In a century of fast foods and quick snacks, keeping your diet balanced is hard when you don't have an extra hour to treat yourself to a balanced meal. Even when you try to eat more healthy foods, you can still miss vital nutrients, leading to health disorders, fatigue, and poor work performance.

What can help you fix your nutrient balance is dietary supplements. They contain a concentrated nutrient dose to fight deficiency or increase your body's performance. Yet, they're still not so popular because people find it challenging to figure out what exactly to take. Statistics speak for themselves: in Europe, only every fifth citizen consumes supplements to complement regular meals.

Still, when chosen wisely, supplements can significantly improve your health and productivity. Taking supplements is helpful if you want to maintain a healthy and energizing life. They fill the gaps with micronutrients you lack, so you don't need to watch your diet strictly or take severe measures. Now let's discover why they're crucial for your well-being and energy level.

Benefits of taking supplements when you have a busy lifestyle

We're not going to beat around the bush describing every benefit dietary supplements can bring you. Instead, let's focus more on why it's effective for you, a busy career professional who wants to make the most out of your work performance and time. So, why should you take dietary supplements?

Supplements boost brain performance

If food is your body's "fuel," then supplements can become a boost for your brain. You can promote numerous brain functions by taking specific vitamins and minerals that you lack in your diet.

Are you frustrated by mediocre results? You may start looking for an online course to boost productivity. However, there's a more lenient solution to this issue.

When chosen wisely, supplements can work as natural doping for your brain. They can boost your memory, increase learning skills and reaction speed, help you concentrate, and show better work results. Moreover, specific vitamins and minerals may boost your problem-solving skills, which are especially beneficial for management professionals.

Supplements can also help you protect the brain from aging and injuries. Some of them will significantly lower your risk of dementia or Alzheimer's. You can also take supplements to recover faster after brain injuries. Thus, you need supplementation to have a sharp mind for as long as possible.

Supplements influence your energy level

Staying energized and active throughout the day is necessary for a busy professional. Supplements have significant roles in supplying your body with energy. Thus, if you fail to get enough power for the day, consider taking energy-boosting supplements as a quick and accessible remedy.

The main argument in favor of taking supplements for an energy boost is that they help your body produce more power. Specific vitamins are responsible for breaking down homocysteine (an amino acid your body uses to build proteins) and turning it into energy. Vitamins can also transport fatty acids to your cells, providing an energy boost.

Suppose the constant sleepiness and fatigue are your best friends at the workplace. In that case, it may be a signal for micronutrient deficiency. But don't fret — supplements can reduce these unpleasant symptoms, restore energy, and power up your body for new accomplishments.

Regarding supporting muscles, supplements will become an outstanding energy source for them. They can help keep your muscle mass, recover faster from workouts, and exercise for a longer time. Meanwhile, supplements can reduce your tiredness during strenuous physical activities and after-workout muscle soreness by up to 40%.

Supplements promote quality sleep

Can you remember when you have a good sleep for more than two days on the weekend? Surveys show that 1 in 3 people aren't getting enough sleep. No wonder — when you have a busy lifestyle, there's no chance you can get a quality sleep daily off your own bat. That's when supplements come to the rescue.

When you lack essential vitamins and minerals in your blood, you may become sleep-deprived or even face restless legs syndrome. Supplements are beneficial in preparing your body for a good night's sleep by relieving tension and anxiety. If you tend to wake up numerous times during the night, they will help you sleep tight and wake up with more energy. You can also take special supplements to regulate your wake-sleep cycle. They will help fix your sleeping regimen and start getting enough zzzs even with the busiest schedule.

Supplements enhance physical activity

Increasing and maintaining your physical stamina and vitality for workouts and better performance can be challenging when you're always snowed under work issues. Still, numerous supplements can help you with workout performance.

Some of them are widely popular among athletes due to their energy-boosting properties, which are helpful when taken before workouts. These sports supplements can boost your endurance and decrease pain from aching muscles.

Dietary supplements will help you recover after workouts, boost training efficiency, and grow muscle mass. So if you want to increase strength and endurance for extra intensive exercises, there's nothing better than supplements.

Supplements slow down aging processes

There's no cure to stop the aging in our bodies. Still, everyone wants to live a long, healthy life with a capable body. Fortunately, supplements can help you significantly slow down aging by maintaining your tissues and organs' health while keeping your brain sharp for longer.

Supplementation maintains the physical and mental balance of your body. Taking supplements can promote skin and tissue elasticity, strengthen blood vessels, and maintain bone health. Meanwhile, specific vitamins are necessary to prevent brain cell damage and protect your skin from free radicals. Particular supplements can also assist you in prolonging your lifespan, supporting memory, and, surprisingly, reducing wrinkles.

