The Pros and Cons of Nutraceuticals vs. Supplements: Which Is Better For Your Health

The health industry has grown by leaps and bounds in the 21^st century. Dietary supplement producers and suppliers use convincing marketing strategies to sell fitness, vitality and happiness for a disease free life. Healthy people can meet their nutritional needs through a balanced diet. If a person consumes plenty of fruits, green leafy vegetables and whole grains there is no need to take a supplement. Supplements have their own pros and cons and must consult a physician before taking them.

The Benefits of food supplements:

1.      Prevention of diseases:

Certain nutrients are lacking in most diets. For instance- Vitamin D is absolutely necessary for strong bones and calcium absorption but there are very foods that contain vitamin D , so taking a supplement could prevent a number of diseases like arthritis, osteoporosis etc.

2.      To supplement a poor diet:

Some people lead very busy lives and may not be able to shop for fresh foods or cook them. Many people who are aware of the shortfalls of their diet may make up for the lack of their diet by taking a multivitamin.

3.      To enhance physical performance:

Dietary supplements can be used to improve physical performance during exercise, weight training in specific. It involves breaking down of the muscle and building it up again. So taking protein supplements may help you in the process and also delay fatigue.

But there are two sides to a coin and taking supplements can have their disadvantages too:

1)      Supplements are not adequate substitutes for food nutrients:

Supplements are artificial and cannot replace nutrition. They have their own side effects like nausea, headache, liver damage, dizziness etc. Also taking supplements on a regular basis may hinder with the body’s ability to absorb nutrients.

2)      One could also overdose:

Taking too many calcium supplements may lead to stones or hypercalcemia. Many supplement also cause diarrhea.

So ideally one should eat a healthy diet complete with fresh fruits, vegetables and unprocessed foods. Eating plenty of nuts, seeds, yogurt may all provide you with all the nutrition that you need but in certain cases supplements could provide the boost that the body needs to lead a disease free life and also battle chronic diseases.

 Nutraceuticals Vs Supplements, which is better?

Nutraceutical are products derived from food sources that provide further health benefits beyond those found in our food due to concentration and combination. Nutraceuticals can come in the form of isolated nutrients, dietary supplements, herbal products and targeted nutrition program.

There are multiple reason to use nutraceuticals overhealth supplements. Our bodies are always under certain levels of stress due to environmental factors, genetic mutations and true psychological stress. Most diseases and conditions are silent in early stages, and it is difficult for many people to notice symptoms like low energy levels or cognitive decline since many symptoms like this often creep up gradually, creating a new normal and therefore raise no red flags.

Nutraceuticals solve this problem by supplying our body with concentrated amounts of naturally occurring nutrients to support our body in the area with the highest demand.