These 3 Daily Supplements for adults made my top list because they all contribute in numerous ways to our best health and almost every adult could benefit from taking them!
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is so important for our immune system. It acts like a hormone and we have found receptors everywhere! We are still scratching the surface of what Vitamin D can do for us but decreased asthma attacks, decreased incidence of common cold. It is also being studied in the treatment and prevention of high blood pressure, heart attacks, congestive heart failure, lots of cancers, bone health, Multiple Sclerosis and Type 1 and 2 Diabetes. The threshold for toxicity is high. You’d have to take 10,000IU daily for some time at least to come close to reaching toxic levels and Vitamin D is easy for our healthcare provider to monitor with regular blood tests.
Magnesium
Magnesium is the 4th most abundant mineral in the human body and magnesium binding sites have been found on over 3,700 different human cells. It plays a role in about 80% of our body’s metabolic processes. (Goodman 2014). Going back to high school anatomy, ATP (adenosine triphosphate),is the energy source of the cells. But the cells need magnesium for us to access the ATP. It can actually be tough to measure accurately through blood testing since only about 1% of our magnesium is in the blood at any given time. Different studies put the risk of magnesium deficiency at 50% – 80% of our US population. Disease like diabetes and diets that include sodas and sports drinks with high fructose corn syrup can increase our risk further.
Magnesium helps with muscle movement, immune system functioning, strong bones and teeth, blood pressure regulation, blood sugar regulation, lipids, asthma, and so much more.
Probiotics
Finally probiotics. Wow We think probably 85% of our immune system is in the gut supported by probiotics. We can help everything from fighting off the common cold and allergies, asthma, eczema, irritable bowel, diarrhea, Yeast infections, urinary tract infections, autoimmune disease, cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol, obesity (yes, probiotics can help weight loss) Cancers, kidney stones, tooth decay, gum disease and we think even dementia. The relationship between probiotics and the immune system is very complex and still a young science.
Probiotics Contribute to Our Health By:
- Produce antimicrobial compounds in the gut that kill and crowd out “undesirable’ microbes.
- Probiotics send messages to our immune system that help our body decrease inflammation
- Probiotics help decrease allergic responses by encouraging our immune system to make declare foreign substances as harmless rather than launch allergic responses.
Cautions for Probiotic Use
Probiotic use should be discussed with your favorite healthcare provider if you: are pregnant, have an immunodeficiency disease, are taking immunpsuppressing drugs or infusions, are being treated for active cancer through chemo or radiation, are being evaluated or treated for a serious digestive tract disorder, or have had bad reactions to probiotics in the past.
We’re still figuring out which probiotics strains are most helpful and how many strains should be taken. Most recommendations suggest 6-20 billion Colony forming Units (CFU’s) daily. Children should have a probiotic specifically formulated for their age. And as much as I’m a fan of Amazon -probiotics are living bacteria so buy from a trusted source where you know they’ve been safely stored or even refrigerated. If probiotics get too hot the microbes can die and won’t be helpful when you take them.
In Summary
Almost every adult could benefit from including these 3 supplements into their daily intake. But like everything else. We are all individuals. We’ll talk about specific supplements based on age and diet in future articles!
Works Cited
Goodman, D. (2014). Magnificent magnesium: your essential key to a healthy heart and more. Garden City Park, NY: Square One Publishers.
Huffnagle, G. B., & Wernick, S. (2008). The probiotics revolution: the definitive guide to safe, natural health solutions using probiotic and prebiotic foods and supplements. New York: Bantam Books.
