frequently asked questions
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Is it Necessary to Take Supplements?
The reality is that it’s necessary to take supplements to be healthy, to diminish the risk of diseases and poor health, and to potentially increase vitally important measures such as lifespan (how long you’ll live) healthy aging (a high degree of function and wellness well into advanced age), and quality of life (a sense of deep satisfaction with your day-to-day life).
Why Are Supplements Necessary?
Nutrition is powerful medicine. It's key to experiencing long-term optimal health, which is why it's concerning that nutrient deficiencies are the rule, not the exception. This is true of all countries, even those where food is plentiful. Numerous factors contribute to nutrient deficiencies. Soils have become increasingly depleted of nutrients since the Industrial Revolution. Stress, environmental toxins and oxidative stress deplete our bodies of nutrients, and processed foods have largely supplanted healthy, well-balanced meals. And even if you do rely on wholesome foods, no diet can provide for all your nutritional needs.
Another critical factor is that humans live twice as long as they did in 1880. The effects of nutrient deficiencies are cumulative and often don't become manifest for years, even decades. When these factors are considered, it's clear that dietary supplements are necessary to sustain a high degree of health, especially into advanced age. Given nutrition's fundamental importance in our lives, it stands to reason that using high-quality dietary supplements is essential to a long, happy and healthy life.
Isn't it Best to Take Large Doses of Supplements?
Even though taking high-dose supplements is common, there are more effective means of supplying your cells with ample amounts of the micronutrients they require each day. The whole point of taking supplements is to provide critical micronutrients to every cell in your body. When we take supplements in large doses—for example, a multivitamin containing several micronutrients, a vitamin C tablet or a magnesium capsule—those micronutrients must be assimilated. In other words, they have to pass through the small intestinal wall and enter the blood.
Assimilation is the crucial first step in providing your body with nutrients. While some micronutrients can easily assimilate into the blood, others are poorly assimilated, even in large doses. This may seem counterintuitive, but consuming supplements in large doses can actually hinder assimilation.
One of the main reasons for this is the competition among nutrients for carrier molecules. For instance, if you consume a large dose of fat-soluble vitamins, those with the highest affinity for carrier molecules will be absorbed into the blood. However, those with a lower affinity will not bind with transport molecules and will be excreted from the body before reaching the cells. This is just one example of how consuming large doses of vitamins and minerals may not effectively deliver them to the cells.
Nutrients are shuttled out of the gastrointestinal tract and into the blood by transporters. But once nutrients are in the blood, they have to attach to carrier molecules to cross what’s known as the blood-brain barrier to enter the brain and spinal cord. As an example, the sodium-dependent multivitamin transporter is responsible for shuttling vitamins B5 and B7, as well as iodine into the brain. Taking a megadose of supplements can saturate these receptors with one nutrient, interfering with the transport of others into the brain and the rest of the body.
Furthermore, it’s common to supplement with things like alpha lipoic acid. Unfortunately, ALA competes with other nutrients for receptors and can interfere with nutrient absorption, especially in large doses. Again and again, we see that taking supplements in large doses clogs up the works and can interfere with getting nutrients into the cells.
What is Serum Half-Life?
Serum half-life is the time it takes for half of supplements, nutrients, medications, and other chemicals to be cleared from the blood. The longer something remains in the blood, the greater the chances that it will be absorbed into the cells. Many micronutrients, including the B and C vitamins, as well as zinc, have a half-life of roughly 30 minutes.
Given the challenge posed by the short half-life of many essential micronutrients, it's crucial to supplement with them in smaller doses throughout the day. This approach ensures a steady supply of these nutrients, increasing the chances of their absorption by the cells.
What Are Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms?
Think of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as tiny variations in the 'N' part of our DNA, much like slight variations in the size or color of bricks in a wall. These variations, or SNPs, can slightly alter the structure of our DNA.
An astounding 84.7 million SNPs affect the human genome[i]. Fortunately, most SNPs (pronounced snips) don't adversely affect gene expression. However, some SNPs impair genetic expression, resulting in genetically mediated health issues. Examples include the MTHFR (methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase) and cystathionine beta-synthase (CBS) SNPs.
Recent research shows that SNPs commonly impair how micronutrients are assimilated from the gastrointestinal tract, transported in the blood, and absorbed by the cells. Thus, SNPs negatively impact our health by causing nutrient deficiencies that vary from person to person and can be difficult to detect.
[i] The 1000 Genomes Project Consortium. A global reference for human genetic variation. Nature 526, 68–74 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature15393
Is DHA and EPA From Algae Absorbed Into the Cells?
Yes! A growing body of recent scientific evidence shows that the omega-3 oils DHA and EPA in various algae products are readily absorbed into your cells. Salmon and other seafood species consume algae, causing the vital omega-3 oils DHA and EPA to accumulate in their tissues. Thus, by consuming algae rich in DHA and EPA, you'll supply your cells with these beneficial oils.