Dietary Supplements do not replace healthy and balanced eating habits despite having some advantages

With the advancement of technology and sophisticated laboratories, a wide range of dietary supplements is available for the population. With the increasing numbers of supplements accessible on the market, the number of people who started to make use of those dietary supplements also increased.

What most people do not know, however, is that those supplements are not a replacement for a healthy and balanced diet. According to most specialists in this area, dietary supplements are beneficial if used in combination with healthy and balanced eating habits, and not as a replacement for a sloppy eating habit.

Why is it important to have a good nutrition?

The food is an essential condition for sustaining life and, in order for this to be done in a correct way, the food has to be ingested in an appropriate quantity and variety, otherwise the body will not be able to perform its necessary functions properly and it will be unable to prevent diseases caused by poor alimentation.

In other words, maintaining a good nutrition is the ultimate aspect of being healthy. By having a balanced healthy diet, individuals can:

• enhance vitality and energy for life
• maintain proper and desired weight
• boost their immune system
• delay the effects of aging
• help beat tiredness and fatigue
• decrease the chances of developing illness related with poor nutrition

Supplements can be beneficial if used in the proper way

Nowadays, to maintain a diet rich in nutrients that guarantee the necessary quantity of healthy fats, carbohydrates, proteins, minerals and vitamins can be challenging for several reasons. For example, people in the modern society are always too busy spending most of their time working, studying, exercising, or taking care of their families.

As a result of that fast-paced lifestyle, there is a lack of time for people to prepare meals that are going to provide them with all the essential nutrients. Therefore, there is a tendency for the consumption of unhealthy food such as fast-food, processed food, and aliments that are high in sugar and low in nutrients.

Another consequence of not having enough time is the difficulty to feed properly and in every three hours, which is the estimated proper time interval to be eating. Some of the main effects noticed by people who are not obtaining enough nutrients from alimentation only are physical exhaustion, lack of memory, hair loss, liquid retention, lack of energy, low immunity, and other health-related problems. In this case, dietary supplements are a good alternative in helping to solve all of these problems caused by nutritional deficiencies.

However, it is usual for the general population to have some questions about dietary supplements, such as "Which one should I take?", "How do I know how much to take?", or "Are there any side effects?". This YouTube video, developed by the National Institutes of Health, gives the population short and effective answers for the most frequent questions asked:

Besides this informative video, the National Institutes of Health also provides further and detailed information about numerous dietary supplements on its website page. The NIH is a good and reliable source for additional information on dietary supplements as well as health and nutrition in general.

Finding the right balance between food nutrition and supplements is challenging for several reasons

Because of the lack of time, as mentioned before, it becomes easier for people to prepare a multivitamin shake, or eat a protein bar instead of having a complete and nutritious meal. Yet, it is important for people to realize that food, in its more natural form, is better than taking supplement.

Jordan Jennewine, a nutritionist for the athletic department at The University of Maryland, has as her main responsibility to keep the athletes properly nourished in order for them to perform at their best. And for Jennewine, the same principles of obtaining the most of nutrients possible from food is a rule that applies not only for regular people, but for athletes as well:

There are a couple of aspects that lies on the downside of taking unadvised dietary supplements. First, there are examples of multivitamin supplements on the market that offer larger quantities of vitamins than the actual necessary amount and even quantities that exceeds the a person's tolerable limit.

Additionally, some studies have shown that the risks of improper supplementation may increase the chances of developing some serious diseases. Among some examples of diseases that could be related to the excess of wrongfully supplementation are cardiovascular diseases and the increased chances of developing skin and prostate cancer.

The main explanation for having serious diseases attached with the excess of supplementation is that too much of something, even when it is a good thing, like vitamins, could be detrimental for one's health. In the case of cardiovascular diseases, studies found that the excess of calcium supplements, which is usually recommended for the strength of the bones, expose users to a higher risk of cardiovascular complications.

As for the increased chances of developing skin cancer, a study found that women who took multivitamin supplements, which includes vitamin C, E, beta-carotene, selenium, and zinc, were the group at a higher risk of developing this disease. A different study addressed the excess of vitamin E supplementation as a potential cause for the increase of prostate cancer.

Evidence of increasing use are shown by the growth of the global vitamin and supplement market

Source: ReportLinker

Because of the easier access to information and technology nowadays, society became more aware of the importance of vitamins in order to avoid diseases and also, as a consequence, reduce healthcare costs. In other words, consumers believe that by taking supplements and multivitamin products, their chances of getting sick are very low.

And for the consumers' usually tight budget, spending a few bucks on supplements to avoid diseases are way cheaper than having to deal with high costs of private healthcare policies. Both of these reason combined are key components for the constantly growing numbers of the global vitamin and supplement market. In 2013, the global market for vitamin and supplements exceeded $90
billion, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5% from $75 billion in 2009.

Going forward, economists predict that the global market for vitamin and supplements will continue to grow in the next five years following 2013, however the CAGR will suffer a slight drop of 1%. Economists believe that this drop will occur due to increased demand from more health-conscious consumers and also because of the demand for more reliable and effective products.

But having this 1% drop does not mean that the market will stop growing. On the contrary, it is predicted to still be increasing, but at a slower pace instead. Nevertheless, in order to keep generating this growth, the global market for vitamin and supplements need to focus its resources on four key trends that are shaping the industry:

Source: ReportLinker

• Consumers are more health-conscious: This means that since dietary supplements are going to be something new anymore. Therefore, consumers will have feedback such as the effectiveness of the product, pros and cons, if it has side effects, among others. As a way of keeping up with this trend, manufacturers will have to focus on innovative products and advertising campaigns.
• People are buying vitamins online: Technology nowadays is present in everything, therefore with supplements it is not different. Manufacturers should focus on providing information on educative websites as well as provide diversified options for online shopping.
• Regulations on nutritional supplements are set to become more stringent: This one is regarding the reliability of the product manufactured. The Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) is being more strict when it comes to the safety of nutritional supplements. Industries of this area should make sure that they are develop a safe and effective product.
• Mergers and Acquisition are Common in the Supplements Industry: Companies should consider acquisitions or mergers in order to enter or grow in this lucrative market. This allow companies to avoid extra expenditures with further research and other related costs.

Dietary supplements can also serve as additional help for high-perfomance athletes

The body of an athlete is his principal tool for his work. His or her perfomance depends 100% on the perfect conditions of his/her body. With that being said, an athlete needs not only to be in perfect health shape in order to perform at their best, but they also need that extra vitamin or mineral that is going to help them to practice, prepare for games, and stay healthy for the season.

Aaron Franco, a student-athlete for the University of Maryland, has been playing soccer for the majority of his live. When asked if he took any dietary supplements, this was his answer:

This interview shows how essential some vitamins and proteins present in the form of dietary supplements are in the life of high-perfomance athletes. Those kinds of supplements are necessary to give them that extra edge in order to win their battles, and they also are fundamental to help athletes to eliminate or to sooth some of the chronicle pains they might have due to the extensive use of a determined part of their bodies.