Is taking a supplement necessary?
What supplements should I take?
How do you know if you’re buying a good supplement brand?
Every day millions of people head to Google to learn more about supplements, the benefits of taking them and which ones to shop for.
Deciding whether to take a daily supplement is an important decision, and no two supplements are the same.
The right supplements can enhance your health in a number of different ways, beyond just ensuring your body gets the proper vitamins, nutrients and minerals it needs.
Below we’ve outlined five health reasons why you should consider incorporating supplements into your daily routine.
Plus, we’ve included a quick checklist to help you shop for the best supplements.
1. Disease Prevention
A shocking six in ten Americans live with one or more chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes or cancer.
Yet, a large majority of chronic diseases can be prevented through healthy choices like eating well, being physically active and getting routine health screenings on time.
So where do supplements come in?
Supplements can fill in nutrient gaps and provide the support our bodies need to stay healthy. It’s incredibly difficult to eat enough to get all of the nutrients we need to prevent disease.
Supplements enhance the benefits of eating a well-rounded diet and provide the essential building blocks to help your body develop and function as it should. Plus, with the increased exposure to toxins and chemicals in today’s society (environmental, plastics, contaminants in water, processed foods), diet is often not enough to reduce the inflammation in our bodies.
From heart disease to dementia, supplements can prevent the deficiencies that are linked to common chronic diseases.
For example, Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to a number of chronic illnesses, including heart disease, autoimmune diseases, cancer, osteoporosis and more. On the flip side, getting enough Vitamin D will ensure that you are regulating critical cellular functions, absorbing calcium and providing your body with the antioxidants and neuroprotective properties that help support immune health and brain functions.
Vitamin D deficiency is just one example, but the key takeaway here is to take seriously the connection between preventing chronic diseases with strengthening your overall health and wellbeing.
Remember, it really is true what they say, prevention is the best medicine.
2. Supporting Longevity
Here at Revivele we believe in not just living long, but living optimally! This means that as we age it’s even more important to support our quality of life and look beyond making it to a certain number.
Ageing really is more than just a number. It’s the combination of physical, social, psychological and emotional changes that happen due to molecular and cellular damage over time. For some of us, this damage and failure in our biological systems happens earlier, and for others we enjoy healthy ageing allowing us to enjoy new opportunities like a never before tried passion or travel.
To maintain your quality of life as you age, it’s important to understand the different factors that impact disease and health as you age. Specific lifestyle choices and supplements can help support your quality of life and extend life expectancy.
When your body has the energy, vitamins and nutrients it needs, it doesn’t have to choose between maintaining your short-term health or long-term health – it can do both!
Specific supplements like tremella and omega-3 can help prevent and even reverse changes linked to ageing. Tremella has high levels of polysaccharides and antioxidants – two powerful anti-aging compounds. Omega-3 helps to reduce oxidative stress and lowers inflammation – two key ways to slow down biological processes linked to ageing.
3. Hormone Regulation
Often little understood, hormones are essential to your physical and mental health and overall wellbeing.
Produced by your endocrine system, hormones are chemical messengers for your body. They play a vital role in regulating hundreds of bodily processes including metabolism, blood pressure, mood, sleep cycles, and sexual characteristics.
Research shows that approximately 80% of women aged 30-60 suffer from a hormone imbalance. During menopause this figure is closer to 100%.
For both men and women, hormone imbalances can be a result of stress, ageing, unhealthy diet, toxins, medications, underlying health conditions and more.
The good news is that in addition to living a healthy lifestyle, there are multiple supplements that help balance hormones.
For example:
- A significant link has been found between vitamin B12 deficiency and disorders associated with hormonal imbalance
- Vitamin B6 helps to balance oestrogen and progesterone
- Ashwagandha helps to manage cortisol and thyroid hormone levels, by helping the body cope with physical and emotional stressors
- Vitamin C has been proven to help synthesize pituitary hormones, including follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH.)
These are just a few examples of key supplements, in addition to ways to balance your hormones naturally, to keep your hormones regulated. Click here to read how you can balance your own hormones naturally.
4. Improved Sleep
Only recently have we begun to understand how absolutely critical sleep is to our daily and long-term health and wellbeing.
Metabolism, emotional regulation, memory, immune system repair, mental health, hormone regulation, and ageing are just a few of the processes directly affected by sleep. Yet, 70 million Americans suffer from chronic sleep problems.
In addition to lifestyle changes, there are a number of supplements that can help you fall asleep at night.
Look for nighttime supplements which contain a combination of melatonin, magnesium, tryptophan and/or L-theanine.
5. Overall Health and Wellbeing
Too often we tend to view our health in black and white terms – either we’re healthy or we’re not. But, this doesn’t do justice to the multiple states and experiences that can determine our overall health and wellbeing.
It’s important that we don’t turn a blind eye to physical and mental states such as:
- Fatigue
- Weakened immune system
- Brain Fog
- Poor concentration
- Low energy
- Moodiness
- Headaches
- Stomach aches
- Inflammation
- Poor gut health, and more
Taking specific supplements on a daily basis can help to improve a number of overall health and wellbeing factors that directly affect how you function on a day-to-day basis.
For example, B-Complex vitamins play a role in supporting almost all systems in the body including managing stress, stimulating brain function, supporting energy levels, improving cognition, immune function and overall wellness.
Zinc is another vital power player that has tremendous value for your health and wellbeing. Zinc aids in the creation of DNA and cell growth. It helps the body to heal damaged tissue, and boosts the immune system.
Omega-3 fatty acids are another supercharged supplement that can deliver benefits such as: brain health, cardiovascular health, anti-inflammatory properties, blood pressure reduction, triglyceride regulation, reduced chance of stroke, and mood boosting properties.
Your Checklist to Choosing Supplements
If you’re considering supplements or looking to switch, it’s vital to find ones that work well and are safe. But, this can be easier said than done as the world of supplements can be overwhelming with endless choices.
We’ve created a quick-guide checklist for you to use when shopping for supplements.
- Optimal dosing that targets long-term health benefits
- Purity – less fillers which may allow for fewer capsules/tablets per dose
- Glass bottles – avoid plastic leaching and protect the environment
- Value – optimal dosing, with fewest capsules for the best price
It is always important to discuss with your healthcare practitioner the supplements you are taking so that your holistic and medical care can be integrated.
In Conclusion:
Beyond boosting nutrients, supplements can provide you with the critical support your body and brain needs to stay healthy. At Revivele, we’re currently in the process of developing a comprehensive supplement product for women that contains all of the vitamins, nutrients, and herbs suggested above!
Before you begin a daily supplement routine, it’s important to learn more about each one, how they work and what effect they can have on your health and wellbeing.
As with any supplement, give your body adequate time to adjust to taking them before expecting to see results.
If you are currently taking medications, or have any allergies, it is always wise to discuss contraindications of adding new supplements to your routine (as well as the correct dosage for you) with your local pharmacist, or healthcare professional.