Supplements Blog – 5 supplements to help reach optimum health – Week 5
A few weeks ago we provided a couple of blog posts to provide some basic information on
health and nutrition. This week we're going to look a little bit further into this area,
providing an example of how the body should be seen as a system of signals which can
easily be thrown into disorder, leading to some serious complications with our health. With
this in mind, we provide some of the things that can assist our bodies to maintain optimal
function, helping us to feel and, importantly, be healthier!
Each one of our bodies is a complicated network of communication. If one part of the body
starts to function faultily, the messages it sends or receives can get jumbled and can send
the system into disarray. Let's take a brief look at one example of this. Let's say, for
instance, that you have a bit of a sweet tooth, and like to snack on chocolate, sweets, or
fizzy drinks. Or perhaps your breakfast, lunch, and dinner largely consist of those 'high GI'
foods, like sugary cereal, white bread, or pasta. Too many 'simple carbs' and your blood
sugar levels naturally spike, as you start to move all that you've ingested to various parts of
the body. The problem is that such a spike sets off a chain reaction in your body's
communication network that can seriously impair function. Perhaps of most concern is that
high blood sugar levels commonly lead to a spike in insulin production, as your body tries to
maintain control of its metabolic processes. Such occurrences can cause the body to begin
producing excess insulin - something you don't want - and your body will get to a point
where it cannot use it effectively. Such ‘insulin resistance’ is, of course, associated with Type
2 Diabetes and heart disease, but even the 'less serious' and more immediate problems of
insulin resistance are enough to make you think twice about continuing with that high sugar
intake: adrenaline rushes (further affecting normal bodily processes); inability to
concentrate; lethargy; poor sleep; and more sugar cravings(!) are just a handful of them.
So, as you know, a healthy lifestyle and healthy diet will help your body to work how it's
supposed to - efficiently, tolerant to harm, happy, strong - but there are a few extra things
that you can do to ensure that your body’s system is communicating as best it can. Below
are RHUL Fitness Team’s Top 5 Health Supplements.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
These fats are what are known as Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs). They are imperative for
optimal cell function and overall health. Optimal cell function should translate as healthy
growth and development for and between cells in the body, including the brain. Much
research connects EFAs with reduced risk of chronic disease, such as cancer, and symptoms
of EFA deficiency can include fatigue, poor concentration, and depression. As they are a fat
that cannot be created by the body, we must include them in our diet. Bi-weekly portions of
fatty fish (mackerel, sardines, salmon) should provide a healthy dose, and walnuts, flax
seeds, olive oil and garlic are other great sources! Fish oil capsules are widely seen as a
crucial health supplement to take - and we hugely agree!
Multi Vitamins
The ways in which our food is now produced is significantly different to how it was in the
past. Mass grown and mass produced fruit and vegetables disrupt the quality of the soil,
which is often already contaminated with pest and herbicides. Micronutrients get damaged
or are destroyed, and the nutritional quality of much of our food is far lower than it should
be. This goes for much of the food fed to the animals we eat, too. High stress and poor
treatment means that our consumption of such animals should be questioned on both
nutritional and ethical levels. Many consider organic and free-range food to be a much
better purchase in terms of nutritional value, but it is now akin to a luxury in our culinary
culture, and most of us cannot include much of it, if any, in our diet. A good idea is to
supplement the diet with multivitamins and minerals, to make sure we’re getting vital
nutrients that may be missing from the food we eat. Opt for 100% Daily Value rather than
the mega-dose (such as 500%), and ones which contain iodine (often left out, but a vital
mineral!).
Magnesium
Of all the various supplements out there, magnesium is one of the less celebrated. But
magnesium is in fact essential to the maintenance of healthy cells and the many functions of
energy production. As a result, lack of magnesium can cause problems for the structure of
cells throughout our body, not just in our muscles, but also in the cardiovascular system. If
magnesium levels are too low, exercise can cause problems for our cells. For example, cells
lacking magnesium tend to contract and become unable to relax, which can cause problems
during exercise, but also in recovery. So people who exercise regularly and at high intensity
should maintain a good level of magnesium. The RDA of magnesium is between 310-400mg,
most of which can be obtained from foods such as nuts (almonds, cashews, peanuts),
spinach, brown rice and bananas. Magnesium also has an important role to play in
maintaining a good sleep pattern, as it supports the central nervous system to help you
relax and de-stress.
Zinc
Zinc is predominantly known for its role in supporting the immune system and is often
found coupled with Vitamin C in many popular cold and flu remedies. Zinc is a powerful
antioxidant and along with helping to prevent disease it has a huge involvement in a wellfunctioning endocrine system (hormonal system). Your endocrine system is a very power
signalling process within the body and some say that it is your hormones (we talked a lot
about the hormone insulin already) that have the most say in your body composition, your
energy levels, your mood, and pretty much every feeling you will encounter from day to
day! So we can say keeping your hormones in check is pretty important! A deficient in zinc
can contribute to low libido, infertility, poor stress management, accelerated aging and poor
protein synthesis. Zinc is found in the largest concentrations in dairy, meat and seafood
(interestingly, Oysters, that are commonly known as an aphrodisiac contain the highest
concentration of zinc out of any food source….). Aim for 15mg per day.
Probiotics
Your gut (or digestive track) is often called your ‘second brain’ and for good reason. Have
you ever been led by your stomach when making decisions rather than your head? We all
have a natural ‘gut instinct’ and it is a lot more powerful and complex than you may think.
Your gut is a complex chain which runs from your oesophagus to your anus and is around
9m in length. Along this chain you will find the organs responsible for processing the food
you eat including your intestines and stomach. It is essential that these organs are
functioning optimally so that the signals your ‘second brain’ is sending to the rest of your
body are the right ones. There are millions of bacteria in the gut that are responsible for
maintaining this complex system and it is the wellness of these bacteria that could be
difference between a well-functioning gut and a dis-functioning one. Food intolerances and
poor diets made up of processed food and sugars damage the good bacteria in the gut and
people often suffer from digestive disorders such as IBS, diarrhoea, excessive gas and
bloating to name a few as a result. To support the good bacteria in the gut it is often
advisable to take a probiotic supplement. This helps maintain a good level of good bacteria
in the gut and helps fight the bad ones. You can also get the probiotic benefits from
consuming high quality natural yogurt and fermented foods (such as sauerkraut and kimchi).