Nutritional supplements are popular in the West, experts point out that trace elements are still the most reliable "food supplement"

　　Nutritional supplements are popular in the West, experts point out-

　　In recent years, eating nutritional supplements with various functions after a meal seems to be the choice of many people.

Nowadays, people are paying more and more attention to health needs. How to eat a reasonable diet and how to supplement nutrients has become the focus of attention.

Apart from daily dietary intake, is it necessary for ordinary consumers to regularly take vitamins, minerals and various other dietary supplements?

　　Not found to effectively reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and other diseases

　　"Food Nutrition" published by China Light Industry Press explains nutritional supplements like this: Nutritional supplements are an auxiliary means of diet, used to supplement the amino acids, trace elements, vitamins, minerals, etc. required by the human body.

Nutritional supplements can be composed of amino acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, minerals and vitamins, or only one or more vitamins, or one or more dietary ingredients, except for amino acids, vitamins, minerals In addition to nutrients such as substances, there may also be herbs or other plant components, or concentrates, extracts or combinations of the above components.

　　Li Duo, chief professor of the Institute of Nutrition and Health of Qingdao University, and four scholars from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada published an article "The Health Effects of Vitamins and Mineral Supplements" in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), and evaluated various The effects of nutritional supplements, including a variety of vitamins, minerals and fish oil.

　　The study found that in the United States, more than 70% of adults over the age of 65 use nutritional supplements, compared with one-third of children and adolescents.

In the study, American scholars estimated that 5% of people had taken too much micronutrients, and 80% and 97% of children in the United States and Canada had taken too much vitamin A.

More women than men use nutritional supplements.

The most widely used nutritional supplements, the top three are vitamin C, vitamin E and vitamin D, followed by vitamin B12, vitamin B6 and calcium.

　　The aforementioned papers show that the results of randomized controlled trials show that the use of vitamins, minerals and fish oil supplements is not supported to reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases.

The intake of nutritional supplements significantly reduced the intake of most nutrients but also increased the intake of certain nutrients. Further research is needed to evaluate nutritional supplements for the general population and individuals with specific nutritional needs ( Including people from low- and middle-income countries) long-term health effects.

　　"Nutrition supplements represented by vitamins C, E and D are popular in the Western world, but Chinese people have not taken them generally." said Song Qing, a professor at the School of Chemistry and Biological Engineering of University of Science and Technology Beijing, micronutrients are most naturally supplemented by food and are strictly designed The scientific clinical experiments of the company have not yet given a final conclusion on the various therapeutic functions of these vitamin supplements.

　　"The results of related randomized controlled trials show that for healthy people without nutrient deficiencies, whether they eat vitamins, minerals, or fish oil capsules, they have not been found to be effective in reducing cardiovascular disease, cancer or type 2 diabetes. The risk of disease.” said Fan Zhihong, an associate professor at the College of Food Science and Technology, China Agricultural University.

　　The effect varies from person to person, so the amount and time of taking must be considered

　　Should I take nutritional supplements?

Fan Zhihong said that decisions should be made on the basis of analyzing the specific situation, and the number of supplements should be reasonable, and the time for taking large doses of nutritional supplements should not be too long.

　　"At present, there are still many people who do not belong to the true sense of'healthy people', and they may not be able to guarantee'daily obtain sufficient nutrients from natural foods.' Maybe in the short term, they still need to pay attention to supplementing certain nutrients." Fan Zhihong said .

　　Song Qing evaluated the benefits of supplementing micronutrients from the chemical structure.

　　"Vitamin C is an essential cofactor for several important enzymes, but humans and most primates cannot synthesize by themselves, so they must be taken from food. Vitamin C is also a water-soluble antioxidant in the body. The body's energy comes from burning chemicals , The combustion process will damage the cell structure, and antioxidants can reduce combustion damage." Song Qing said.

　　Song Qing said that vitamin E is a fat-soluble antioxidant in the body.

The antioxidant effect of vitamin C and E is determined by their chemical structure, so the aging caused by the oxidation of cell structure can theoretically be delayed by antioxidants such as vitamin C and E.

　　"Vitamin D is synthesized from cholesterol through ultraviolet radiation from sunlight and is essential for bone health. However, vitamin D is a type of sterol hormone, and its tightly bound receptors are widely distributed throughout the body, so the physiological effects are not limited to bones. In recent years Animal experiments and clinical experiments have found that vitamin D can affect many physiological activities. Vitamin D supplementation can improve immunity against various diseases." Song Qing pointed out.

　　Song Qing said that although the unique chemical structure of vitamins C, D, and E guarantees its strong health care functions, whether additional supplementation through dietary supplements is beneficial requires comprehensive consideration.

If the intake of food has sufficient content, additional supplementation will increase the cost of living.

For special populations, such as athletes, people who lose weight, the elderly, and patients with chronic serious diseases, supplementing vitamins and other micronutrients is a powerful guarantee for maintaining or restoring physical health.