Are Supplements Necessary?

Introducing Optimum Daily Allowances A healthful, balanced diet supplies the body with sufficient nutrients to carry out routine tasks. Supplements such as vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, phytochemicals, and more enrich the body's internal environment to fortify cellular protection, repair, and regeneration and support the Renewal process. Diet is not the sole force behind the national plague of nutrient deficiencies. Other factors include: • Alcohol consumption (depletes B vitamins, vitamin C, most minerals, and antioxidants) • Allergies and infections (deplete vitamins A and C and zinc, among other nutrients) • Exposure to air pollutants and other toxins (depletes antioxidants) • Smoking (depletes antioxidants) • Stress (depletes all nutrients, especially B vitamins and vitamin C) So which nutrients do you need, and in what amounts? Opinions vary. The Recommended Dietary Allowances have been the accepted standard since the early 1940s. But now nutrition researchers generally agree that the RDAs fall far short when it comes to preventing chronic degenerative diseases, promoting optimum health, and extending life. The RDAs were first established for the purpose of protecting people against severe nutrient deficiency diseases such as beriberi (thiamin deficiency), pellagra (niacin deficiency), and scurvy (vitamin C deficiency). Even though they've been updated several times over the years, the RDAs still do not acknowledge the link between chronic marginal nutrient deficiencies and chronic degenerative diseases.