Why you should get expert guidance before taking supplements
Before taking any nutritional supplements, it’s important to know the truth about nutraceuticals. First, a healthy diet consisting of whole foods and the correct ratio of macronutrients is crucial for overall health and wellness. But, in some cases, it’s difficult to consistently take in enough of the major nutrients.
Inadequate nutrients often lead to oxidative stress, which is a precursor to a host of other health problems. This can happen even to the healthiest of eaters.
Nutraceuticals stand in the gap.
In other words, nutraceuticals are supplements, derived from natural food sources, which offer both nutritional and medicinal benefits.
Is the term “nutraceutical” just another word for vitamins?
The short answer is no, but the truth is for a product to qualify as a nutraceutical, it must meet three general standards:
Be derived from a whole food source, not an isolated nutrient
- Be concentrated and repackaged in a non-food product like a capsule
- Provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition supplementation
Vitamins are typically considered dietary supplements; some play an active role in the prevention of disease, such as vitamin D and others. Another difference is that vitamins are often synthetically manufactured and not derived from a food source.
For example, vitamin B12 occurs naturally in dairy products, beef, and tuna. If a B12 product is derived from one of these food sources, it qualifies as a nutraceutical. But if the product is synthetically manufactured it would not meet the three requirements.
Powerful benefits of nutraceuticals
Nutraceuticals have the power to prevent and treat a broad array of illnesses as well as boost overall health and wellness. Some examples of the benefits of nutraceuticals include:
• Increase energy levels
• Anxiety relief
• Improved mental clarity
• Improve sleep quality
• Aid in weight loss
• Prevent chronic illnesses
• Reduce symptoms of chronic illnesses
• Delay the aging process
• Increase cognitive health
• Support and regulate metabolism
• Improve general health
Recent studies have also reported possible effectiveness of herbal-based nutraceuticals for disorders arising from oxidative stress. These include Alzheimer’s disease, seasonal allergies, certain cancers, inflammatory diseases, cardiovascular disease, and many others.
Nutraceuticals for healthy weight loss
Over two-thirds of adults in the US are medically obese or overweight and a majority of these want to lose the excess pounds. Health care experts agree about the importance of making lifestyle changes, such as eating healthily and exercising daily are required for losing weight and keeping weight off. But, anyone who has tried losing weight understands it isn’t as easy as it all that.
In recent years, people are increasingly turning to nutraceuticals to boost their performance levels while exercising and promote faster weight loss. At Body Symmetry MD, we offer nutraceuticals to patients seeking to boost or enhance their medical weight loss efforts.
Call us or click here to schedule a no-obligation appointment today to begin your journey to living the life you deserve — one that balances everything you need to optimize your health, self-image, and overall well-being.
