Are you taking dietary supplements but not sure if they are having any effect on your health? It can be difficult to tell if the supplements you are taking are working or not. Fortunately, there are ways to determine if your supplements are effective. The first step is to talk to your doctor and get a blood test. This will help you identify any vitamin or mineral deficiencies you may have and provide a baseline against which you can measure the benefits of your multivitamin.
Make sure to schedule follow-up laboratory tests 30 days after starting a new multivitamin regimen. In some cases, you may be able to tell if the supplement is working. For example, if you start taking iron supplements and feel less tired than before, it could be working. However, it is still important to talk to your doctor and re-evaluate your nutrient levels.
The same could be said for probiotics. Objective testing can detect discrepancies that don't present symptoms, and monitoring symptoms can indicate a problem, even if blood tests appear to be OK. In Canada, dietary supplements are regulated by the Natural and Over-the-Counter Health Products Authority (NNHPD).You may have heard that craving certain foods indicates that your body needs a specific supplement. For example, a lactose-intolerant person or a person with a milk allergy might consider adding a calcium and vitamin D supplement for optimal bone health. If you want to make sure that your supplements will work, it is important to buy products from an accredited brand with third-party certifications. Gans, who works with MegaFood vitamins and supplements, points out that they are “made with real food from trusted agricultural partners, in addition to added nutrients, and offer up to nine certifications of purity and safety”.
The company also tests for more than 125 herbicides and pesticides, and it is the only supplement brand that has its entire line certified free of glyphosate residues. It is also important to note that incorrect storage can compromise the effectiveness of supplements and they won't work as well as they could or should. Additionally, vitamin and supplement manufacturers can't claim that their products can reverse, prevent, or diagnose any disease or condition. Finally, it is important to monitor your symptoms on your own to get a better idea of if your supplements are effective. Your doctor may also recommend that you switch to a new supplement or stop taking it completely. In some cases, such as with antioxidant supplements like vitamins C and E, taking them may reduce the effectiveness of some types of chemotherapy. By following these steps, you can determine if your supplements are working or not.
