Effects of dietary supplements on the human body

Dietary supplements are essentially tools to fill gaps in the diet. They cannot replace normal diet, nor are they a useless "IQ tax". Their effects are highly dependent on the individual's diet structure, physical condition and usage methods. There is no universally applicable "useful/useless" conclusion.

To be honest, a while ago, I worked with a registered dietitian I know well to help a fitness enthusiast who often eats takeout do a dietary assessment. This guy does strength training for 2 hours a day and eats less than half a plate of vegetables. The blood test showed that vitamin D and serum zinc were both 30% lower than the standard value. I followed the doctor's advice and took a three-month supplement of multivitamins + a separate zinc preparation. After rechecking, all the indicators came back, and most of the fatigue during training was gone. If you ask him if supplements are useful, he will definitely give you a thumbs up.

But if you ask my cousin, she will probably roll her eyes and say it's all a scam. In the past two years, she followed the trend of Internet celebrities and bought nearly 20,000 yuan of anti-sugar pills, whitening drinks, and ovary maintenance capsules. She ate her meals on time every day. Half a year later, her physical examination showed that her transaminases were slightly elevated. The doctor asked her to stop all the supplements after a checkup. After two months, the indicators were back to normal. Not only did she not turn white, but she also spent thousands in examination fees.

Interestingly, the nutrition community has always been divided into two groups regarding supplements: the evidence-based group is very cautious and only recognizes the benefits of supplementation when there are clear nutritional gaps - for example, folic acid supplementation in the first three months of pregnancy preparation can significantly reduce the risk of fetal neural tube defects, vegans must supplement vitamin B12 (there is almost no such nutrient in plant foods), and routine vitamin D + calcium supplementation in the elderly can reduce the risk of osteoporosis. These are conclusions supported by large-scale clinical data, and there is no controversy. Supporters of functional medicine are more flexible. They pay more attention to individual metabolic differences. For example, people who stay up late for a long time and always face electronic screens can take appropriate supplements even if their serum lutein does not reach abnormal values. Many people report that the symptoms of dry eyes and photophobia will indeed be alleviated. ； For people who have been taking statin blood-lipid-lowering drugs for a long time, taking extra coenzyme Q10 can also alleviate the side effects of muscle soreness caused by the drugs. Although there is no large-scale data to support these, the clinical feedback is indeed good.

Oh, by the way, there is another pitfall that many people easily fall into: don’t think that the more expensive one is better. A bottle of medicinal vitamin C that costs a few yuan has the same active ingredients as an imported “natural VC” that costs several hundred yuan. If you just want to supplement VC, just buy the cheapest one. All the extra money you spend will be to pay for brand marketing and packaging. As long as domestic dietary supplements carry the "Blue Hat" logo, they are managed according to health food standards and cannot claim to have therapeutic effects. If you see a supplement that claims to lower blood sugar or cure cancer, just report it directly.

I also keep two supplements in my drawer all year round: vitamin D and DHA. After all, for a person like me who sits all day long and finds it troublesome to even go downstairs to buy coffee, getting 15 minutes of sunshine and eating deep-sea fish three times a week is basically an impossible task. Every year, the vitamin D level in the physical examination is just around the edge of the qualified line. A little supplement can just make up for the gap in diet and living habits. But if I were asked to take any whitening pills or anti-aging capsules, I would never touch them - there is too little effective evidence for such products at present, and there is no need to use my own liver as a test field.

The most controversial thing now is collagen peptides. The evidence-based people have always said that "when eaten, they are broken down into amino acids, which is no different from eating eggs." However, several friends around me who have been taking it for more than half a year have reported that their dry skin and fine lines have indeed improved. Last year There are also small sample studies showing that small molecule collagen peptides of 2000-3000 daltons can indeed be absorbed by the dermis. In this case, there is no need to argue about right or wrong. Those who are willing to try can choose a reliable brand to try. If you think it is IQ tax, eating two more eggs is completely fine.

In general, this thing is like the folding umbrella you buy at a convenience store when you forget to bring your umbrella on a rainy day. It can save you in an emergency, but you can't count on it to block the sun and rain for your fully automatic parasol every day. If you want to eat or what to eat, don’t follow the online celebrity live broadcast room to place an order. First check whether you are eating the right food. If you are not sure, go get a blood test or ask a professional nutritionist. It is much better than buying a bunch of expired food at home.