What exactly is a dietary supplement?
In the United States and Western Europe, one of the fastest-growing industries is that related to the long-term preservation of health: consumption of dietary supplements is increasing rapidly. Millions of people take various extracts, vitamins, minerals, probiotics and other similar substances.
But why is the consumption of dietary supplements increasing at such a pace?
Many are skeptical and question their necessity.
Some arguments in favor of consuming quality dietary supplements
Today, food production is carried out on an industrial scale. Through the intensive use of fertilizers and chemical agents (pesticides), 2–3 times more yield per hectare is produced than a few decades ago. Meanwhile, the humus and mineral content of the soil decreases, so plants can absorb less and less. Fertilizers mostly contain only the substances necessary for the rapid growth of plants.
The result?
Studies show that foods today contain significantly fewer beneficial substances than a few decades ago. For example, today you would have to eat 5–10 times as many apples to get the same amount of beneficial substances that a single apple contained in the 1950s!
It is a proven fact that about 80% of diseases can be traced back to a deficiency or an excess of some substance, that is, a disruption of nutrient balance. This is significantly influenced by insufficient intake through food and by the overconsumption of other substances (e.g., carbohydrates, fats).
A large portion of vegetables and fruits reach the shop from long distances. They are picked before full ripeness, ripening is delayed with chemicals, and they then "travel" for a long time. During this period, part of their already low vitamin content breaks down.
Chemical substances and preservatives are transformed in your body into molecules that bind trace elements and mineral salts, so your intestinal tract cannot absorb them — even if there were nutrients, your body would not gain access to them.
During the processing, heat treatment and preservation of foods, some of the nutrients are damaged or destroyed.
Varieties bred for higher yields, although very beautiful and attractive, have nutrient contents that are only a fraction of those of non-bred varieties.
Our eating habits have changed. We eat hurriedly and hastily, hardly chew our bites, we simply swallow so we can continue our stressful work as soon as possible. Due to inadequate chewing, digestive juices cannot break down large pieces. So we eat and gobble, yet our body still "starves" in some respects.
We consume large amounts of medicines and antibiotics that destroy the natural gut flora bacteria essential for digestion, and without them digestive disorders develop.
At certain times and under certain conditions, some nutrients are needed in greater amounts. For example, folic acid during pregnancy.
Increasing pollution of the air, water or food destroys sensitive molecules. Antioxidant vitamins are particularly sensitive to this: vitamins A, C and E.
Many nutrients have been shown to be very effective in helping to maintain health and in preventing conditions such as high cholesterol, arthritis, birth defects or cancers.
