Let's be clear
Food supplements are PREPARATIONS (powders, capsules, tablets, tablets, gels and liquids) to be taken in UNITARY doses in order to supplement the NORMAL diet; food supplements are composed of (or contain):
- NUTRIENTS
- NOT nutrients (in any case important or useful for the functioning of the organism - eg dietary FIBER)
- MICRONUTRIENTS
Food supplements INTEGRATE BUT DO NOT REPLACE food;
Necessary Food Supplements: Examples
A striking example of NECESSARY food supplementation is that of: iron (Fe), cobalamin (vitamin B12) and folic acid in case of anemia secondary to Crohn's disease; this inflammatory pathology of the intestine causes chronic malabsorption sometimes associated with bleeding of the enteric mucosa. Among its most frequent complications, there is often a lesion and consequent removal of the terminal ileus (area responsible for the absorption of cobalamin). Malabsorption, possibly associated with intestinal resection, it can cause an ANEMIC form that can be improved with food supplements based on iron, cobalamin and folic acid.
Also l "Dietary supplementation of calcium (Ca) and calciferol (Vit. D) in subjects at high risk of osteoporosis (females in the third age), in children who struggle to reach peak bone mass due to malnutrition and in adults who suffer from osteomalacia, represents a fairly effective preventive attitude, therefore necessary (albeit with a certain difference between the various cases). It often happens that children and the elderly (but also adults) are INDUCED to take LITTLE calcium with food or suffer from pathologies that alter their endogenous metabolism; subjects suffering from: lactose intolerance, severe malabsorption, prolonged malnutrition, "veganism" (low intake associated with excessive amounts of chelators), endocrine pathologies, kidney pathologies, etc. are at risk. In this case, promoting the intake of food supplements based on calcium and calciferol is undoubtedly a necessity, especially if the subject (due to immobility or serious psychiatric pathologies) does not have the possibility to expose himself to the UV rays of sunlight ( which determine the endogenous synthesis of vitamin D).
Other food supplements (but also diet foods) often needed are those based on iodine; this mineral is essential for the synthesis of thyroid secretions, therefore its deficiency determines some imbalances of the hormonal axis. According to some population studies, iodine is LACK in almost all of the population worldwide (with the due differences between geographical areas), therefore, using iodine-based food supplements (or even just fortified dietary foods such as iodized salt) constitutes a healthy nutritional habit.
Also during pregnancy (and in the months preceding it) it is necessary to use food supplements: those based on folic acid; the deficiency of this vitamin seems to be the main cause of alterations in the neural development of the fetus, therefore (despite being a molecule naturally present in RAW vegetables) by virtue of its nutritional importance and given the considerable thermolability (cooking food reduces the content in folic acid of food) his dietary income must necessarily be increased through the consumption of food supplements.
Wanting to mention the additions necessary for those affected by metabolic disorders, can not miss:
- Potassium and omega3 essential fatty acid in hypertension
- Lecithin and essential fatty acids (AGE) in dyslipidemia.
Potassium is a mineral that intervenes in the regulation of blood pressure and (contrary to sodium) in the right doses hinders the "onset and" worsening of hypertension; at the same time, even if for totally different mechanisms, omega3 essential fatty acid boasts the same metabolic merits. It is therefore deductible that, wanting to improve arterial hypertension regardless of the use of drugs (in addition to the practice of low-sodium dietary therapy and regular aerobic physical activity), it may be necessary to use potassium-based food supplements and other a Omega 3 base as prescribed by the doctor.
Also in hypercholesterolemia it is advisable to use AGE; they act positively both in maintaining a good HDL / LDL ratio, both in reducing total blood cholesterol, and in moderating circulating triglycerides. On the other hand, the phospholipid lecithin (contained naturally in vegetables and egg yolk, but especially in legumes), if taken in large quantities (in main meals) it binds fats, hindering their intestinal absorption; not only! Good concentrations of lecithin in the blood promote the elevation of HDL lipoproteins further improving the cholesterol balance.
In addition to those already mentioned, they exist many other molecules useful for reducing cardiovascular risk in hypertensive, dyslipidemic, obese, diabetic subjects, etc .; among these, the most important are ANTIOXIDANTS. Food supplements of antioxidants are very useful (if not necessary) when the subject shows a high metabolic oxidative stress; through this supplementation it is therefore possible to effectively fight the free radicals which (if in excess) favor the oxidation of lipoproteins and the formation of atherosclerotic plaques, lowering the chances of carcinogenesis. The most important antioxidants, therefore mostly included in food supplements, are: beta-carotene (a PRO-vitamin A), ascorbic acid (vit. C), selenium and above all tocopherols (vit. E).
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