Recently we had the opportunity to speak for a local group on stress. Questions eventually turned to dietary habits, weight loss, and do we really need to supplement out diets with nutritional products. Our bodies work on a spectrum and not in the place of either or. For a long time medicine has looked at health as either sick enough for a diagnosis or healthy enough to wait for our next blood draw to see if we are sick. Functional medicine is changing the way we are seeing our bodies and showing us unique responses to deficiencies and sub optimal levels of vitamins and minerals. For example recent researchshows that just having vitamin and mineral deficiencies will lead to persistent inflammation, weight gain, and more difficulty with weight loss. When you are looking at your daily calories, how many miles you ran or that pool of sweat on the floor and finding frustration in the scale don’t be frustrated with yourself, you may be working hard enough but you may be nutritionally depleted and your body does not have the ability to lose the weight. How can I have a deficiency when I eat well? Only supplementation was able to significantly boost nutrient levels and confer beneficial effects on general welfare, physical performance, and resistance to infections. Therefore, it appears that nutritional supplements are advisable for everyone…food is too weak to replete depleted cells and bodies.” A healthy diet is important but making sure you are covering your bases with basic supplementation can make a big difference in your ability to reach your health goals. Keep up the hard work.

August 2015 issue of kkThe FASEB Journal
Advances in Therapy, Volume 24, Number 5/September, 2007