The Supplementation Sweet Spot, Part Two

We’ve got the beginning of our sweet spot for supplementation started with a multivitamin-multimineral and probiotics; today I’ll finish it up with two more—depending.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Recommendations on the type of omega-3s seem to be in flux with disagreements over docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The cause for concern seems to be the potential relationship between DHA and atrial fibrillation. I’m still not satisfied as to the relevancy of the risk in the general population with one exception: those people who’ve had myocardial infarctions (heart attacks) that resulted in the loss of heart muscle. For now, those people may want to be cautious. My research continues and when I have an answer, so will you.

Unless you regularly eat servings of cold-water fish two or three times a week, part of your foundation supplementation should be 1–3 grams of EPA, DHA, or the plant-sourced alpha linoleic acid (ALA), or a combination of all three. You can pick any body system, and omega-3s are most likely beneficial. This is especially true of the cardiovascular and nervous systems.

Vitamin D

The final foundation supplement that makes up our sweet spot is vitamin D but with a catch. Instead of taking massive amounts of vitamin D, the best way to determine whether you need to supplement with vitamin D is to get your blood levels checked via a 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) blood test. If you’re low in vitamin D, below 30 ng/mL, add more vitamin D to your supplements in 50 mcg (2,000 IU) increments until your blood level reaches 40–60 ng/mL. Obviously, you need to see your doctor for the test, but you should be seeing your doctor regularly anyway.

Depending on where you live, sunlight will help you maintain healthy vitamin D levels with about 15 minutes exposure per day. However, in Northern areas such as here in Grand Rapids, that only happens about half the year, so we make sure to take our vitamin D supplement and bump it up a little in winter.

More

Vitamin D has become controversial with the current COVID-19 outbreak. Vitamin D will not prevent you from catching COVID-19; it will help reduce the severity of symptoms. But megadosing on vitamin D can have consequences that can result in bone loss. That’s why basing your intake on a blood test is the right way to go.

The Bottom Line

There you have the sweet spot for foundation supplements that all of us need, regardless of the quality of our diet. What about all those other supplements out there? Fine tuning supplementation to meet your personal needs is where supplements get complicated and need to be personalized. With the billions of dollars spent on supplements every year, if everyone began with the sweet spot of foundation nutrients, everyone would be better off, just like the sweet spots for diet and exercise.

If you want to know more about the science behind these supplements as well as how to assess a quality manufacturer, get a digital copy of Supplementing Your Diet; if you want to pass along the information to others, get a 5-pack of CDs at reduced prices. They’re all on sale at 25% off, and that’s in addition to Member and Insider discounts. You can also find info on supplementation for other conditions such as high blood pressure, pregnancy, migraines, weight loss, and more at the Store at drchet.com.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet