Should you be supplementing?

Disclaimer: Please run any choice of supplementation by a medical professional.

Recently a client of mine asked me whether supplements weren't just a way of creating expensive urine - and, in all fairness, I understand why he would say that. The supplement market is huge and increasing by the second. The revenue from the UK market alone is expected to reach more than USD 2,400 million by 2030 and while they are regulated in the UK, ensuring strict safety standards are met and misleading claims avoided, it's not uncommon to run into sceptics, beacuse many have realised that not all brands are created equal.

Personally I believe in high quality supplementation - not as a stand alone, but as an addition to a healthy diet. Sadly our soils are so depleted that the crops no longer contain anywhere near the same amounts of vitamins and minerals as they did just 100 years ago. Also, very few people eat small fatty fish 3-4 times a week, which is what is commonly recommended for optimal brain health, and sadly even wild caught fish are often full of heavy metals and PFAS. For these reasons alone, a good multi vitamin and omega 3 (in the right ratios), in my personal opinion, can be very beneficial, no matter which diet you follow.

As Mark Hyman, MD, puts it:

"If people eat wild, fresh, organic, local, non-genetically modified food grown in virgin mineral-and nutrient-rich soils that has not been transported across vast distances and stored for months before being eaten... and work and live outside, breathe only fresh unpolluted air, drink only pure, clean water, sleep nine hours a night, move their bodies every day, and are free from chronic stressors and exposure to environmental toxins then it is possible that they might not need supplements.

But because we live in a fast-paced society where we pick up food on the fly, skip meals, eat sugar-laden treats, buy processed foods and eat foods that have been chemically treated, we could all use a little help from a multiple vitamin/mineral supplement."

That said, it is important to remember that while supplements tend to be natural, this doesn't mean they aren't powerful. I always encourage clients to run the use of any supplementation by a medical professional and then, if they do go down this route, I urge them to buy from brands that are honest, produce independent third party lab tested supplements that are hugely bioavailable and, not least, excellent quality. Having done the research, I can happily report that a few of these do exist!

So, in short, whether supplementation is for you is a personal choice. Do make sure you run it by your doctor - especially if you are on any kind of medictation and/or are giving the less common kinds a go.