementation (ergocalciferol), since D3 is used more effectively in the body.

How much Vitamin D do I need?

Surprisingly, there is an actual calculation:

Daily dose Vitamin D: (Bodyweight in kg) x (20-80IU)

Vitamin D should be taken daily, with meals or a source of fat, like fish oil.

So what’s the benefits?

Contributes to bone health - the Vitamin D helps absorbs the calcium within your diet,
Reduces risk of Alzheimers - Growing evidence links cognitive decline with Vitamin D levels.
Decreases risk of cardiovascular disease - low levels of Vitamin D is linked with heart disease, congestive heart failure and high blood pressure. Why? Well Vitamin D has been shown to reduce heart disease linked with plaque build up.
Combats Depression - high levels of Vitamin D can impact two of our “happiness” neurotransmitters - dopamine and epinephrine.
. Reduce Inflammation - low levels of vitamin D have been linked to increase disease, inflammation and rheumatoid arthritis.