How and why we use food supplements.
Quite often and for a variety of reasons, diet may not provide adequate amounts of vitamins or trace minerals. In such cases, food supplements can be used, in order to complete dietary gaps and prevent medical conditions caused by deficiencies. There has been a controversy, whether food supplements should be used or not. The answer is explicitly yes. Statistics in the USA show that 46.8% and 32.1% of adults in urban and rural areas respectively are deficient in at least one vitamin or mineral. With food supplements, the intake of a nutrient is easily measurable and if used properly, these preparations are absolutely safe. Moreover, they can provide the necessary nutrients, without caloric burden and can eliminate deficiencies.
Supplementation is an extensive issue and may be proved confusing for many people, in terms of what, how much and how often a supplement must be taken. Bellow, we will try to give some directions for comprehensive nutritional supply and safe dosage. However, we have to make clear that by recommending the usage of food supplements, we do not underestimate the significance of a balanced diet. For instance, we are not saying that a person, whose daily diet is based on fast food and fizzy drinks, plenty of salt, fat and carbohydrates, is secured against health problems, if he/she takes nutritional supplements. Our belief is that supplementation can make a unilateral diet healthier and can reduce the risk of medical conditions or premature aging to occur.
What is more, by recommending additional supplements for smokers or heavy alcohol drinkers we do not embrace any notion that supplements can make smoking or alcohol harmless. We are just saying that supplementation can reduce the health risk caused by such dangerous habits.
Perhaps you will be annoyed or surprised that you will have to take pills on a daily basis. Our point of view is that the preventive uptake of food supplements is far more preferable than the therapeutic use of medicines at a later stage. In any case, if you find the use of many different tablets difficult, you can try multi-vitamin and multi-mineral preparations. That means by taking two pills once or twice a day you can have a basic nutritional cover. Although such products do not provide a comprehensive health protection, their use is better than nothing. If you want to find multi-supplements online, try the button.
Below you will find a complete platform recommended for healthy individuals and guidelines for additional supplementation for certain groups of people. Click the relevant link, if you need instructions how to find a certain supplement online.
| Recommended supplementation for healthy adults of both genders. |
| Multi-vitamin B complex: |
Once a day. |
| Garlic, 600mg: |
Twice a day.(*) |
| Flaxseed meal or oil: |
Twice a day.(**) |
| Vitamin A, 10000 IU: |
Once a day.(***) |
| Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid), 250mg: |
Twice a day.(****) |
| Vitamin D, 400 IU: |
Once a day.(*****) |
| Vitamin E (Alpha-tocopherol), 400 IU: |
Once a week. |
(*) Garlic should not be combined with aspirin or warfarin medications, since excessive bleeding may be caused.
(**) Patients under warfarin treatment must consult their doctor, before taking any such supplementation.
(***) For smokers, the supplementation of vitamin A must be reduced to one capsule every two or three days.
(****) Smokers need more vitamin C, since each cigarette smoked destroys nearly 25mg of the vitamin.
(*****) Vitamin D must be omitted from the standard pattern, when Calcium + Magnesium + Vitamin D preparations are used in postmenstrual women or elderly people, since the nutrient is already contained in the multi-supplement. |
The following supplementations are for certain groups of people and they are recommended as additional intake on the top of the above standard platform. If you are included in more than one category, the supplementation of the relevant tables must be combined and added to the above standard one. By no means should a nutrient be taken more often because of its presence in more than one table. For instance, 75mg of coenzyme Q10 are recommended for people being in high risk for cardiovascular disease and for elderly, as well. If you are included in both groups you should take only 75mg per day and not double the dose. If you are unsure, you may have to consult you doctor.
In any case do not exceed the following total limits, unless your doctor’s recommendation is different: Vitamin A: 10,000 IU/day, Vitamin D: 800 IU/day, Vitamin E: 400 IU/week and Vitamin K: 100mcg/day. The recommended vitamin A supplementation is different for smokers. See instructions in the category above.
Additional supplementation for people being in high risk for cardiovascular disease. |
| Magnesium, 400mg: |
Once a day. |
| Coenzyme Q10, 100mg: |
Once a day. |
| Selenium, 200mcg: |
Once a day. |
| Vitamin B1 (Thiamine), 100mg: |
Once a day. |
| Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), 100mg: |
Once a day. |
| Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine), 100mg: |
Once a day. |
| Vitamin B9 (Folic acid), 400mg: |
Once a day. |
| Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin), 250mcg: |
Once a day. |
| Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid), 250mg: |
Once a day.(*) |
| (*) This is an additional dose beyond the standard pattern. On the top of the standard dose another 500mg/day may be needed for smokers, since tobacco depletes vitamin C. |

| Recommended additional supplementation for postmenstrual women.(*) |
| Calcium, 300mg + Magnesium, 150mg + Vitamin D, 50 IU: |
Two soft gels, twice a day.(**) |
(*) Ladies above the age of 65 are advised to follow the pattern of the next category.
(**)
When it comes to a supplementation more than 400 IU of vitamin D, a doctor’s advice may be needed, in order hypervitaminosis and toxicity to be prevented. |
| Recommended additional supplementation for elderly people beyond the age of 65.
|
| Calcium, 300mg + Magnesium, 150mg + Vitamin D, 50 IU: |
Two soft gels, twice a day.(*) |
| Lecithin, 1000mg: |
Once a day. |
| Vitamin B1 (Thiamine), 100mg: |
Once a day. |
| Vitamin B9 (Folic acid), 400mg: |
Once a day. |
| Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin), 250mcg: |
Once a day. |
| Coenzyme Q10, 100mg: |
Once a day. |
| Vitamin K, 100mcg |
Once a day. |
| (*) When it comes to a supplementation more than 400 IU of vitamin D, a doctor’s advice may be needed, in order hypervitaminosis and toxicity to be prevented. |

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