The Supplement Check: When is a dietary supplement useful?

The Supplement Check: 10 Questions - 10 Answers

Many people take vitamins & co. daily, while others consider supplements unnecessary and overrated. However, current findings show that targeted supplementation with micronutrients is useful for many people - especially when dietary intake is insufficient.

Our body relies on vitamins and trace elements - they are involved in almost all metabolic processes. Without them, the body cannot function optimally. However, because it cannot produce them itself (except for Vitamin D), they must be supplied from the outside. Ideally, this is achieved through a balanced, colorful diet. However, this is not always possible in everyday life. Therefore, nutrient deficiencies are not uncommon today. The key lies in the right selection of dietary supplements: reputable manufacturer, sensible dosage - while supporting the body holistically.

1. Do I need dietary supplements?

In theory, the daily nutrient requirements can be met through a balanced diet. However, in practice, this is often not the case. What, how much, and how regularly we eat depends heavily on our daily lives - stress levels, environment, or health conditions such as intestinal problems and intolerances.

In fact, numerous studies such as the National Consumption Study II show that many people do not consume enough essential micronutrients - including iron, magnesium, vitamin D, iodine, or folic acid. Especially with unbalanced diets, highly processed foods, or few fresh ingredients, an imbalance can quickly arise.

Instead of nutrient-rich food, heavily processed products often end up on the plate - high in calories but low in nutrients. The result: a deficiency that can impair bodily functions in the long run. Nutrition professor Walter Willett from Harvard University therefore advises each of us to take a comprehensive micronutrient supplement with all important vitamins and trace elements: "A comprehensive supplement is like an 'insurance' and fills gaps that even the most conscious eaters may have." ¹

2. Why did it work without dietary supplements in the past?

In the past, it seemed possible to do without supplements - but the conditions have changed. Today, we not only eat industrially processed foods more often, but highly bred products also sometimes provide fewer nutrients than they did 50 years ago. This is not just a feeling, but proven by studies, as can be read on the website of the consumer center.²Modern high-performance varieties, selenium- and iodine-poor soils, as well as long transport distances, lead to the fact that vegetables and fruits today contain significantly fewer vitamins and trace elements than before. The decline is measurable and one of the reasons why it is often more difficult today to meet one's nutritional needs through diet.

3. Who is a dietary supplement particularly important for?

Targeted micronutrient supplementation is useful for most people - often even necessary. There are numerous life situations in which the demand increases or the supply through nutrition is not guaranteed. Those under stress, exposed to burdens, unable to eat a balanced diet for various reasons in everyday life, the sick, vegans, athletes as well as pregnant and breastfeeding women often resort to holistic micronutrient supplementation - for good reason.

The body needs more nutrients during these phases or is not getting enough through diet. Medications such as the pill, painkillers, or others also play a role as they affect the absorption and utilization of micronutrients: For example, those who are under a lot of stress or exercise a lot, use up more magnesium or antioxidants.

Berlin nephrologist Dr. Helena Orfanos-Böckel also describes in her guide "Nutrient Therapy" (Trias Verlag) that the supply of many essential micronutrients is often inadequate.³

4. Which vitamins and trace elements should everyone take?

Certain nutrients are particularly scarce. According to experts, vitamin D, folic acid, iron, magnesium, iodine, and selenium are among the most commonly under-supplied micronutrients. Often, the diet is unbalanced or the absorption in the body is impaired. That's why many professionals recommend a good, holistic micronutrient concentrate - not as a substitute for a healthy diet, but as a meaningful supplement and safeguard. Studies show that even a good basic supply of micronutrients from a healthy diet can strengthen important bodily functions.⁴

5. What specific benefits does my health benefit from?

Dietary supplements can - when used sensibly - make an important contribution to health and well-being. Especially with regard to:

• the daily supply of micronutrients

• Protection against oxidative stress

• Supporting cell health

• Support during hormonal changes

• A healthy lifestyle with regard to healthy aging

Micronutrients measurably improve memory performance. In a recent study involving over 21,000 older adults, it was found that participants who took a daily multivitamin performed significantly better on memory tests. According to the researchers, this effect was equivalent to slowing down brain aging by around three years - just by supplementing daily with a wide range of micronutrients.⁵

Micronutrients can reduce biological age. In another recent study, researchers combined a healthy diet with targeted micronutrient supplementation. The result was clear: the biological age of the participants decreased on average by 3.2 years. In women, the effect was even greater at 4.6 years. A clear indication: our diet - and especially the daily intake of micronutrients - influences how quickly or slowly we biologically age.⁶

In short: The daily nutrient foundation is crucial. These studies clearly show: a targeted, comprehensive micronutrient supplementation can strengthen cell health, improve memory - and even positively influence biological age. Especially when nutrition in everyday life is not always optimal or additional stress factors come into play, a well-balanced supplement can be a real support - for body, mind, and long-term health.

