Vitamin/mineral supplement users experience fewer sick days!
BY STEVE BORN
A remarkable new report published in the journal Nutrients1—one that should garner front page headlines (but probably won’t)—provides these eye-opening results:
- Compared to study participants taking a placebo, the participants who took a multivitamin/mineral supplement had a 60+% reduction in the number of sick days!
- Those same participants also reported fewer and milder illness-related symptoms!
This important research provides even more powerful validity to the importance of vitamin and mineral supplementation, while also adding one more nail in the “you can get all the nutrients you need from a balanced diet” coffin.
This recent study involved healthy participants between 55 and 75 years of age. For 12 weeks, one group received a daily multivitamin/mineral supplement, while the other received an inactive placebo. Before and after this period, researchers measured the participants’ blood vitamin/mineral status and various markers of immune function.
At the end of the study, the researchers noted that the participants who took the multivitamin/mineral supplement experienced an average of 2.29 sick days, while the placebo group averaged 6.43 days of illness. It was also noted that the multivitamin/mineral supplement group experienced fewer illness symptoms than the placebo group and that those symptoms were noticeably milder.
In the published report, researchers made some notable comments:
- “Since multiple nutrients support immune function, older adults may benefit from multivitamin and mineral (MVM) supplements.”2
- “Generally regarded as safe and readily available over-the-counter, dietary supplements have been used with few significant side effects in clinical studies.”3
- “Although conflicting and contradictory studies exist, there is evidence suggesting that dietary supplementation with a combination of immunity-related micronutrients supports immune function and reduces risk or severity of infection.”3
- “Indeed, targeted supplementation with these vitamins and minerals may provide additional protection at doses higher than the U.S. recommended dietary allowance (RDA).”4
Thoughts from Hammer Nutrition
We have never deviated from our position that consuming the healthiest possible diet is top priority. This means:
- Eating whole grains and locally grown organic fruits and vegetables as much as possible
- Avoiding packaged, processed foods and junk foods at all times
- Low-sodium, minimal-to-no simple sugars (glucose, sucrose, fructose, etc.), and no artificial sweeteners, colors, flavors, and preservatives
When it comes to the diet, our battle cry has always been “the quality of the calories you consume always matters.”
Still, though many so-called experts will tell you, “You don’t need to take vitamins; just eat a good, balanced diet,” the fact is that “the balanced diet” is a myth; you cannot obtain all of the nutrients your body requires solely from your diet. Here's why:
- There has never been a single clinical study that documents what comprises a balanced diet nor one that has demonstrated one's ability to meet basic nutrient requirements through whole foods alone.
- Studies show that food alone does not supply all the micronutrients we need to prevent deficiency, let alone achieve optimal health. Nutritional scientist, Bruce Ames, bluntly states, “Inadequate dietary intakes of vitamins and minerals are widespread, most likely due to excessive consumption of energy-rich, micronutrient-poor, refined food. Inadequate intakes may result in chronic metabolic disruption, including mitochondrial decay.”5 Another study concluded: "Nearly the entire U.S. population consumes a diet that is not on par with recommendations.”6
- Even if we could obtain all the nutrients we need from our diet, it's highly unlikely that any of us eats an ideal diet as consistently as we think we do. Dr. Dagfinn Aune states: “Our results suggest that although five portions of fruit and vegetables is good, ten a day is even better.”7 Do any of us ever come close to that? And daily? Most likely no and no!
We believe that the primary reason to try and eat the healthiest diet possible—primarily a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables—is NOT so much for their vitamin and mineral content, but instead for the nearly countless health-benefiting phytochemicals that are only found in fruits and vegetables.
Bottom Line: To look, feel, and perform your best, the first step is always a diet dominated by nutrient-dense whole foods. But that alone will not suffice. To achieve your best performances in your workouts and events—and, even more importantly, enjoy optimal health, which, as this study’s results show, could very well mean fewer sick days—then daily supplementation is a necessity, not an option.
The solution—Premium Insurance Caps
Every person—regardless of age, activity level, or dietary habits—will benefit greatly from the daily use of Premium Insurance Caps. Our potent multivitamin and mineral supplement contains Optimum Daily Intake amounts (not the bare-bones-minimum Recommended Daily Allowance or Daily Value amounts) of highly absorbable vitamins, minerals, and key auxiliary nutrients. Premium Insurance Caps is specifically formulated to fill in the gaps left by the modern diet. A few daily doses of 2-or more capsules are a surefire way to ensure that you have what you need to thrive.
REFERENCES:
[1] https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/8/2447/htm
[2] Maggini, S.; Pierre, A.; Calder, P.C. Immune Function and Micronutrient Requirements Change over the Life Course. Nutrients 2018, 10, 1531.
[3] Gombart, A.F.; Pierre, A.; Maggini, S. A Review of Micronutrients and the Immune System-Working in Harmony to Reduce the Risk of Infection. Nutrients 2020, 12, 236.
[4] Calder, P.C.; Carr, A.C.; Gombart, A.F.; Eggersdorfer, M. Optimal Nutritional Status for a Well-Functioning Immune System Is an Important Factor to Protect against Viral Infections. Nutrients 2020, 12, 1181.
[5] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17101959/
[6] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2937576/
[7] Dagfinn Aune, Edward Giovannucci, Paolo Boffetta, Lars T. Fadnes, NaNa Keum, Teresa Norat, Darren C. Greenwood, Elio Riboli, Lars J. Vatten, Serena Tonstad. Fruit and vegetable intake and the risk of cardiovascular disease, total cancer and all-cause mortality–a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies. International Journal of Epidemiology, 2017; DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyw319
