To Supplement or Not to Supplement?
Worldwide, an estimated 2 billion+ people, according to The World Health Organisation (WHO) suffer from vitamin and mineral (micronutrient) deficiencies - linked to the global burden of disease.
It doesn’t take a giant leap to believe many of we Kiwis will be within that WHO number, given that in the latest 2020/21 NZ Health Survey only 30.1% of us reported eating 3+ servings of vegetables and 2+ servings of fruit daily.
An October 2020 Report by ANA (Activity & Nutrition Aotearoa) highlights specific micronutrients shown to be sub-optimal in the NZ Diet - these being iron, calcium, Vitamin D, iodine, selenium, zinc and Vitamin B12. Plus we know our soils are low in certain minerals - see below.
The Impact of Micronutrient IMBALANCES
Subclinical micronutrient imbalances can cause a variety of symptoms such as:
fatigue - due to mitochondrial dysfunction, causing compromised energy production
cognitive impairment - due to high mitochondrial concentration in the brain
They lead to, and are associated with dysfunction and disease, including:
poor immunity - reduced resistance to infections
blood sugar imbalances
inflammatory conditions
metabolic disorders
delayed or impaired physical and psychomotor development
iron deficiency anaemia
thyroid dysfunction
cardiovascular disease
osteoporosis and osteomalacia
night blindness
cellular ageing
age-related disease
Shouldn’t we be able to get everything from food?
Barring supply issues, and outrageous pricing post-Covid, relatively speaking our food supply is in abundance, however for many reasons the nutritional content of our food is inadequate to support optimal health. Consider the following:
Modern food & production
Key nutrients known to be low in our soils include iodine, zinc, selenium, chromium and boron, and may be due to:
NZ being young hence not developing the mineral-rich density that other parts of the world have
depletion due to intensive agricultural practices, meaning plants now include ⅓ of their pre-industrial nutrient content
synthetic fertilisers and pesticide use, and heavy metal contamination
nitrogen use to speed up plant growth means food is produced quicker but with less nutrition, and often less flavour too
Harvesting plants pre-maturity and delayed time between harvest and consumption diminishes nutrient content - notedly fibre, vitamins A and C, and plant phenols, and can be damaged during storage or transportation
Plants are selected genetically for high yield, or shelf life for instance, and as compared to wild plants, most have lower protein, fibre, vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids
Atmospheric pollution (increased CO2) increases levels of sugar and starch in plants, decreases protein, and can affect their ability to extract nutrients from the soil, especially calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc
Fertilising crops with isolated chemicals such as nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, leads to nutrient losses due to altered compositions, such as plants raise on high-potassium soil being higher in potassium but having reduced levels of both magnesium and calcium
Shouldn’t we be able to get everything from food?
continued …
Modern Lives & Food choices
Modern busy lifestyles juggling work, family and more, mean people often reach for energy-dense, nutrient-poor processed and refined foods instead of nutritionally balanced whole foods
NZ stats are likely to be similar to our neighbours, the Aussies, who consume 38% of total energy intake from processed foods, meaning a diet:
high in saturated fat, added sugar, sodium and refined carbohydrates
and low in protein, fibre and micronutrients
Eating variety, local, organic, and ‘the rainbow’ is optimal, as each different food (including herbs) offers different nutrients, but many people fall into the habit of eating the same things with relatively small variety
Food preparation can also effect nutrient status - e.g. any cooking but steaming of broccoli loses most of its vitamin C, and conversely cooking tomatoes can increase the bioavailability of nutrients
Modern stressful lives also mean an increased nutrient demand with research showing stress depletes magnesium, zinc, calcium, C and B-vitamins
A note for vegans & vegetarians:
Plant-based eating is certainly recommended (fill the majority of your plate) however for those that have chosen to be vegan or vegetarian it’s important to understand a few nutrients are either difficult or impossible to get in adequate amounts from plant foods alone. These include:
Vitamin B12
Vitamin D3 (the more bioavailable form is in eggs for those that include those) otherwise mushrooms exposed to UV light provide D2
DHA can be made from ALA (flaxseeds, chia seeds, walnuts) but conversion is inefficient so algal oil supplementation is recommended
Heme-iron as non-heme from plant foods is poorly absorbed (heme iron improves this) and can be affected by anti-nutrients in plants, such as phytic acid, but it is possible to get sufficient with careful planning
Zinc, as with above is impacted by anti-nutrients
Whilst not termed ‘essential’ these nutrients also play an important part in several functions in the body and are only available though animal-based foods: taurine, carnosine and creatine)
2021 and 2022 research determined vegan diets to be lower in high-quality proteins (required in greater quantities in those over 65 years), B2, B3, B12, D, iodine, iron, zinc, calcium, potassium, selenium and omega-3s, increasing risks for bone fractures, sarcopenia (muscle loss), anaemia and depression
SUPPLEMENTATION for the modern age:
Whilst it’s vital to try to achieve nutritional requirements through nutrient-dense whole foods and water intake - which needs to always form the foundation - as discussed many factors can make it difficult to consume an adequate amount of nutrients through these methods alone. For some individuals, supplements may be required, particularly at certain life phases (adolescence, pregnancy, ageing and times of stress).
Therefore whilst its definitely not a one-size-fits all, and personalising is required, high-quality supplementation can represent an effective strategy for trying to fill the gaps in an otherwise nutrient-dense diet, to help improve vitality, stress adaptation, cognitive performance and healthy ageing.
