Let's start with vitamins and minerals. The latter are very popular supplements: multivitamins, zinc, magnesium, etc. It should be understood that these products are intended to compensate for a possible deficiency or simply to allow the optimization of a metabolic pathway. This will facilitate balance in the human body, optimize mental/physical health and maximize performance. The average North American rarely has optimal vitamin and mineral intake and in many cases we will see several deficiencies: magnesium, zinc, vitamin D, iron and vitamin B12. Fortunately, the system can function with these deficiencies, but they will cause or weaken several metabolic processes, positioning the human being in a bad position to optimize their health. An interesting principle to remember is that for minerals, the body does not use mega doses efficiently: it is better to take several capsules at different times, than all the capsules at once.
Second category, supplements for athletes. Pre-workout, amino acids, creatine: they all have interesting uses. Unfortunately, they are often used to compensate for bad lifestyle habits or poor diet. These formulas are meant to be taken on top of the efforts you put in on a day-to-day basis to allow you to reach a higher level.
Pre-workout formulas with caffeine can even be one of these products if they are used to maximize your performance and not because you sleep poorly or your recovery is inadequate. If pre-workout helps you train, you should instead work to optimize your sleep by starting with better lifestyle habits. Taking a quality magnesium supplement and professional advice would also be necessary.
Supplements like BCAAs, EAAs, and other amino acid formulas all have a use at one time or another, but if your lunch was 2 poptarts and a glass of milk, you probably won't get the full benefit. . If you have a good diet and healthy lifestyle, you'll be surprised at how effective athlete supplements are when used properly.
The last category, therapeutic/specialty products. Products of this type are used for specific conditions: stress management, sleep, digestive disorders, mood disorders and hormonal imbalances. Fortunately, there are more and more people who are able to advise you on the use of these products which, in many cases, prove to be very effective in facilitating the resolution of a specific condition.
For example, supplementing with fiber and optimizing your bowel habits is one of the first things you should look at if you have cellulite and swollen legs. If your motivation to train or your energy level during the day is inadequate, instead of going for a fourth coffee, you should instead opt for an adaptogen formula to help better manage your energy and a sleep formula to have a better quality sleep (and thus help your body to recover better).
This article is only a tiny part of how useful dietary supplements are, as it would be next to impossible to be able to summarize the thousands of specific compounds, plants, vitamins, minerals and amino acids in one article. I hope you understand better what your dietary supplements are for and if you would like an article on a particular subject, you can leave it in the comments.
