Anti Aging Supplements: Real, or All Hype?

We all know that micronutrients – vitamins and minerals – are essential for our bodies to function properly. We’re supposed to get the recommended daily dose of micronutrients from the things we eat, but let’s be honest; for many of us, eating the right amount of vegetable servings isn’t at the top of our priority list.

This is why doctors recommend taking multivitamins, as a safety net for the micronutrients our bodies aren’t getting from our diets. But the problem with multivitamins is that we begin thinking that if 100% of the RDA is good, isn’t 150% enough to prevent us from aging? After all, that’s what the commercials for dietary and anti aging supplements tell us.

But the answer is more complicated than a simple “Yes” or “No”.

It’s true that certain groups of people need different amounts of micronutrients. For example, pre-menopausal women need more iron than children do, thus increasing their RDA of iron. This is why many multivitamin makers have different formulas for different groups – men, women, men and women over 50, children, teens, etc. The question is, do different groups of people need anti aging supplementa above and beyond the micronutrients that a healthy diet and a multivitamin provide?

Taking additional supplements can be beneficial, as long as they have been scientifically proven to offer a specific health benefit for the group taking them. For example, selenium has been shown to help prevent a variety of cancers. So for those at risk for these certain types of cancer, supplementing selenium in their diet above and beyond the RDA could be beneficial.

The key to knowing which anti aging supplements are really beneficial, and how to use them, is doing your homework. Thoroughly research any supplement that you are considering taking, especially those that promise health benefits that seem too good to be true. And rather than researching the specific brand of supplement, which will turn up lots of “reviews”, instead research the ingredients in the supplement.

If all else fails, talk with your doctor about the type of anti aging supplement you would like to take. He or she can explain what each ingredient does for the body. Your doctor can also tell you whether or not a particular supplement can actually help your body fight the effects of aging in a healthy way.

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