Sunday, Jan. 7, 2009, I watched Good Morning America and saw Dr. Andrew Weil, an integrated medicine specialist and author of the bestselling "Healthy Aging," share his tips on what supplements people should be taking every day. I have admired Dr. Weil for many years and so I pass his recommendations on to you.
- Multivitamin:
People should take a quality multivitamin every day because the body needs vitamins every day. Our main dietary source of vitamins are fruits, and vegetables and whole foods. Most people are not eating those in sufficient amounts, or even every day. So the multivitamin is insurance for gaps in the diet. And even if you are eating fruits and veggies everyday, it's not a bad thing.
Choose a multivitamin by reading the labels. There are some things that definitely should and shouldn't be on the label. The multivitamin should not contain any pre-formed vitamin A, which is usually called retinol. Don't get a multivitamin that has iron in it unless your doctor has recommended you do so. (Learn more about choosing a quality multivitamin.)
You do want vitamin D3. If the label says vitamin D2, then it's not the good kind of vitamin D.
- Vitamin D:
There's research coming out really month by month showing vitamin D prevents many kinds of cancer and multiple sclerosis. We used to think vitamin D was just necessary for bone health, but now we're seeing it prevent a lot of other diseases.
But make sure you're taking D3. So often, you see orange juice or foods that say they're vitamin D fortified. But many times, those are fortified with D2. Vitamin D has to be taken with fat. Taking a vitamin D pill with orange juice isn't going to work; it won't stick to you.
- Omega 3 Fatty Acids: Take one gram of fish oil every day. The body needs adequate intake every day for optimum mental and physical health, and there are not many dietary sources. You can really only find it naturally in oily fish from cold water (salmon, herring, sardines). It helps prevent heart disease, aging, cancer and dementia.
- CoQ10: People should also take the antioxidant CoQ10. It helps muscle function, heart function and brain function. It is absolutely necessary for people with heart disease. Co-Q-10 is made naturally in your body, but more doesn't hurt.
- Herbal Tonics: Tonics are natural substances, which, taken over time, increase general resistance to illness and encourage longevity. There are many different ones, and they're worth learning about and experimenting with. If you're lacking in energy or get sick a lot, these could be very useful to you.
Dr. Weil also had recommendations about how to choose a supplement. He said that when it comes to supplements, there's not necessarily a correlation between price and quality, which is important to know. Start by reading the label. Be careful of the milligram amount you're getting per capsule.
If the recommended dose is 1,000 milligrams and the pill only contains 200 milligrams, then you're going to be taking a lot of pills every day just to reach that dosage, so pay attention to the details.
Try to get brand-name recommendations. Sadly, many doctors haven't learned about supplements in medical school, so your doctor may not be able to advise you on that. To find the best brands, do your homework. Either get names of products from people you trust, or go on the Internet and look these supplements up. Check how the different brands do quality control. Ideally, pharmacists will be able to help; but again, they aren't getting this in their education any more than our physicians are.
We hope this information is of help to you and yours. Optimal health requires knowledge and action on our part.
