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The human body needs to consume more than 40 nutrients every day, but today's dietary structure makes it difficult to meet the body's normal nutritional needs through food alone. Adjusting the body's nutritional balance through dietary supplements can improve nutritional deficiencies such as sub-health and hidden hunger, which are currently threatening human health. This article will discuss the top 5 most needed dietary supplements.
Vitamin B complex
There are many types of B vitamins, from B1 to B12, and the roles of these 12 vitamins in the body should not be underestimated. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) points out that vitamin B12 is often deficient in the body, a trace element that helps maintain the health of nerve and blood cells and promotes DNA production.
“B12 deficiency is common, and some people are naturally less able to absorb B12 than others,” says Max Langhurst, a naturopathic nutrition consultant at Patients Medical. “We recommend people take B12 because they either have low levels of B12 in their bodies or their diet doesn’t provide enough B12. Some people may have dietary restrictions because certain foods trigger their allergies (especially dairy and shellfish), or they may have different lifestyles, such as not liking to eat meat.”
He also pointed out that people who drink heavily should supplement with vitamin B12 or multivitamins, because each multivitamin contains vitamin B12.
Calcium
Calcium is essential for human physiology, with key functions including regulating nerve excitability, promoting muscle contraction, participating in hormone secretion, and maintaining blood clotting mechanisms. The human skeleton, as the main calcium reservoir, accounts for 99% of the body's total calcium. Calcium in bones exists in the form of hydroxyapatite crystals; this structure gives bones the necessary rigidity and significantly reduces the likelihood of fractures.
Calcium supplementation is crucial in daily life. With the current aging population, the incidence of bone metabolic diseases is rising, significantly impacting human lifespan. Therefore, how to effectively supplement calcium has become one of the major challenges facing the medical community.
Coenzyme Q10
Coenzyme Q10 is an anthraquinone compound, also known as ubiquinone 10. It is a fat-soluble substance, similar to a vitamin, and is widely present in the human body.
The total content of coenzyme Q10 in the human body is between 500 and 1500 mg. It mainly participates in the respiration of aerobic cells and is a very important substance in the process of mitochondrial energy metabolism. It maintains the normal physiological activities of various cells, so it is distributed in large amounts in organs with high energy consumption, such as the heart, liver and kidneys, with the highest concentration in the heart.
Fish oil
Fish oil is a superior supplement for almost everyone, as its omega-3 fatty acids have excellent therapeutic effects on many problems, such as cardiovascular health and arthritis.
“Scientific research confirms that the human body needs to ingest 500 milligrams of omega-3 fatty acids, and also encourages people to eat cold-water fish (such as salmon, sardines, herring, anchovies, trout, mackerel, etc.) twice a week,” said Dr. Duffy MacKay, Vice President of Science and Management at the Reliable Nutrition Association.
In reality, people don't eat enough fish, which is why fish oil supplements have gained widespread acceptance.
Folic acid
Folic acid is especially important for women, particularly pregnant women, because it not only prevents neural tube defects in the fetus, but also benefits early intellectual development in the fetus.
Many women don't find out they're pregnant until two, three, or even four weeks into the pregnancy. Therefore, Dr. MacKay says that folic acid supplementation should begin before conception.
Green leafy vegetables, citrus fruits, legumes, and whole grains are rich in folic acid.
If your diet is healthy, varied, and includes plenty of fruits and vegetables, you're likely to be one of the few women who get all the nutrients they need from food. Most other women, however, will need to take a multivitamin containing folic acid.
Conclusion
For the general population in my country, where nutrient deficiencies are common, avoiding the use of dietary supplements due to concerns about adverse effects from overuse is akin to throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Based on a balanced diet, the rational use of high-quality multi-nutrient supplements is undoubtedly a wiser choice, because individuals with lower baseline nutrient levels are more likely to benefit from dietary supplements compared to those with higher baseline levels.
