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Vitamin Pills and Supplements Not Helping Most People

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Many people are willing to pop vitamin pills and supplements since they expect them to provide the body with essential vitamins and minerals that the body needs to function correctly. In fact, an article published in the journal JAMA noted that 52% of Americans reported that they take in at least one (1) dietary supplement a day.

While there are so many dietary supplements sold in the market these days, is taking supplements effective? Dr. JoAnn E. Manson, chief of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, seems to think otherwise.

The popularity of supplements is part of the marketing ploy for many companies. Many detractors of vitamin pills and supplements believe that the best way to get the necessary micronutrients into the body is by eating the right kinds of food. A healthy diet is the best way for the body to absorb and get a wide array of nutrients into the body. Below are the few key things that you need to know when it comes to the consumption of synthetic vitamins and supplements.

Don’t Pop Pills, Eat Healthy!

A well-balanced diet is a great way to get essential micronutrients from food. Make sure that your diet is comprised of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean meats, seafood, nuts, and seeds. Not only will you get micronutrients but also fiber, antioxidants, and many other benefits. Make sure that you avoid foods that are highly processed as they are stripped of essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

You Can Overdose on Supplements

Many people believe that taking high doses of supplements such as folic acid, beta-carotene, and Vitamin E is beneficial to the body. However, clinical trials have noted that overdosing on supplements can have harmful side effects such as a stroke. Our bodies are not entirely sure what to do with a synthetic form of a nutrient and can sometimes react to high dosage.

Supplements Do Not Boost Immunity

If you believe that taking supplements can boost your immune system, then think again. So, if you have been popping Vitamin C supplements to ward off the flu, realize your magic supplement will not reduce the risk of developing flu or cold. However, there are some pieces of evidence that Vitamin C can shorten the symptoms of flu but only when taken in as food instead of supplements.

The Importance of Vitamin D

There is a lot of buzz going on about Vitamin D supplements and how it is vital to driving other processes in the body. While, studies have indicated that Vitamin D can reduce the risk for developing cancer, stroke, and heart disease, the consumption of pill supplements is not necessary as you can get 600-800 IU of Vitamin D daily by sunbathing early in the morning. Other natural sources include mushrooms and milk.

Take Supplements If Directly Recommended by a Doctor

While taking vitamins is not recommended for the general population especially those who are usually of good health, those who are in particular life stages or at high risk of developing diseases should consume supplements only if they are required by their physicians. For instance, people who suffer from osteoporosis can benefit from taking 1,000 IUs of Vitamin D but not too much as it can be linked to kidney stones especially if you are taking in calcium.

The conclusion here is to be careful about what supplements you are putting into your body. The best way to get the essential micronutrients you need is to consume them in whole foods. NutriFusion has figured out a way to help supplements companies create better products with whole food vitamins. Our powders concentrate the natural vitamins from fruits and vegetables into a blend that can be easily added to any product. Interested in learning more? Vist our supplements page.

Inspired by www.today.com

Synthetic Vitamins: Necessary Or Waste Of Time?

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Vitamins are taken by millions of people to treat different types of deficiencies. The Australian Medical Association found in a study that seven out of ten Australians take vitamins to fight against nutrient deficiencies. In fact, there are two reasons why people take supplemental multivitamins include overall wellness and to fill in any nutritional gaps. While there is a universal belief that vitamins and supplements are necessary, some experts disagree.

Synthetic Vitamins Found Not Necessary

One of the believers that intake of vitamins is a waste of time and money is the Adjunct Associate Professor Ken Harvey from Monash University. He noted that there is too little evidence that multivitamins are effective in treating deficiencies. He also added that if there is one thing that benefits from vitamins and supplements, it is the companies that manufacture them. The vitamin and supplement industry is a billion-dollar industry, and people seem to patronize them because they market health and wellness.

The thing is that the vitamin and supplement industry make huge profits from people, but there are no scientific studies that can prove the benefits of taking in vitamins and supplements. Sadly, you are pissing your money down the drain.

No Better Than Placebo Pills

There have been multiple studies that showcased vitamins are no better than placebo pills. But while many experts now agree that vitamins are not effective, intake of high doses can also cause harm.

There is such a thing as vitamin overdose. If you take too much of one supplement, it can offset how others work or interact with your body.  Several studies have noted that vitamins do not mix well. Perhaps what makes synthetic vitamins dangerous is that they are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration unlike other types of medications. This makes them subject to abuse and overuse.

Food Against Nutrient Deficiency

GrandFusion+Fiber 12 vitamins from 12 fruits and vegetablesSo, if multivitamins are not useful, how can we prevent a nutrient deficiency? The answer lies in eating the right kinds of food. But if healthy food is accessible, then why are there so many people who suffer from nutrient deficiency? Unfortunately, many people have unhealthy diets even though they can easily get healthy foods. As a result, they turn to supplemental multivitamins.

Vitamin supplementation plays a vital role among Australian adults. In fact, 52% of adults rely on supplements. This 52% of the population are the ones who do not meet the recommended intake of fruits and vegetables. NutriFusion developed the GrandFusion vitamin blends to help food companies add back the food based nutrition to a variety of products that we already eat. NutriFusion is launching a new product to market for end consumers that utilize the GrandFusion 12 fruit and vegetable blend to deliver 50% daily value of 12 vitamins. Visit the website to learn more: https://grandfusion.co/

If you follow a varied diet and are eating fruits and vegetables, then you should get all the vitamins from your food. The benefit of taking food to combat nutrient gap is that there is no overdosing from eating foods. Moreover, the food that you eat is processed by the body using natural pathways. Thus, every bit of the nutrients are accounted for and does not react with other nutrients in the body.

