The Best Recommendation - Bone Health

Bone health. When your mom told you to finish your milk so that you would “grow up to have strong bones,” you may have rolled your eyes, but she was right. Calcium is essential for bone health, and research consistently shows that Americans don’t get enough of it in their diet.

Attention to bone health is vital at all stages of life—during the growing years (childhood and teens) when the body is building bone, during the middle years when the body needs to maintain bone mass, and in the aging years when the body is slowly losing bone.

With advancing years, the risk for Osteoporosis—a chronic condition characterized by loss of bone mineral density—increases. Bones can become so frail that they break—and not just in women. Men also suffer bone loss, and can fall victim to fractures.

Supplements to consider:

• Calcium and Vitamin D are the most recognized key nutrients for strengthening bones
• Magnesium is also a key component of bone
• Vitamin K is involved in bone formation
• Vitamin C is essential for making collagen
• Structural protein found in bones

The Best Recommendation - Cholesterol Check

Another component to a healthy heart is maintaining a healthy cholesterol level. Many factors that you can’t control, such as age and genetic make-up, impact your cholesterol levels, but there are things you can do to keep cholesterol levels from getting too high, starting with a healthy diet. Eating lots of fruits and vegetables and whole grains, using olive oil instead of other fats, and including plenty of fish would all be excellent components of a healthy diet.

Supplements to consider:

Soluble fiber is recognized for its cholesterol-lowering effects and fiber supplements are available if you do not already include plenty of fiber in your diet. Soy protein, phytosterols, and stanol or sterol esters also have a cholesterol-lowering effect.
Red Yeast Rice
and Niacin is an excellent, very effective, combination.

The Best Recommendation - Heart Health

Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of men and women in the United States. Much of what we do in our 20s and 30s can greatly affect our heart later on in life, meaning that attempts to protect against cardiovascular disease are far more effective when preventative measures are adopted as lifelong habits—the earlier the better.
These measures include:

• Eating well,
• Taking supplements,
• Getting plenty of exercise,
• Managing stress levels.

Supplements to Consider:
Omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) found in “fatty” fish (like salmon) and some fish oil supplements are known to affect more than a dozen characteristics that contribute to a healthy heart.

• They reduce inflammation,
• Reduce the tendency to form clots,
• Decrease the likelihood of developing cardiac arrhythmia,
• And at high levels lower triglyceride levels.

American Heart Organization

Observational studies suggest that individuals consuming large amounts of fish and/or who have high blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids have a greatly reduced risk of sudden death from heart attack. Clinical trials indicate that even people who already have heart disease are less likely to suffer a second cardiac event if they are given fish oils containing EPA and DHA.

Most Americans eat very little fish and therefore have low intakes of omega-3 fatty acids, which are “good” fats. Supplements in the form of fish oils can help fill that gap. Other supplements to consider for heart health include vitamin E and the B vitamins. Observational studies suggest benefits for heart health from taking at least 200 IU of vitamin E per day—an amount impossible to obtain from diet alone.

And observational studies have shown that generous amounts of B vitamins, such as folic acid and vitamins B6 and B12, can lower homocysteine, which may help prevent heart attacks, although that has not been borne out by recent clinical trials.

The Best Recommendation - Joint Health

About 21 million adults have osteoarthritis—a degenerative joint condition resulting in the loss of cartilage that covers and cushions the joints.

This leads to achy joints and could ultimately require a corrective surgical procedure, such as hip or knee replacement. Though joint pain and discomfort are typically associated with people of advancing years, athletes involved in high impact training, such as runners, are also affected and are at high risk for osteoarthritis later in life.

The condition also appears to have a hereditary component so even the weekend warrior and the couch potato could be affected by joint pain and discomfort.

Supplements to consider:
Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate are important contributors to joint health.

There is a strong body of human clinical trials that supports the safe use of glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, or their combination for significant and long-lasting decreases in joint pain and improvements in mobility.

The Best Recommendation - Supplements

According to an article published by LifeSupplemented.Org the majority of physicians —79 percent — recommend supplements to their patients.

A Healthcare Professionals (HCP) Impact Study was conducted.

What are the primary health reasons physicians recommend supplements?
The top five health reasons physicians recommend supplements to their patients are*:

• Bone health.
• Overall health and wellness benefits.
• Joint health.
• Heart Health.
• Maintain healthy cholesterol.

While the survey did not ask physicians to specify which supplements they might recommend for each condition, some supplements are recognized to help maintain optimal health in each of these areas. Annette Dickinson, Ph.D., consultant to the LifeSsupplemented.Org consumer wellness campaign, suggests some supplements to consider taking to improve health in these five areas:

Now that you know the top five reasons physicians are recommending supplements, take a look at the top supplements used by the 72 percent of physicians who say they use dietary supplements:

Dietary Supplement Percentage Taking

• Multivitamin 87%
• Vitamin C 78%
• B vitamins 63%
• Vitamin D 59%
• Vitamin E 58%
• Calcium 58%

Reference:
Source: http://www.lifesupplemented.org/articles, Posted Dep 16, 2008
Author: www.lifesupplemented.org
Article Name: Physicians Prescribe Prevention