6. Are micronutrients also important during illness?

When it comes to illnesses, most people think first of medications - less often of vitamins and trace elements. However, it is crucial: Sick people generally have an increased need for nutrients, as emphasized by micronutrient expert Prof. Uwe Gröber. And: Many medications act as so-called nutrient robbers - they inhibit the absorption or utilization of micronutrients.

This does not mean that micronutrients can cure diseases. Rather, it is about providing the body with the nutrients it needs in stressful situations to maintain important functions such as metabolism, the immune system, or cell regeneration.

Especially when dealing with intestinal problems, loss of appetite, or severe exhaustion, it is often difficult to eat a balanced diet. A well-composed, broad-spectrum micronutrient supplement can help to complement what is not adequately obtained through diet.

7. Which medications are nutrient robbers?

Medications help specifically with symptoms, but at the same time, they can affect important vitamins and trace elements in the body by influencing their absorption, utilization, or storage - often unnoticed. As an example, micronutrient expert Uwe Gröber mentions the birth control pill, which can affect the need for folic acid, B vitamins, vitamin C, and zinc. Metformin, painkillers, antibiotics, and other medications can also impair nutrient supply. GLP-1 receptor agonists like the "weight loss injection" lead to a strong reduction in appetite and also affect nutrient supply. Expert Uwe Gröber emphasizes: "Those who take medications benefit from micronutrient supplementation."

8. Are all supplements equally good?

In short: No. A good preparation is:

• Broadly diversified, containing all important vitamins and trace elements, and not just individual high-dose "trend vitamins".

• Moderately dosed, that means: The quantities should be based on scientifically recommended daily requirements - not too little, but also not excessively much.

• Synergistically coordinated, because micronutrients do not work in isolation, but as a team. For example, vitamin D needs magnesium to be activated in the body. And iron only functions properly with sufficient vitamin C.

Highly dosed supplements do not follow natural nutrition - they can burden the body rather than support it. Caution is especially advised with fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K.

So opt for a broad-spectrum, balanced product that complements natural nutrition, not replaces it - as an investment in your health.

9. How quickly can one feel an effect?

Those who supplement micronutrients daily often expect quick results. But please do not fall for empty advertising promises that lure with statements like "more energy in 10 days" or "slim in record time". Because that's not how our body works.

The effect of a good micronutrient supplement is not seen overnight, but over time. Why? Because health is a process. Billions of cells in our body renew themselves daily. And every day, our organism needs a solid foundation for this: vitamins and trace elements. Without these building blocks, the prerequisites for optimal functioning are missing.

Therefore, it is more important to supplement regularly and comprehensively. Not just sporadically. A short-term cure may sound tempting, but it is not a sustainable solution. Only consistent, long-term supply brings real effects - for energy, better recovery, inner balance, and healthy aging.

10. Are micronutrients in vegetables and fruits better than in capsules?

Vitamins and trace elements work best in their natural combination, as they occur in real foods. In fruits, vegetables, or high-quality juice concentrates, you can find not only isolated vitamins, but a whole network of health-promoting substances: secondary plant compounds, enzymes, fiber - all of this supports the absorption and effect of nutrients in the body. The body benefits especially when vitamins & Co. occur in their natural combination and environment.

Conclusion: Useful supplement for gaps in everyday life and intact cells

Dietary supplements are not miracle cures and not a substitute for a balanced diet. However, when properly formulated and dosed, they support our health where it originates – in the cells. Micronutrient concentrates should not be an excuse for poor nutrition – fresh vegetables, fruits, and whole grains remain essential. But as a kind of insurance in everyday life, they can help to fill nutrient gaps.