12/04/2025
Supplements 101 (Part 1.5 - Check out my previous post for 1st part)
I prefer getting specific with nutrients and using therapeutic doses. If someone is truly low in something, they will usually need much more than what a multivitamin contains. Nutrients like vitamin D, B12, iron, omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, magnesium, and calcium are ones that some people may need.
If you do not need them, adding more is unlikely to provide benefit. It simply gives your body more to process, adds another task to remember, and becomes another expense. But if you do need one of these nutrients, the benefits can be significant. Bloodwork and a dietary recall are great ways to determine if supplementation is necessary.
In Canada, almost everyone becomes vitamin D deficient in the winter if they are not supplementing, since we get vitamin D from the sun. I see this every day in bloodwork.
For most healthy people, eating a whole-food, omnivorous, colorful diet provides the majority of needed nutrients. However, needs increase if you avoid certain food groups (such as dairy, meat, eggs, fruits and vegetables, or grains), if you are not eating enough in general, or if you take medication that affects nutrient absorption.
There is also solid research on specific nutrients for certain health concerns. But this gets complicated. Was the research done in humans? In your demographic? What dose was used? For how long? How do we measure benefit? Do you take it indefinitely?
This is not something you should be navigating alone. Supplement decisions depend on your goals, family history, personal history, mental capacity, finances, and nutrition. I work through all of this with patients in our visits.
You can read the rest on my most recent blog post (link in bio)
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