Is it better to get nutrients from food or supplements?

There’s no denying that a healthy, well-balanced diet is one of the cornerstones of a healthy, long life. Vitamins, nutrients and minerals may be small but they serve an extremely important role in keeping our bodies functioning correctly. From our brains to our bones and everything in between, different vitamins and nutrients serve different functions so it’s vital that we get enough of what we need. If we don’t, we can suffer serious side effects that negatively impact our day-to-day health as well as causing long-term issues. While supplements should never replace a healthy diet, there are times when they're necessary. For example, some medical conditions prevent the body from naturally absorbing enough of a specific nutrient and supplementation is the only way to get it in high enough doses. Other factors such as long working hours, frequent travel, dietary restrictions and ethical ideals can all affect our ability to maintain a healthy and varied diet. Which is why supplements can be so useful.

How the body uses nutrients

When we eat food, our digestive system and enzymes work to separate different nutrients for different purposes. Our bodies take what they need and usually throw away the rest through waste. With some nutrients, such as Vitamin A, our bodies store any excess for future use which means we don’t need to consume it every day. In contrast, Thiamin (Vitamin B1) cannot be stored in the body, so we need it in our diet every day. Some nutrients are more easily absorbed by the body than others and our bodies require different amounts of different nutrients. For example, the required amount of Vitamin K, a group of vitamins that the body needs for blood clotting and helping wounds to heal, is entirely dependent on a person’s weight. Adults need around 1 microgram a day of Vitamin K for each kilogram of their body weight so someone who weighs 70kg will need 70 micrograms every single day. There is so much variation in how our bodies get, process and use different nutrients, this is why supplements can be beneficial to us.

Food vs supplements

As we said previously, nothing can beat a healthy and varied diet, however taking supplements in conjunction with eating well is a great way to ensure that you’re getting all the vitamins and nutrients that your body needs. This combined approach means you’re getting the best of both worlds and means if you’re ill, unable to access healthy food or you’re simply too busy to worry about what you’re eating - you’re still providing your body with everything that it needs to perform at its best.

NAD+ supplements

NAD+ is something that naturally exists in all our living cells and helps to manage our energy levels, as well as having numerous therapeutic benefits. These include:

• Anti-ageing
• Cell regeneration
• Skin brightening
• Weight loss
• Sleep deprivation
• Improved concentration & focus
• Energy level increase

While there are ways to increase NAD+ levels naturally, for some people the ease and convenience of a supplement is a much better option. The great thing about NAD+ supplements is that unlike other nutrients such as iron and Vitamin A, there is no danger of taking too much. So you can top up your NAD+ levels daily without worrying about damaging your body.