Cathal BarryHave you been thinking of adding some supplements to your diet? Here is a quick summary of what you need to know about the most popular supplements and how they can benefit you:
Multivitamin
All of us need to be taking a good multivitamin on a daily basis. This is a 'catch all' to ensure that we're getting all the necessary nutrients to fuel our bodies.
If you have a good diet full of fruits and vegetables, then a multivitamin may not be as necessary though itís still recommended to take one on a daily basis for added protection and benefit.
Vitamin C
The immune boosting Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin which cannot be stored in the organs or fatty tissues as fat soluble vitamins such as A, D, and E can. The body needs to be recharged with vitamin C regularly because it is quickly used up and eliminated from the body.
The current recommended daily allowance (RDA) of Vitamin C is 60-90mg. However, this is far too low. Those guidelines are only minimums to prevent diseases that occur due to deficiency of that nutrient. The RDA for most vitamins are generally nowhere near the proper amounts that the body needs to truly be healthy, thrive and prevent disease.
Vitamin D
Since vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin and is not flushed out from the body as water soluble vitamins are, making certain that your vitamin D levels are correct is an important consideration.
Some recent studies show that adults need to take amounts between 3000-5000IU's per day of vitamin D. However, check with your doctor to make sure that youíre not overdosing at this level of intake.
Make sure to get enough sunlight exposure on a daily basis. Typically about 15-20 minutes per day on the skin of the upper body and face is adequate to generate sufficient vitamin D to protect you from cancer and boost immunity.
Zinc
Zinc is one of the most common and serious mineral deficiencies. It has powerful immune enhancing properties especially when taken with extra selenium on a regular basis.
Zinc is a vital component of more than 300 enzymes that are needed to repair wounds, synthesise protein, help cells reproduce, preserve vision, boost immunity and protect against free radicals.
Vitamin B Complex
The vitamin B complex refers to all of the known essential water-soluble vitamins except for vitamin C. These include thiamine (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), niacin (vitamin B3), pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), pyridoxine (vitamin B6), biotin, folic acid and the cobalamins (vitamin B12).
Vitamin B complex provides potent anti-oxidant protection to the body and particularly to the cells of the brain and central nervous system. Since they are part of a family of vitamins which function best as a team they should all be taken together instead of separately.