Nutrients Working In Synergy
Colin Witchard
Helping add years to your life and life to your years. Founder & CEO|Health &Wellness Consultant
Science fiction writers predicted that humans would receive all their nutrition from a range of pills and powders, instead of food. As the years have passed, however, the complexities of nutrition and the human bodily system have become more widely known. It has become more apparent that there is no substitute for unrefined, unprocessed ‘whole’ foods, and the need for a varied diet.
Unfortunately, a misleading picture has emerged from the vast majority of research because the focus has been on the effects on health of single nutrients, in isolation.
A Broad Spectrum of Vitamins and Minerals and a Balance of Nutrients
In natural foods the broad spectrum of vitamins, minerals, essential and other beneficial nutrients is difficult to replicate artificially. Not only that, but the ways in which naturally occurring nutrients interact with each other is still being researched, and is not yet fully understood. Our bodies require numbers of different nutrients to work in harmony with one another, in order to achieve particular biological outcomes, or to defend against particular diseases.??
?????????????????For example, deficiencies in any one of vitamin B6, vitamin B12, folic acid (vitamin B9), iron, or manganese can all contribute to anaemia.
Similarly, some nutrients will simply not work without their synergistic partners. Examples of this type of nutrient synergy can be found throughout nature, and within the natural food chain.
????????????????For example, antioxidants such as vitamin C, vitamin E, betacarotene (vitamin A) (and others such as glutathione, co-enzyme Q10, lipoic acid and anthocyanidins) work well in isolation, but are far more potent when taken in combination.
????????????????Another example is in the relationship between calcium and magnesium. Calcium is one of the most popular mineral supplements which is needed for strong bones and teeth. We are urged to drink milk and consume other dairy products to avoid, for example, osteoporosis. However, without magnesium, calcium is not efficiently utilised or absorbed into the body. Interestingly, there are very low levels of magnesium in cows’ milk. Therefore, despite the high levels of calcium in milk, it is probably better to source calcium from plant foods, which are naturally high in magnesium and vitamin D.
????????????????A further example is vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) which is useless until converted into pridoxal-5-phosphate, which is carried out by a zinc and magnesium dependent enzyme.
Food form supplements
It is abundantly clear that there is no substitute for eating a varied diet of fresh, locally sourced, seasonal and organic foods to achieve optimum nutrition. However, with modern living, and transportation and processing of most foods, this is extremely challenging to achieve. Supplementing our diet with vitamins, minerals and other nutrients could therefore be of benefit. To achieve the maximum benefit, it is important to opt for supplements that are as close to their natural ‘food state’ as possible. This requires processing to be kept as the barest minimum to protect the real food ingredients. Supplements produced with this care are referred to as food form supplements.
Similarly, for the reasons outlined, we should try to avoid diet supplements with just individual nutrients. We should, instead, choose multi-nutrient blends, which provide you with a broad spectrum of vitamins, minerals, essential fats, phyto-nutrients etc.
The principle of synergy is a fundamental aspect of the optimum nutrition approach. It should mean that you achieve much better results by eating the right foods with a lower intake of the right combination of supplements. This is the power of the synergistic effects of nutrients.
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