The Supplement - Diet vs Supplements

There’s a seemingly endless selection of tablets and supplements on the market these days, and given how increasingly hectic day-to-day life can get for us all, it’s no surprise that vitamins, minerals and herbs are in high demand. It can be hard to juggle work, socialising and looking after yourself all at the same time, so taking a tablet every morning to make up for dietary shortfalls seems like a dream come true. The question however is just that: is it really too good to be true?

This creates a question. Are vitamins and supplements worth splashing out on, or is it a better call to try and improve your diet to include certain important nutrients that your body is missing out on? The answer in an ideal world is both, but it’s understandable that isn’t possible most of the time. So what path is best for you? Different nutritionists have different views on the subject, leaving the answer ultimately up to you.

Emma Conroy, qualified nutritionist and owner of Edinburgh Nutrition for the past 15 years, believes that while a balanced diet is the ideal solution, she does not shun the use of supplements like others in her field. Emma’s website describes her approach toward the matter as “modern lifestyles and industrialised food production risk us being ‘over-fed and under-nourished’ and that everyone should take a daily multi-nutrient”. There’s a minefield of supplements out there, but “the devil is in the details” says Emma when we spoke to her. “If we accept that supplements are necessary to cover increased needs / shortfalls in our diet, the next hurdle is choosing the right supplements. There is a world of difference between cheap tablets that contain low amounts of unnatural forms of vitamins, or poorly-absorbed minerals, or rancid fish oils...many individuals, and scientists, give up on supplements because they don’t see positive effects”

A big problem with daily multi-nutrients is the ‘bio-availability’ of the ingredients, meaning how easily absorbed they are by your body, basically. Vitamins and minerals don’t just fall into one specific type, unfortunately, so there’s not just a simple ‘magnesium’ or ‘vitamin D’: there’s a whole array of oxides, citrates, and other such things that boggle the mind without proper education or research. The reason some multi-nutrients are so cheap is due to them being packed with these less readily used forms, so here we’re going to run you through the most important forms of four main nutrients your diet could be missing, under Emma’s expert guidance:

Vitamin D:

Probably the most important supplement for us in the UK. So far the only tablet that the government recommends everyone take throughout winter. You get Vitamin D from the sun, and in low doses from dairy and meat. However, if you’re going to get enough of it, then you’re going to need to supplement. Thankfully, the widest available form is ‘D3’, which is the main kind your body absorbs. Emma recommends against supplementing with other forms such as D2, which is becoming more prevalent due to it being vegan (unlike D3, which is extracted from sheep’s wool), but the main problem is that D2 is only used about 10% as easily by your body. If you’re looking to get Vitamin D from food, you’ll get D3 from eggs and fish like mackerel, and D2 from mushrooms if you’re really desperate.

Vitamin A:

Vitamin A is one of the main constituents of good old-fashioned cod liver oil, along with Omega-3 which we’ll go on to talk about in a sec. There are three kinds of this that you’re going to get in supplements, though: Retinol, which comes from animals and is the easiest to absorb. Retinyl Palmitate, a synthetic retinol that is second easiest. Finally, Beta-Carotene, which can be converted into Vitamin A in the body. Lots of vegetables are rich in this, hence why carrots are described as a good source of Vitamin A. This is somewhat misleading though, and infuriates Emma: The key flaw in all this is that there is no guarantee that consumers of beta-carotene can convert it. A 2008 study in Newcastle university found 47% subjects could not make vitamin A from beta-carotene. With thousands of people, especially the younger generation, turning to veganism, the odds appear to be those of a coin toss as to whether they need to supplement vitamin A”. This potentially makes choosing the right supplement especially important for vegan consumers. Take care though, because too much vitamin A can have serious side effects, especially if you’re pregnant. Retinol is mainly found in fish and eggs, whereas beta-carotene is mainly in orange vegetables, such as carrots and peppers.

Magnesium:

Another important one these days since it helps with dopamine production in the body, helping out with your mood as well as how well you sleep. Choosing the right kind of magnesium is important not just due to the bio-availability of the different forms, but also because of the side effects. There’s a reason why magnesium is described as ‘nature’s laxative’, so picking an easily absorbed form is important if you don’t fancy getting caught short. Magnesium Oxide is the cheapest form, and while it’s still fairly readily used by your body, any that isn’t is also fairly readily ‘passed out’,so if you’re looking to avoid this, opt for Magnesium Citrate or Chelated Magnesium (Chelated basically means stuck to something else so your body uses it better). In food terms, good sources of magnesium are avocados, nuts, and even dark chocolate!

Omega 3:

You’re probably well aware of Omega-3 since it seems to be mentioned everywhere and loads of foods are full of it. It’s important for a whole load of things, such as proper brain function and development, making it especially important for the kids. Omega-3 isn’t a catch-all term, though: you’ve got three main types of the fatty acid, all with ridiculously long names so they’re listed as acronyms. First and second, you have ALA and EPA, the two that are found in plants. Third, there’s DHA, the type you get in fish, but also in certain kinds of algae, which we’ll mention later on. As is the trend here, DHA (the animal one) is the easiest to absorb and the one you should go for if you’re not concerned about fish products or the aftertaste. You’re going to get the most omega-3 from fish in terms of DHA, but you’re still going to get a reasonable amount from flaxseed, nuts, and beans.

Not all nutritionists agree on the need for supplementation, though. Laura Garland, freelance holistic nutritionist also based in Edinburgh, feels that all nutrients should to be gained from the foods we eat, with absolutely no need for supplementation. Laura argues “tablets provide far more of your RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) than you could ever need...some even provide 10,000% extra when it comes to some of the B-vitamins...who knows what that’s doing to you in the long term”. It’s hard to debate that it’s a far more natural approach to nutrition, and a decent varied diet can certainly provide more than enough of all the nutrients you need. Laura goes on to say “adding the different foods to your diet provides way more than just the specific stuff you would get in a tablet. Fruits provide quercetin that basically acts like an anti-histamine and can help with allergies. The same goes for easy stuff like oats...they help lower cholesterol. Not to mention all the fibre that your gut needs that you miss out on when you take tablets over eating right”. Laura definitely makes a good point, but it’s definitely hard to overhaul your diet and break routine to include all sorts of new foods. We’d recommend giving it a bash if you can afford it and aren’t fussy, but don’t beat yourself up if it’s too much.

All things considered, both approaches have pros and cons: supplements are great if you can afford to splash out on decent ones and do your research, but it could be a lot more fulfilling, and even help your weight and overall life quality if you switch to a better diet. Everyone’s different, so try different things, take our advice on what to try and avoid, and see what works best personally.