10 things to consider when buying and taking Supplements

I love the power of food and its’ ability to positively impact health and wellbeing often within a few weeks of making changes to a clients food choices.

When working with clients I adopt a

• Food first health plan with recommended dietary changes/intake
• Followed by lifestyle recommendations and
• Lastly a personalised supplementation programme (as required).

In regard to supplementation the supplement industry is vast, unregulated and heavily marketed so working with a health practitioner who will design a personalised supplementation programme which is linked to improving your health status and health goals and based on experience, knowledge and previous results may be invaluable.

A health practitioner will also check for any contraindications with your current medications or alternatively it is advisable to check with your GP before starting any new supplements if you are taking pharmaceutical drugs.

I hope the guide below is helpful for anyone who is considering the minefield of supplementation and remember supplements are likely to be most effective if they are targeted and personalised, not because you have seen them on Instagram or a friend says they are taking them!

Chose carefully

When buying a supplement choose carefully, always check the ingredients, especially the strength / dosage and try to avoid those where the first and second ingredients are bulking agent or fillers (these can be irritating to the gut). A premium brand I recommend to my clients is Human Performance Hub as they work with trusted suppliers and choose the highest quality ingredients

Supplement format

When choosing supplements consider whether you prefer taking capsules, powders that can be dissolved in water, liquids or sprays. This way you may find it easier to take the required dosage to have therapeutic efficacy i.e. to get the required result. What can also help with compliance is to keep supplements visual e.g. on your work surface/by your kettle or on your dining table if to be taken with meals and on your bedside table if to be taken at bed time.

Monitor the effects

Supplements should be reviewed to assess their benefits at the end of each course or at least every 3 months to assess whether they have improved the area of health you have been targeting. When taking Probiotics it is advisable to rotate these at least every 12 weeks i.e. choose a different one with different bacterial strains to ensure you are supporting the billions of bacteria species that make up our microbiome.

Check your markers

Water soluble Vitamins if taken in excess will be excreted in your Urine (one of the reasons why a high does B vitamin may turn your pee yellow but this is perfectly harmless as you are excreting it. Fat Soluble Vitamins (A, D, E , K) however can accumulate in your body. Before you start taking a supplement it may be helpful to ask a health practitioner who can organise a blood/urine test to check your Vitamin and Mineral status and design a programme tailored to your needs.

Not a replacement for a good diet

Supplements should never be a replacement for food intake but they can help support your nutritional status if you struggle to meet your daily vitamin and mineral requirements – a recent study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, January 2024 showed that taking a daily multi vitamin could help slow memory loss and cognitive aging in older adults.

Supporting specific health conditions

Supplements may be very useful when you have a specific health condition you want to support. For example I have found good results using Myo- inositol for PCOS to help with insulin sensitivity, Vitamin C for hypothyroidism as it helps with thyroid hormone production and Magnesium and B6 for the reduction of PMS and PMDD symptoms.

Supporting life stages

Supplements can also be helpful at certain life stages such as peri-menopause and menopause to help reduce symptoms and improve wellbeing. For example two of my favourites at Perimenopause are Magnesium BisGlycinate which can help with sleep and Taurine for calming the brain.

Short term support

Supplements can sometimes be useful in providing short term support. For example:

• It is important to take Probiotics at same time or after any course of Antibiotics.
• It is recommended to take Butyrate when undergoing surgery to help with healing and recovery due to its anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties.

Long term support

Of course in some instances year round intake may be necessary- for example Vitamin D for immune compromised individuals and I often recommend Liquid D3 Vitamin + K Complex because of its quality, taste and easy administration.

Supplements may be helpful if you are looking to reduce your medications for example if you are taking anti-acid Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) like Omeprazole or NSAIDs like Ibuprofen. Note that this should only implemented under the supervision of a Functional Medicine or Health Practitioner who will design a programme tailored to your needs (and check with your GP if necessary).