The evidence is in and it overwhelmingly supports the use of dietary supplements and vitamins to balance out our less than perfect diets and high stress lifestyles. Certainly, getting all your nutritional needs met from fresh whole foods would be ideal, but it is an unrealistic expectation. Recent studies reconfirmed that less than 5% of us can achieve our nutritional goals through diet alone, and thats with the bar set at FDA recommended daily allowances, which is universally considered to be extremely conservative at best and likely completely inadequate for most people. Research has also shown that the many of the over the counter supplements are contaminated, of low quality, poorly absorbed, not bioavailable, or simply the wrong formulation to be effective, and may even be dangerous.
Selecting the proper supplements to match your individual health needs and goals is important, but the quality, reliability, and formulation of those products is critically important. Don’t believe the marketing hype you read on the internet, take the time to discuss with your provider, both your individual needs and which companies you can trust to manufacture all their products to the highest standards, rigorously test for purity and integrity, and formulate their products for maximum bioavailability. And please, to avoid interactions with other supplements and medications, be sure to discuss all your medications and supplements with your provider.
~Dr. Lawrence Hutchison, MD, Medical Director at Statera