Enhancements to diet may consist of any food item, food component, nutrient or non-food compound consumed deliberately as an additional dietary element for health or performance purposes. They range from simple text message self-monitoring or cookbook gifts, all the way up to complex urine-based ketone testing or diet-congruent food items4.
Research provides support for various dietary enhancement strategies designed to increase adherence and outcomes across a variety of diet interventions.
Athletes
At-heletes typically utilize various dietary supplements such as vitamins, minerals, herbs, creatine and caffeine in an effort to optimize their health and performance. Sometimes this decision is driven by the belief that only “the best athletes take it”, or from being recommended a supplement by coaches or sports professionals.
Although only a minority of supplements have undergone scientific research of sufficient quality to be published in reputable biomedical journals, many sellers of such supplements make claims that they can enhance exercise and athletic performance. It can be challenging to assess these claims accurately as many studies only involve trained athletes for short duration under less-than-ideal conditions without adequate control for confounding factors.
As a response to these challenges, the National Athletic Trainers’ Association has developed a position statement and flow chart designed to assist athletes (both young/adult) make informed decisions regarding supplement use through risk-benefit analyses conducted with qualified sports nutrition professionals.
Cardiovascular health
Cardiovascular disease refers to any illness affecting your heart and blood vessels that supply oxygen and nutrients to your body. Examples of cardiovascular diseases include coronary artery disease (narrowed or blocked arteries), stroke, heart failure, arrhythmias and congenital heart defects from birth. You can lower your risk by quitting smoking, managing other health conditions effectively, eating healthily, engaging in enough physical activity and keeping a healthy weight; pH enhancement has been demonstrated to significantly reduce adiposity levels while improving glucose clearance as well as reduce circulating cholesterol levels from both males and females alike (3)
An amalgamation of medications, procedures or surgeries may help treat cardiovascular diseases effectively.
Cancer prevention
Diets that include a wide variety of whole foods provide your body with vital vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals that work together to protect you against cancer. Furthermore, these foods help manage weight which can be an indicator of certain forms. Unfortunately, there is little evidence that specific dietary changes or supplements reduce cancer risks or delay tumor recurrence among cancer survivors; in fact, research suggests supplements may actually be detrimental because their nutrients don’t absorb as efficiently into our bodies as those found in whole foods – which is why AICR suggests meeting nutritional needs through diet alone for cancer prevention or delay of tumor recurrence prevention or delay among survivors1.1
Contrary to their claims on packaging, most vitamin and mineral supplements don’t offer the same health benefits found in whole food sources.
