Several nutrients taken simultaneously have 10 times more health benefiting power than taking one isolated nutrient. For years this "multinutrient synergy" concept has been ignored and a proliferation of misinformation circulated. Read on and you'll quickly understand more than most MDs and registered dieticians.
Nutrition knows no boundaries or limitations of disease. It does not mask or suppress the body's natural responses, only provides raw materials for the body to heal and balance. If someone tells you that you can get all that you need from your daily diet and the food pyramid, ask them why pregnant women are given supplements, and why chronic diseases are epidemic when the whole country has been following the food pyramid and food group guidelines for several decades. As the saying goes, "the proof is in the pudding" and something is obviously wrong with the current program.
When you hear about a nutrient supplement study that FAILED, compare that study to the criteria below. I'll eat my hat if the study adequately included all four areas. If optimal health is your goal and you don't want to FAIL, you'd better go one step beyond the food pyramid failure group and make sure your supplement program reflects the following:
- How broad is the nutrient coverage of your program?
(Calcium is a great example for understanding cofactor nutrients) - Are adequate and optimal quantities provided?
(The RDA's should not be thought of as optimal or adequate. Become aware of supplement labeling that is misleading) - At A Glance... Can you identify supplements that have high quality and appropriate coverage?
(So many nutrients, so many companies, and so many products -- how to identify a high quality program) - How many days/weeks/months do you plan to follow your supplement program?
(It takes years for a nutrition deficiency to manifest itself. Improvements from nutritional supplementation can range from 2-3 weeks to 6-12 months)
