A health supplement is any product that is added to a person’s diet manufactured to supplement nutrients. There are different classes of healthy vitamins and nutrients, the more popular ones being vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
Although such products do not treat or directly prevent any disease or illness, it is undeniable that an average person’s diet is lacking in some essential vitamins and minerals that are sourced from different types of foods.
Health supplements have also diversified to include other minerals containing compounds that while not being considered as essential nutrients or essential to life can likely bring beneficial effects to a person’s overall wellbeing. This includes supplements that can possibly handle anxiety, reduce stress levels, and handle mental health. Click here on the World Health Organization’s acknowledgment of mental health as an important agenda in society.
The first and most popular type of health supplement is vitamins. Vitamins are organic compounds that cannot be synthesized in sufficient quantities, thus the need for the compound to be obtained from food.
Vitamins are essential in the development and the working of the body however some are more essential than others. Some vitamins are considered essential and included Vitamins A, C, D, E, K, and B vitamins. Each of these has different roles in keeping the body working properly, fight off infections and illnesses and give you energy.
For example, Vitamin A is important in making sure that your immune system can properly take care of and fight off infections and illnesses, it also helps you to see in dim lighting conditions. Vitamin K on the other hand helps the blood clot and helps physical wounds to heal, some studies suggest Vitamin K has a role in keeping bones strong and healthy.
And of course, Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that is known for supporting the immune system, and the lack thereof can lead to scurvy. This link: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com has more information that will help you understand the subject and more details about vitamin c deficiency and scurvy. Vitamin C also acts as an antioxidant.
While it is better that we naturally get these vitamins from food rather than supplements, it is a fact that most people cannot afford a healthy and balanced diet that will contain all of the essential vitamins that we need for various reasons including the price of some food, food allergies or customs.
Another reason why some may need vitamins is that certain vitamins get destroyed when the food is cooked or processed like vitamin C.
Other types of health supplements are minerals. The essential nutrient materials that are needed by humans are potassium, sodium, magnesium, iron, chlorine, calcium, and magnesium to name a few, while other known materials are not essential for humans but are essential for plants and animals.
These minerals are essential for a reason, our body needs these minerals to maintain optimal function and to reduce risks of developing health conditions that may affect people especially later on in life. While some minerals are responsible for the production of red blood cells that carry oxygen around our body like iron.
Calcium is known to improve and maintain bone health to an extent that regulatory bodies have allowed producers and sellers of minerals are allowed to state that adequate calcium intake throughout a person’s life as part of a well-balanced diet may reduce risks of osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis is a serious condition that can cause a lifetime of pain, limitations to mobility, and emotional effects of depression and isolation.
Osteoporosis is the condition that causes the bones to become brittle and weak, the bones can become so brittle that even mild stress can cause a fracture and frequently occurs in the hip, spine, and wrist. The scary fact about osteoporosis is there is no cure for it, the best thing a person can do is to strengthen the bones and slow down the breakdown of bones.
Another popular health supplement is protein and amino acid supplements. Proteins are molecules that play many critical roles in the body commonly found in meat and animal products. It is a macronutrient like fats and carbohydrates and provides calories and energy.
This type of supplement is produced to aid people who are recovering from injuries and illness. This is also popular among athletes who constantly have to do strenuous physical activities which leads to high protein intake requirements.
It is also used by people who are working to lose weight but do not want the corresponding loss of muscles or who are looking to convert their weight from being primarily body fat to muscles.
But proteins are not limited to gaining some muscle it also functions as an antibody which helps the body fight against viruses and bacteria. It also acts as an enzyme. Enzymes are responsible for the thousands of chemical reactions that take place in our cells.
Lastly, some may prefer natural products which are seen by some as the best dietary meds because of their use of intact extracts from plants and other living organisms of having a long history of use in traditional medicine, especially in herbalism.
In recent years natural dietary vitamins have steadily gained popularity with products such as cannabidiol or CBD showing promise as an alternative to other medications that deal with pain, anxiety, and seizures in some rare and drug-resistant seizure disorders.
