Wellness supplements include vitamins, minerals and herbs designed to promote overall wellbeing.
Vitamin supplements can provide essential nutrition, supporting overall wellbeing and improving daily health – but it’s important to choose wisely.
Remember, supplements aren’t subject to the same stringent regulatory scrutiny as medications or foods; always read labels carefully and take them with food to maximize absorption.
Calcium
Calcium is best known for building and maintaining strong bones, but it also plays an essential role in cardiovascular health by regulating blood pressure and muscle contraction. Calcium may help adults prevent bone loss with age while postmenopausal women at increased risk of osteoporosis may benefit from taking calcium-rich diets that include protein supplements.
Regular exercise and diet rich in calcium are both crucial elements for bone health. Unfortunately, studies have linked calcium supplements with an increase in colon polyps and kidney stones risk.
Calcium can be found in many sources, including dairy products like milk and yogurt, leafy greens, some nuts and seeds, fortified juices and cereals as well as supplements containing United States Pharmacopeia (USP) or NSF International logos to ensure they are free from contamination; for optimal absorption take with meals that contain fat such as cheese or whole grains to maximize absorption.
Magnesium
Magnesium is an essential mineral needed by the body for many functions, including nerve and muscle health, blood sugar regulation, inflammation regulation and producing proteins and DNA strands. Magnesium has also been linked with improved heart health and enhanced sleep quality.
Food is an excellent source of magnesium, particularly dark-green leafy vegetables and whole grains such as brown rice, quinoa and buckwheat. Potassium-rich foods like bananas, avocados and black beans also contain magnesium in abundant quantities.
Dietary supplements can be an effective way to supplement your nutrition, yet their effects depend on several variables including supplement type, dosage and frequency of use.
Magnesium offers many health advantages, yet it is essential that before adding supplements to your diet containing magnesium such as probiotics (which could interfere with its absorption), long-term use of proton pump inhibitor (PPI) drugs may decrease magnesium levels in the body.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D3 or cholecalciferol) is a fat-soluble vitamin that can be found in various food and supplement sources, and also produced endogenously through ultraviolet radiation from sunlight striking skin surfaces, inducing vitamin D synthesis. Serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] serve as the current primary indicator for measuring vitamin D status – with levels reported both in nanomoles per liter (nmol/L) and nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL).
Vitamin D helps with calcium absorption and regulation, supporting proper bone mineralization and avoiding hypocalcemic tetany by maintaining adequate serum concentrations and cell growth and differentiation, modulating immune, immune-endocrine interactions and modulating cell division processes. [1, 2] Low vitamin D deficiency has been associated with an increased risk of fractures, osteopenia and rickets among children and adults as well as decreased muscle strength among frail older adults. Several trials have demonstrated supplementation can increase 25(OH)D levels but results are inconsistent between trials. [1, 2]
Electrolytes
Electrolytes have long been used to address dehydration and you may have come across neon-colored sports drinks with promises of faster workout recovery, decreased fatigue and less muscle cramping on store shelves. But what exactly are they and are they healthy options?
Electrolytes are minerals that conduct electrical charges, such as sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium. Our bodies use electrolytes to maintain proper hydration levels, convert nutrients to energy sources and ensure nerve and muscle functions run efficiently.
Though electrolyte imbalances and dehydration are related, they should not be seen as identical conditions. Dehydration refers to low fluid counts while an electrolyte imbalance could indicate either too many or too few minerals compounds being consumed by our bodies, according to Waitman.
