Lowdown vitamin and mineral supplements

Vitamins and minerals are a group of compounds essential for your body and metabolism to function optimally. While the body can synthesize certain vitamins (for example, gut bacteria can produce vitamin K), majority of vitamins and minerals have to be taken through dietary sources.

Many athletes take vitamin and/or mineral supplements in addition to their diet. In this article, we will be taking a closer look at the myths and truths behind supplements, who should be taking them and how to approach supplementation.

Myth busters:

• Supplements provide energy.

FALSE. Supplements itself do not supply energy. Vitamins and minerals are non-energy yielding nutrients, although some vitamins and minerals do play a role in energy metabolism. However, you will not obtain more energy if you exceeding your daily recommended intake of a certain vitamin or mineral, which is often the case with supplements.

• Supplements can certainly cure disease or health problems

FALSE. Vitamin and mineral supplements can’t and should not be used to try and cure diseases instead of seeking medical help. There is no guarantee that these nutrients will be effective. Vitamins and minerals do not protect against the progression of , for example heart disease or cancers. In fact, supplementation may even be harmful – beta carotene and vitamin A supplementation, for example, may increase the risk of lung cancer and mortality, especially if you are a person who smokes! In some exceptional cases therapeutic doses of vitamins are part of disease treatment, but only under strict supervision of a qualified health professional.

• If it works for x, y, and z, it must work for me!

It is very common for people to recommend certain vitamin supplements if they found it to be effective for them individually. However, it’s important to remember that each person is different and has different needs/deficiencies. For example, both you and your training partner are feeling extremely fatigued, but there is a big difference that is not visible superficially: you have a vitamin B12 deficiency, whereas your friend has low iron levels. Therefore, taking vitamin B12 will do wonders for your energy level, but will not solve your training partner’s iron problem, even though you may have the same symptom, namely fatigue.

• Supplementation is never necessary.

While supplementation frequently is not necessary and overdoing it may cause more harm than good, there are some cases where taking supplementation may be warranted:

• People with specific nutrient deficiencies – for example, iron deficiency, vitamin B deficiency, etc.
• People with a particularly low daily energy intake (under 1600Kcal per day) or extremely high energy expenditures who are unable to take in enough nutrients for their activity level (athletes trying to “make weight” for their sport frequently fall into this category) might benefit from a multi-vitamin.
• Vegetarians and vegans on plant-based diets need to supplement with vitamin B12, as this vitamin is only present in animal products.
• People with lactose intolerance/milk allergies who cannot consume milk products should supplement with calcium, especially if they are not consuming other sources of calcium like soy milk.
• People in certain life cycle stages may have increased nutrient requirements – for example, infants may need vitamin D, Iron and fluoride; women of childbearing age and women who are pregnant are in need of folate and iron and the elderly may need vitamin B12 and vitamin D.
• People with inadequate milk consumption or exposure to the sun may need to supplement with vitamin D for bone health.
• People who have diseases, infections, injuries or underwent surgery which may have interfere with the intake, absorption, metabolism or excretion of nutrients may need to supplement.
• People who take medications that may interfere with the absorption of certain nutrients – speak to your doctor or dietitian if you have questions regarding this!

When is too much of a good thing, really a bad thing?

Some nutrients may become toxic when taken in excessive doses – for example, folate, vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc. Other nutrients will simply be excreted in urine when more is taken in than is required – which means, if you are taking supplements you don’t need, you are essentially paying for expensive pee. Taking supplements with excessive dosages of nutrient – more than 100% of the RDA (recommended daily allowance) should be avoided unless you are advised to do so by a qualified health professional like a dietitian or doctor.

So, what is the best strategy when it comes to supplementation?

First, determine if you really need to supplement. This can be done via a biochemical or test by your doctor or dietitian. Or, if you know you fall into one of the categories discussed above, and know you are not able to take in enough of a certain nutrient (for example if you are a vegan) you should consider supplementation. If you do decide to take a supplement, make sure that the nutrients in the supplement are in appropriate dosages, and not exceed your daily requirements.

As always, it’s always best to follow a food-first approach. Supplementation should do just that – supplement an already healthy, whole-foods diet, and should not be an attempt to “make up” for unhealthy choices or a lack of healthy foods like fruits and vegetables. Making healthy food choices the foundation of your nutritional game plan is the best way to support utrient and training demands and reach your goals.