Why Supplement?
By Dr. Damian Rodriguez, DHSc, MS
Dietary supplementation is one of the most hotly debated topics in nutrition, and that isn’ t likely to end anytime soon. Depending on the study you are examining or the person you ask, supplements are either absolutely critical for optimum health or are not likely to make a tangible impact on your health. What is not disputable is the fact that many diets promote nutrient deficiencies, which have a definitive impact on countless markers of health. Whether you are an elite athlete or Average Joe just looking for convenient and cost-effective ways to improve your daily well-being, there are few easier ways to accomplish this than by integrating dōTERRA Lifelong Vitality Pack™( LLV) into your daily routine— and dōTERRA scientists have gathered the clinical data that explains why.
Let’ s examine why people take dietary supplements. According to data collected from the 2007 – 2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey( NHANES), most regular users of supplements state that they do so to maintain overall health, for bone health, and to support heart health as they age( 1). The most common daily supplement? While overall use of dietary supplements varies greatly between countries, specifically with higher use in northern European nations, a full spectrum multivitamin / multimineral is the most common with an essential fatty acid supplement( such as xEO Mega™) ranking as the most common“ specialty supplement”( 2). This makes sense, as our concerns regarding bone and heart health tend to increase with the natural aging process and recent research suggests that full spectrum multivitamin / multimineral and omega-3 supplementation may be of benefit when addressing these issues( 3).
Designed to be the perfect complement to a balanced, whole food diet, LLV is a product that everybody should be familiar with. Consisting of Microplex VMz™ Food Nutrient Complex, xEO Mega™ Essential Oil Omega Complex, and Alpha CRS™ Cellular Vitality Complex, LLV has a number of clinically supported health benefits. Accepted for publication in the Journal of Dietary Supplements, a two-month clinical trial showed that those who supplement their normal diet with LLV may experience significant improvements in several biomarkers of cardiovascular health, antioxidant status, inflammation levels, and blood glucose regulation.* Measured via blood sample, participants in the LLV clinical trial showed improvements in LDL / HDL cholesterol ratio, fasting insulin, and triglycerides.* Furthermore, they reported improved subjective measures of wellbeing, such as mental clarity, energy, motivation, and overall happiness.*
While there is no ignoring that the foundation of health is a healthy, balanced, whole food diet, there are a few reasons we could all benefit by integrating LLV into our daily lives.
NUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES
According to the KORA-AGE study, a population based examination of multiple factors of health in Europeans, more than half of European adults are deficient in vitamin D and nearly one-third are deficient in vitamin B12( 4). Even more alarming, as a side effect of the contemporary diet rich in highly processed foods, omega-6 / omega-3 ratio is typically 16:1( or more) while recommendations suggest, for optimum health, that we aim for closer to 1:1( 5). The best solution is to change dietary behaviours, but that is often much easier said than done. LLV with breakfast and an evening meal can be a convenient and cost-effective means to address this issue.
CELLULAR HEALTH
Research has shown that daily multivitamin supplementation may improve cellular health in otherwise healthy individuals. The Physician’ s Health Study II, a random ised, double-blind, placebocontrolled trial involving nearly 15,000 participants over 14 years, found strong data to suggest that those who committed to daily supplementation had fewer nutrient deficiencies and negative markers of cellular health. If you want to support health and well-being at the most fundamental level, there is evidence that daily supplementation is one way to do it.
24 / EUROPE LIVING MAGAZINE