5 Types of Supplements

Supplements can help fill nutritional gaps if your diet is less-than-ideal; however, not all supplements are equal. What do you consider about stenabolic.

Dependent upon your lifestyle and health needs, five types of supplements might be helpful: Vitamins/Minerals, Specialty Herbs, Herbal Medicines, Sports Nutrition Supplements, and Weight Management Products. Here is what you should know about each category of dietary supplement:

Vitamins/Minerals

Vitamins and minerals are vital ingredients that work together to bolster everything from your immune system to bones. You can achieve most of your vitamin and mineral requirements through a well-rounded diet; however, dietary supplements can be taken to help meet recommended nutrient intakes (RDIs).

Many multivitamin and mineral products come in tablet, capsule, or soft gel forms for easy consumption. Tablets contain tightly packed ingredients; capsules or soft gels consist of one-piece supplements comprised of gelatin or vegetable-based gel that holds powdered or liquid supplements inside.

Fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K dissolve in fat to be stored by your body. In contrast, water-soluble ones like B12 and folic acid must be consumed regularly as any surplus will be excreted through urine. Furthermore, since some trace minerals such as chromium, copper, iron, and zinc cannot be produced naturally by your body, they must be obtained either through food sources or supplements.

Specialty

Supplements exist to help people absorb essential nutrients more effectively. Their purpose can vary depending on your digestive process and nutritional requirements, however; some forms are more effective than others based on these criteria; for instance, tablets are solid pills made of tightly packed ingredients; capsules have two parts that snap shut to hold powdered or liquid supplements inside; soft gels contain liquid supplements inside single piece gel-like pills made of gelatin or vegetable-based ingredients while soft gels consist of single pieces filled with liquid supplement.

Specialty supplements may address specific health conditions, like high blood pressure or rheumatoid arthritis. You can take these vitamins alone or with other vitamins and supplements. Before taking any new dietary supplement, please consult a healthcare provider, who can advise which form would work best for you.

Herbal

Herbal supplements are plant-derived products used to treat disease or promote health. Also referred to as botanical medicines or phytomedicines.

Multivitamins or supplements containing these ingredients, sold in powder or pill form, are becoming more widely consumed among athletes, as many believe their benefits outweigh any negatives caused by rigorous training regimens. While research on their efficacy remains limited, many athletes use them based on claims or recommendations of teammates.

Numerous herbal supplements may interact with prescription medications, leading to harmful or life-threatening side effects. Clinicians should ask their patients about dietary supplement use and recommend reliable sources on herb-drug interactions, keeping in mind that herbal ingredients can be as potency as pharmaceutical ones and should be handled accordingly.

Sports Nutrition

Athletes have specific nutritional needs that differ from those of the general population, depending on their sport and goals, such as increasing muscle mass or decreasing body fat. An ideal diet for athletes should consist of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

Carbs provide working muscles with energy. Each gram of carbohydrates provides four kilocalories of energy stored as glycogen in muscle and liver tissue, providing athletes with between 45-65% of total calorie needs from carbs as fuel for performance. Athletes should consume whole grains, fruits, and vegetables as sources of carbs.

Creatine is an amino acid that enhances the body’s energy use and may boost strength and power; naturally produced in the body but is also available as a supplement. Omega-3 fatty acids boost sports performance and can assist recovery after intense physical exertion; they are found in fish, flax and chia seeds, walnuts, and soybeans.

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