In an ideal world, your body would get all the nutrients it requires from the food and drink you consume. Aiming to achieve this with a nutritious, varied diet is a worthy goal, but some people need a little help to ensure they get everything they need.
That might include nutritional supplements — specific micronutrients like vitamins and minerals in combinations that match your body’s deficiencies.
At Hopkins MD, our internists, nurse practitioners, and wellness coach work together to ensure you get all the nutritional support required for optimal health. We determine which nutrients your body lacks and why, then design a personalized nutrition plan to raise your micronutrient levels safely.
Many people think that nutritional supplements can lengthen life, restore youth, and cure disease, but it’s not as simple as that. While micronutrient deficiencies do have significant effects, supplements can’t perform miracles.
There are also good reasons to avoid over-supplementation, because, like most things, micronutrients can be harmful if you take too many. It can also be tricky to self-prescribe supplements accurately.
If you opt for a daily broad spectrum multivitamin and mineral supplement, it may not have the desired effects. You might get too much of certain substances and not have enough of others.
That’s why we recommend an assessment with one of our highly skilled staff before you take any supplements. We can isolate any deficiencies with a simple blood test, determine what dietary changes you should make, and accurately prescribe any supplements you require.
Common reasons we prescribe supplements to patients at Hopkins MD include the following:
You must cut calories to shed excess weight, but it can be difficult to maintain micronutrient levels when you’re on a restricted diet. We recommend products like OmegaHealth® super-high dose omega-3 fatty acids and Metaboost® nutraceuticals to help you lose weight safely.
OmegaHealth lowers cholesterol and triglycerides (fats) and reduces blood pressure. Metaboost lowers insulin and blood glucose levels and decreases appetite. We may prescribe other vitamins and minerals depending on your blood test results.
When you’re trying to conceive and first become pregnant, you should take a folic acid supplement. This synthetic form of folate or vitamin B9 helps prevent neural tube defects in unborn babies. And the omega-3 fatty acids lower the risk of preterm birth.
Some people limit their diet in certain ways, which can lead to deficiencies. For example, you might dislike certain foods that contain valuable nutrients or have an eating disorder that limits your food intake.
Plant-based diets are increasingly popular now, and while they’re highly nutritious when properly balanced, they can lack vitamin B12 because it's only found in products derived from animals. B12 deficiency can lead to pernicious anemia.
Long-term health problems can sometimes cause dietary deficiencies. For instance, Crohn’s disease and celiac disease cause issues like chronic diarrhea and malabsorption, where your body can’t extract all the nutrients it needs from your diet.
Or, you might need extra vitamins and minerals to boost your body’s ability to cope with a disease like cancer or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
Older adults require specific vitamins and minerals as they age. Common examples include vitamin D and calcium for bone health and vitamin B12 for anemia. Omega-3 fatty acids might help if you have heart disease, and the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) formula, which contains vitamins C and E, lutein, zinc, copper, and zeaxanthin, slows sight loss for people with age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
The best way to know for sure whether you need a supplement or not is to visit Hopkins MD for an evaluation. Call our friendly staff to arrange an appointment today.
