Food Supplement

Food Supplement

Should you Supplement?

Even if you make perfect food choices every day, there still is reason to take a supplement.

Some antiaging nutrients are needed in amounts far greater than is realistically possible from diet alone. For example, the Alliance for Aging Research, a group of renowned scientists from major research institutions such as the University of California at Berkeley and Tufts University in Boston, recommends adults consume daily:

25 to 1,000 milligrams of
Vitamin C
100 to 400 international units
of vitamin E
10 to 30 milligrams of
beta-carotene


(People who smoke should consult with their physicians before supplementing with beta-carotene.)

Although you can meet the lower levels for vitamin C beta-carotene by munching on six to eight fruits and vegetables every day, you must guzzle one cup of safflower oil or feast on 21 cups of spinach daily-not likely!-to consume even 124 international units of vitamin E.

Requirements for other nutrients, such as vitamin D and vitamin B 12, escalate as we age, often to levels not likely to be achieved from food alone. Consequently, for people who cannot always eat perfectly or for those who want to ensure they receive an extra nutritional boost, there is reason to supplement-wisely and moderately.