What is the role of nutrition supplements? Quite simply it is to fill the gap between what we should eat and what we do eat. Because for all the food pyramids and Recommended Daily Allowances that government publishes, the truth is that most people eat a diet that is deficient.

The reasons for our poor diet are well documented and include:

o The easy availability of nutritionally poor fast food
o Fresh food that is available contains far fewer nutrients than 50 years ago due to intense farming methods and soil depletion
o Long term storage methods further deplete the nutrient value of foods
o Cooking methods (including frying, boiling and microwaves) destroy essential vitamins and minerals
o Busy lifestyles mean we eat on the go
o Lifestyle choices including restrictive weight loss diets and vegan diets

The net result is that most Americans are deficient in one of more vitamins or minerals. Does this matter? According to a report issued in 2002 by the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), if more Americans took a regular nutrition supplement:

o Neural tube birth defects like spina bifida could be reduced by as much as 70%
o Infectious diseases among the elderly could be cut by 50%
o The rate of hip fractures among the elderly could be reduced by at least 20% – that’s 40,000 to 50,000 fewer hip fractures per year
o There would be dramatic reductions in the rates of cardiovascular disease and strokes

The estimated savings across all these conditions could be as much as $100 billion annually.

They suggested that doctors should be doing much more to get their patients to take regular nutritional supplements – as they concluded, for as little as a dime per day, people can make a sound investment in their long term health.

The categories of nutritional supplements they looked at included multivitamins, antioxidants (vitamins C and E), calcium, long chain omega-3 fatty acids (fish oils), vitamin D, vitamins B-6 and B-12, and folic acid.

So what is the take home advice from this? Quite simply that we should all be looking to supplement our diet with supplements such as multivitamins and minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids – the evidence is just too compelling to ignore.

In addition, there are certain populations who are even more vulnerable. These include:

o Pregnant women or those trying to conceive
o Children (from babies through to teenagers)
o Dieters
o Athletes
o The elderly

If you, or anyone in your family, falls into any of these categories, it is essential that they take a regular nutrition supplement in order to ensure that their health is the best that it can be.