Inspired by www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle

Consumers Prefer Nutrients From Food Rather Than Pills

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Vitamins and minerals are critical to cell function in our bodies. The body’s ability to efficiently absorb nutrients is the reason why we are now living longer than our ancestors. There are multiple ways to get essential minerals and elements into our body, and while the most traditional method is by eating food, many people prefer to take dietary supplements.

The Rise Of Dietary Supplements

Dietary supplements are pills or powders not approved by the FDA that contain nutrients that people adopt to increase the sufficient quantities of vitamins and minerals that they need. Supplements include not only vitamins and minerals but also amino acids, fiber, protein, and fatty acids.

To date, there are more than 50,000 dietary supplements available in the United States. In fact, 55% of the adult population take one or more nutritional supplements per day; with the majority consuming the popular multivitamins.

The dietary supplement industry is a multibillion-dollar industry, and many people are caught in the hype of taking supplements for health reasons. However, the problem is that people take in supplements with the assumption that they can prevent or treat diseases. Most people forget to eat a healthy and balanced diet because they rely so much on supplements.

Supplements Are Not Magic

It’s crucial to realize that dietary supplements can never take the place of having a well-balanced diet.  As mentioned earlier, popping pills cannot make up for your bad eating habits. Supplements are not magic pills, and you might still not be getting the nutrients you need if you don’t focus your attention on eating real foods.

Supplements are not regulated. Anyone can buy as many supplements as they want to take. Unfortunately, intake of dietary supplements without your doctor’s signal can also cause more harm than good. For instance, researchers from the Iowa Women’s Health Study noted that women aged 55 years old and above have not gained significant benefits in taking calcium supplements. On the other hand, excessive intake of Vitamin E–a well-known antioxidant–can cause a higher risk of heart failure as well as premature death.

Eat Your Nutrients Instead

Because people are becoming aware that taking in supplements have more disadvantages than advantages, many have shifted to eating their nutrients instead. Nutrient-dense foods like vegetables, fruits, and whole grains contain micronutrients that are necessary for the cells to function properly. Moreover, these plant-based foods also contain dietary fiber that has many benefits like improving heart health, maintaining stable blood pressure and blood sugar. Lastly, these foods also contain phytochemicals that are compounds that help protect the body against certain diseases.

If you are looking for a way to still add food based vitamins to your diet because you still see deficiencies, you should try NutriFusion’s whole fruit and vegetable based vitamin blends. With one teaspoon, you will be able to add 50% daily value of 12 different plant-based vitamins including Vitamin A, C, D, E, K, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, and B9.

While this new trend of eating your nutrients to stay healthy is becoming popular, some nutritionists believe that consumers should not only rely on food as their source of minerals; like the body does not quickly absorb some minerals. In fact, scientists are working to create ways for the body to quickly absorb vitamins and minerals as well as make sure that that the minerals have a longer shelf life.

Inspired by www.fooddive.com

Nutritional Sprays: A New Mode of Delivery for Supplements

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Pharmaceutical and supplement companies are constantly looking for ways to make it easier to deliver drugs and supplements to the body. Currently, the most common delivery system is pills and capsules which go through the oral route.

However, innovations are making it possible for people to see new changes in the scene of pharmaceutics. Gone will be the days when people only rely on pills and capsule supplements.  A French company, Erbalab, is banking on the idea of nutritional sprays as an alternative way to deliver nutrition to the body. Headed by Nicolas Brodetsky, the company has launched 16 sprays that use airless pump bottles similar to those utilized in the cosmetic industry. The company is developing different products including herbal extracts to improve overall well-being.

What Is a Sublingual Spray Nutrition?

As the name implies, the sublingual spray nutritional spray is made from herbal extracts and is delivered through a sublingual format which is placed at the base or back of the tongue. The extracts are kept inside a specialized spray bottle that comes with a mister so that the back of the tongue can be easily targeted.

The tongue has hundreds of capillaries. Thus the nutrition can be quickly taken up directly by the tiny blood vessels. Unlike traditional pills and capsules, the oral nutritional sprays contain potent mixtures of herbal extracts. Users only need to spray a small amount to get the results.  The oral nutritional spray is equivalent to taking ten pills or capsules, which makes it very convenient.

Why the Sublingual Route?

The company emphasizes on the sublingual delivery of the oral nutritional spray. Many pharmaceutical experts view sublingual delivery as a promising alternative to the traditional capsule route. In a study conducted by researchers from India’s Kurukshetra University in 2011, it has been noted that this mode of delivery is useful for people who have problems with swallowing, such as the children and the elderly.

The rapid release of the active compounds directly into the bloodstream also promotes immediate effects. Conventional pills that are delivered through the oral route need to be broken down by the stomach acids then transported to the small intestines where the active ingredients will be slowly reabsorbed by the body. Because there are a lot of reactions involved, the potency of the pills are typically reduced in half. With a sublingual delivery system, the supplements can take effect within 10 to 15 minutes.

Benefits of The Sublingual Nutritional Sprays

Many consumers associate pills and nutrients as drugs even if they are just supplements. This negative connotation makes taking pills and capsules highly unattractive to many patients. When customers brand pills and capsules as “pharma,” they get two perceptions: (1) the products are more effective or (2) they may cause a lot of side effects. With sublingual nutritional sprays, people will not associate them with drugs at all. The fear of medicine and pharma solutions are then lessened.

Nutritional sublingual sprays look very promising. It will be interesting to see how they are applied in medicines and nutrition in the future.

Source: www.nutraingredients.com