The father of medicine, Hippocrates, said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”. When you cannot get enough nutritional value from food sources, a nutraceutical supplement can be an effective solution for you.
In earlier times, people preferred consuming simple foods with fewer varieties and spices. During these times, individuals used to follow a healthy schedule, consisting of enough sleep and fewer distractions.
However, as time passed, life started getting a little more complex. Since today there is no lack of resources, people around the world are preferring unhealthy food. Some of them can be difficult to digest. And that’s why, most people lack essential nutrients like vitamins and minerals.
In this article, you’ll get to know how nutraceutical supplements benefit your health in multiple ways.
What Are Nutraceuticals?
Stephen DeFelice, the founder of the Foundation for Innovation in Medicine (FIM), coined the term, nutraceuticals, in 1989. The term comprises two terms: nutrient and pharmaceutical.
This particular term is used to describe products that are derived from food sources and benefit human health.
Nutraceutical supplements are significant in promoting general well-being. They add basic nutritional value that your body lacks.
These supplements are available in the form of liquid, tablet, and capsule. So, the human body can easily absorb them and get the result faster.
5 Benefits of Nutraceutical Supplements on Your Overall Health
There are different types of nutraceutical supplements offering a variety of benefits for your overall health. A few of the benefits are discussed below.
1. Boost Energy
Vitamins and minerals enhance the immune system and support the growth and development of the human body.
Nutraceutical supplements that include vitamins and minerals are beneficial in boosting your immunity. Group B vitamins and group D vitamins can keep you stay active. Minerals, like Iron, magnesium, zinc, etc., take part in energy production in your body.
Vitamin B12 is a significant vitamin for the human body. This vitamin can be obtained from eggs, fish, meat, and dairy products. Therefore, people who do not eat such foods can intake a nutraceutical supplement consisting of vitamin B12.
2. Reduce Chronic Inflammation
Inflammation plays a vital role in your immune system when an injury happens. However, chronic inflammation can damage healthy tissues and cells in many organs, such as the liver, lungs, brain, kidney, pancreas, etc. It can generate free radicals that can cause illness and aging by damaging cell tissues in the body.
Many supplements include fatty acids, amino acids, fiber, carbohydrates, etc in them. Health experts say that these supplements can reduce the risk of chronic inflammation. These supplements have some therapeutic properties which can slow down the formation of free radicals and reduce cellular damage.
3. Improve Mental Health
Dopamine and serotonin are the chemicals that transfer signals throughout the body. A combination of B12 and B9 plays a major role in enhancing the production of these two molecules.
The more you get older, the more your body can lack vitamin B12, which is essential for good mental health. Also, vitamin D has a significant role in establishing human moods. A deficiency of these two vitamins can increase the risk of several mental issues, like stress, anxiety, or depression.
Taking a nutraceutical supplement with vitamins B12 and D can fulfill the shortage of these essential vitamins. It is an easy way to get the vitamins your body needs.
4. Improve Vision & Eye Health
Supplements enriched with essential fatty acids help improve your vision and retinal function. Further, supplements with vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, copper, etc., are beneficial for improving your overall eye health.
Some poor eye conditions, such as visual disorders, glaucoma, etc., can be healed by taking probiotics supplements.
5. Improve Bone Health
Several reasons, such as a poor diet, age, hormonal changes, deficiency of vitamins and minerals, etc., weaken your bones. Also, these can lead to a critical situation, like osteoporosis, in which your bones can become weak, brittle, and fragile.
Besides aiding your physical and mental health, nutraceutical supplements effectively improve bone health. Such supplements that are enriched with calcium, magnesium, vitamin K, and minerals are notable in making your bones stronger.
Supplements with fatty acids can reduce a loss in bone mineral density. Regularly consuming calcium supplements of at least 1000 mg can increase bone density. Enough vitamin D and calcium in the body can lower the risk of developing osteoporosis.
The Bottom Line
No matter how balanced your diet is, there can be a deficiency of a particular nutrient in your body. It is easier for the body to derive the essential nutrients from a nutraceutical supplement than from the daily diet.
The explained benefits above show how nutraceuticals can significantly improve your physical, mental, and overall health.
In recent times, due to a complex lifestyle along with stress, human bodies develop multiple health issues. People are more likely to embrace products, like nutraceuticals, that have great therapeutic potential with less chance of toxicity.