Health Hotline Magazine | October 2022

Every few months I spot a headline questioning the value of dietary supplements (“Billions Wasted on Supplements…”, “Are Supplements a Big Waste of Money?”), but as someone who has spent nearly 15 years reporting on the science of supplements, these headlines ba e me. There is a decades-long body of research conducted at universities and research hospitals worldwide that shows supplements, from vitamins and minerals to fatty acids and phytonutrients, are beneficial to human health. Indeed, the human body requires nutrients to stay alive—every biological process and body system runs on nutrients, and without them, things fall apart. Some argue that we get plenty of these nutrients from food, but that line of thinking is not a true reflection of our modern world. For example, an analysis published in 2020 of micronutrient intake among 26,282 American adults found “substantial” inadequacies in four key nutrients: vitamin A (45%), C (46%), D (95%), and E (84%) and zinc (15%). By Lindsay Wilson SUPPLEMENTING, A MODERN DAY MUST REASONS WHY IT’S VITAL TO SUPPLEMENT YOUR DIET

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