Summary of dietary supplement knowledge points

For the vast majority of ordinary adults who eat a balanced diet, have no underlying diseases, and have normal digestion and absorption functions, dietary supplements are neither "health necessities" nor "IQ tax scams". They are essentially tools to supplement dietary gaps - they are not needed if you eat enough for normal meals. Supplementing is only useful if there is a clear gap. Blind supplementation may put a burden on the liver, kidneys, and metabolism.

A while ago, I helped my best friend organize the report after she had just had a physical examination. I almost laughed out loud when I looked at the piles of supplements on her desk: anti-diabetic pills on an empty stomach in the morning, grape seeds and fish oil for breakfast, vitamin C tablets after lunch, and collagen drinks before going to bed. I calculated that I had to eat seven or eight kinds a day. The physical examination report showed that the urinary oxalic acid concentration was extremely high. The doctor said that if I continued to eat vitamin C blindly, I would develop kidney stones. She herself felt aggrieved: "Don't they all say that taking these supplements can whiten and resist aging? Why did you fix the problem? ”

In fact, many people have misunderstandings about supplements: they always think that "taking supplements is better than not taking supplements at all", but this is not the case. For example, everyone now loves to buy naturally extracted vitamin C. I have asked friends in the nutrition department before. Whether it is "cherry extracted natural vitamin C" that costs more than 100 yuan for a bottle, or synthetic OTC vitamin C that costs 2 yuan for 100 tablets at the drugstore, the molecular formula is exactly the same, and the human body absorption rate is not different at all. The extra 100 yuan spent is basically spent on marketing and fruit-flavored additives. Of course, some people in the nutrition community believe that naturally derived supplements contain plant flavonoids and other active substances, which can lead to greater benefits from long-term consumption. There is currently no large-scale clinical data to prove this point. If you are willing to spend more money for this possibility, there is no problem, as long as you don’t think it is expensive and you can eat more - whether it is natural or synthetic, taking more than 1000 mg of vitamin C every day will lead to the risk of stone formation. This is a sure thing.

Speaking of controversial points, there are currently two schools of thought on whether folic acid is a necessary supplement during pregnancy: one group believes that the dark green vegetables and animal livers we eat every day contain enough folic acid, and as long as the diet is balanced, there is no need to supplement.； But the other group has clinical data to support it. The folic acid deficiency rate among women of childbearing age in my country is actually not low, and it takes time for folic acid to accumulate in the body to a sufficient concentration. Daily supplementation of 400 μg from 3 months before pregnancy to the first 3 months of pregnancy can reduce the risk of fetal neural tube defects by more than 80%. At present, the conventional guidance of domestic hospitals still recommends supplementation. At this time, do not insist on the idea that "diet is a panacea" and it is safest to follow the doctor's advice.

There is also the question "Will protein powder and creatine damage the kidneys" that fitness parties often argue about. In fact, there is a clear boundary on this point: as long as the kidney function is normal, following the recommended dosage (for example, 1.2-2g of protein powder per kilogram of body weight per day, 5g of creatine per day) will not increase the burden on the kidneys at all, but can help build muscle and improve exercise performance. But if you have chronic kidney disease and still eat blindly, or take three or four spoons of protein powder at a time in order to quickly gain muscle, then the supplement itself cannot be blamed for kidney problems.

I usually prepare a few bottles of supplements, but they are basically for emergencies: for example, I eat takeout for a week in a row to catch up on projects, and I don’t have a few bites of green leafy vegetables, so I take a tablet of B complex and 100mg of vitamin C every day.； In the winter, I spend less time outdoors, so I take some D3 if I can’t get sunlight. I stop eating as soon as I resume normal eating. I never eat on schedule every day. I’d like to share with you my experience of going through a pitfall: when buying supplements, don’t follow the Internet celebrity live broadcast room to grab them. First, check whether there is an OTC logo or a blue hat logo on the package. Those “imported customized” and “exclusive formula” three-no products sold in WeChat Moments don’t even have clearly labeled ingredients. I have several examples around me who have a bad face and have a disordered aunt.

Finally, don’t beat supplements to death with a stick. For example, strict vegetarians are very likely to be deficient in B12. Daily vegetarian diet is not enough to supplement this, so additional supplements are required.； Elderly people lose calcium quickly and have poor gastrointestinal absorption. D3 and calcium alone are better than drinking a bunch of useless soothing oral liquids and health wines. ； If you are diagnosed with iron deficiency anemia or iodine deficiency during pregnancy, you must take the supplements prescribed by the doctor.

To put it bluntly, this thing is like a backup cold medicine at home: you don’t take preventive medicine every day when you are not sick, right? Eat only when you have symptoms. Just follow the doctor's advice on how much you should eat. It's that simple. After all, your body is your own, and it’s a small thing to waste money. It’s only when you have food problems that you lose a lot, right?