Americans have many choices of supplements available to them when it comes to meeting nutrient needs, from multivitamins to melatonin. These nutrient-rich products may assist those on specific diets or with health conditions such as pregnancy and arthritis.
Although claims about supplements can sometimes be misleading, to ensure you get only the highest-quality product look for products with either the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) seal or Consumer Lab verification marks.
Vitamins
Vitamins are essential components that the human body requires in small doses to function optimally. These organic compounds serve a number of crucial roles, including healing wounds, encouraging development and metabolism and aiding metabolism. Vitamin are typically found in food as micronutrients (usually measured in micrograms or milligrams per 1,000 calories). High-dose supplements may cause health issues; most people should get all their needed vitamins through eating nutritious meals from an array of food sources.
Most vitamins are absorbed through the small intestine and into the bloodstream, with fat-soluble ones entering via lymph channels in intestinal walls. Once in the bloodstream, they’re transported throughout the body via proteins acting as transport vehicles; fat tissues and liver serve as reservoirs for these vitamins which are then released when necessary. Recently, B vitamins have been reclassified; their highest numbered ones now referred to as folates which belong to a group known as folic acid.
Minerals
Minerals are natural inorganic substances with a distinct chemical makeup and ordered internal structure that geologists can easily identify by their physical properties. Geologists typically classify minerals into three categories: solid and crystalline forms as well as ones containing trace impurities that don’t alter its chemical makeup or composition (for instance halite contains chlorine and sodium atoms arranged like cubes within its crystal structure).
Minerals make up rocks. Most rocks, like granite and sandstone, consist of different minerals deposited through geological processes, while some form from magma that cools to form intrusive igneous rock or when one breaks apart like sedimentary rock.
A healthy body requires several minerals for optimal functioning, including calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, sodium and chloride. Trace minerals also play an important role; examples include iron, zinc, iodine copper fluoride molybdenum selenium. Most people can meet their mineral needs through eating foods from all USDA food groups.
Herbs
Herbs are an integral component of a healthy diet. These short – sized plants with soft green stems without woody tissues complete their life cycles in one or two seasons, making them simple to cultivate and providing many health benefits.
Research has demonstrated the use of herbs like oregano, sage and thyme as anti-oxidants to protect cells against mutations that could lead to cancerous growth, purify blood and provide anti-inflammatory benefits, while soothing digestive symptoms and alleviating chemotherapy side effects.
Studies have demonstrated that polyphenols present in herbs such as rosemary, sage and thyme can reduce oxidative stress levels in cells by blocking IL-8 release – an essential pro-inflammatory mediator. Preliminary HPLC analysis results indicate that rosmarinic acid, the dominant phenolic compound found in these herbs may be to blame.
