Lets get down to brass tax…did you get all the nutrition your body needs today? Yesterday? The day before? Are you sure?
The fact is that it is almost impossible to fulfill the needs of body at the cellular level. Try as we might we are mostly unable to meet the needs day in and day out.
More and more informed adults are taking nutritional supplements to augment their lifestyle. In a report produced by the Council for Responsible Nutrition in 2011 the evidence is quite clear that taking supplements is now a mainstream part of a healthy diet.
http://www.crnusa.org/CRNPR12-SurveyFindingsUsage031312.html
Whether you are a seemingly health adult or you have encountered health challenges it seems prudent to take a nutritional supplement. As someone who has had a hip replacement I am acutely aware of the need to keep my immune system strong. A weak immune system could be a serious problem for someone who has a hip replacement from clotting to infection.
Eating a healthy diet is still the best starting point and taking a supplement can fill in the missing pieces that we may not even be aware of that isn’t there.
Lets talk about just a couple of supplements and the benefits:
Supplemental magnesium improves physical performance in healthy older women
Magnesium (Mg) is an essential mineral important in the structure and the function of the human body and also as a cofactor for hundreds of enzyme systems that regulate diverse biochemical reactions in the body. Unfortunately, dietary surveys in the US continue to show that older people are particularly susceptible to magnesium deficiency for various reasons, including an inadequate dietary intake, reduced absorption, and greater losses in stools and urine. A poor magnesium status has been associated with reduced physical performance, but to date no trials have established a link between magnesium supplementation and physical performance in the elderly.
In a new study published in the American Journal ofClinical Nutrition, investigators sought to determine whether oral magnesium supplementation could improve physical performance in healthy older women. The research group included 139 healthy women with an average age of 71.5 years that were attending a mild fitness program. The study group included 77 controls and 62 women who were given 300 mg/day of magnesium oxide for 12 weeks. The researchers were blinded to the grouping.
The primary outcome analyzed was a change in the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB). The scores for the SPPB did not differ between the two groups at baseline. After 12 weeks of supplementation, the group taking magnesium had a significantly better total SPPB score than the controls. The treatment group also had a significantly better test score for chair stand times and 4 minute walking speeds. The improvements were even more evident in women with dietary magnesium intakes below the RDA.
The findings of this study indicate that magnesium supplementation may play a role in delaying age-related decline in physical performance in healthy older women, especially if dietary intake is below recommended levels.
Nicola Veronese et al. Effect of oral magnesium supplementation on physical performance in healthyelderly women involved in a weekly exercise program: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr published ahead of print July 9, 2014 doi: 10.3945/ajcn.113.080168
Another Vitamin and it’s benefits:
Vitamin C reduces the frequency and severity of colds and improves physical activity in men with suboptimal vitamin C status
Although severe vitamin C deficiency resulting in scurvy is a rare occurrence in modern society, as many as 22% of U.S. adults are believed to have inadequate vitamin C status, with as many as 6% classified as vitamin C deficient. Insufficiencies are often undiagnosed because early symptoms of poor vitamin C status are not obvious and may include fatigue, malaise, depression and irritability. Inadequate vitamin C levels have also been associated with increased duration and severity of colds during the peak of cold season.
In a new study published in the journal Nutrients, researchers examined the impact of vitamin C status on physical activity and upper respiratory tract infections during the winter months.
The participants in this double-blind randomized trial included healthy, nonsmoking college men, with a marginal plasma vitamin C level, who were not training for or competing in sports. The men were randomized into one of two groups that received either 1000 mg of vitamin C/day or a placebo. Participants were given a booklet at the beginning of the study that contained the Wisconsin Upper Respiratory Symptom Survey-21, the Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire, and a short food frequency measure. Over the course of the eight week study, the men completed the symptom survey daily, and the exercise and food frequency measures weekly.
During weeks 6-8 of the study, the physical activity score for the vitamin C supplemented group rose moderately compared to the placebo group. The number of cold episodes reported during the study was lower in the vitamin C group (7) compared to the placebo group (11), as was the reported duration of colds (reduced 59% versus placebo).
Although this study was limited by a relatively small sample size, the results suggest that there may be measurable health advantages associated with vitamin C supplementation in men with adequate-to-low vitamin C status. Since this study was conducted during winter months and included only men with similar vitamin C status, more research is needed to determine whether these results can be extended to other populations and seasons.
Carol S. Johnston, Gillean M. Barkyoumb, and Sara S. Schumacher. Vitamin C Supplementation Slightly Improves Physical Activity Levels and Reduces Cold Incidence in Men with Marginal Vitamin C Status: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Nutrients 2014, 6, 2572-2583; doi:10.3390/nu6072572.
The ongoing studies continue to show that taking high quality nutritional supplements along with a healthy diet will give all of us the best chance to have a strong immune system. If you are not taking a supplement why not? If you are taking a supplement then congratulations! The next step is to ensure you are getting a high quality supplement that is made to pharmaceutical standards.
Yours in health,
John- One Hip Guy