 

The science behind supplements

Aside from carbs, fats, and proteins, the primary energy source, your body also needs micronutrients. Although you need them in a scant amount, their deficiency can lead to severe diseases. Besides, certain herbal extracts available as supplements can also come in handy when treating poor health or energy conditions. So now it's time to reconsider the phrase "Small things matter" because it's especially relevant in supplements.

Main supplement types:

1. Vitamins

Our body needs 13 essential vitamins — even their minimal doses support your cardiovascular system, brain functioning, metabolism, and cell recovery. Although our body can't store all the vitamins, there are two groups. The first — fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, are a part of our fatty tissues. The second group includes all other vitamins like B or C. These water-soluble vitamins leave our body with urine, so you should take them regularly to avoid shortages.

2. Minerals

Minerals' functions may seem a bit similar to vitamin ones. They also promote heart and bone health, produce hormones and enzymes, and prevent serious diseases like anemia or paralysis of the muscles. But unlike vitamins, minerals are more stable, so their presence in food is still 100% even after heating or boiling.

3. Amino acids

These are the building blocks of proteins, which have many roles in maintaining your health. Amino acids can act as antibodies to support your immunity and as enzymes to convey your body's chemical reactions.

4. Herbal supplements

Other organic compounds beneficial for your health come from plants and herbs. Their extracts in small amounts can boost your mood, relieve health disorders symptoms, help you fight depression, and increase energy.

5. Stimulants

Stimulants will come in handy when you need an instant energy boost or want to speed up your brain. These chemicals speed up transferring messages between your brain and body.

6. Proteins

Protein supplements are those “energizers” that tell you all about in the commercials. These supplements may promote muscle growth, provide your body with energy sources and keep your brain sharp. Besides, protein supplies the human body with amino acids converted into neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. These three neurotransmitters then regulate sleep, relaxation, emotions, and hunger.

7. Oil supplements

Oil supplements are organic sources of fatty acids. They may help your heart, energy levels, digestion, and brain health. The most beneficial are unsaturated fats present in vegetables, seeds, and fatty fish meat. Your body can’t produce unsaturated fats, so taking them is vital.

In a perfect world, where everyone maintains a healthy diet, eats fish twice a week, and has plenty of time to think about what to cook for dinner, you would get all the nutrients with your food. But that's not how real things work. As for the WHO, more than two billion people suffer from lacking micronutrients.

So how can you ensure you're getting all the necessary elements without strictly watching your diet? The answer is quite simple — by taking dietary supplements. However, many people are unsure about their benefits, possible risks, and the proper ways to choose them. So we'll dispel all myths and answer all your questions regarding supplements once and for all.

Micronutrient deficiency risks

Your body becomes micronutrient deficient when you fail to get enough vitamins or minerals with a regular diet. It's a dangerous health state that may interfere with your productivity and energy level. That's why it's essential to "fill in the gaps" by taking additional supplements. Now let's examine which risks micronutrient deficiency can bring to your health.

Severe health disorders

Anemia is one of the most dangerous health conditions when you lack red blood cells to deliver oxygen throughout your body. WHO reports almost 25% of people worldwide are affected by this disease. Its symptoms include constant tiredness, pale skin, headaches, and cold hands. Lack of iron, which is involved in making hemoglobin, or folic acid and vitamin B12 deficiency, can be a reason for developing anemia. Some diseases caused by vitamin and mineral deficiency can be dreadful for your well-being and stamina.

Another terrific health disorder — osteomalacia, can appear if your body lacks vitamin D, interfering with your body's ability to absorb calcium. This disease makes the bones soft and deformed, which affects your posture, and causes severe muscle weakness and bone pain. Your risks of getting this health disorder are way higher if you tend to spend more time indoors and get less vitamin D from the sun.

In turn, vitamin B12 deficiency can be a reason for certain neurological diseases like dementia. And when your body lacks vitamin D, you have a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.

Sleep deprivation

The number of micronutrients you get also influences the quality of your sleep. That means particular deficiencies may cause insomnia, sleep disturbance, and lower your energy level. For instance, the research says people with short (5-6 hours) sleep have a decreased level of vitamin C. Another survey states that vitamin D deficiency is a reason for poor sleep quality, daytime sleepiness, and shorter sleep duration.

Minerals also play a significant role in your sleeping routine. Magnesium deficiency causes constant dizziness and daytime falling asleep. Anemia, caused by iron deficiency, may disturb your sleep with restless leg syndrome, making it hard for you to fall asleep.

Productivity loss

However, micronutrient deficiency risks aren't limited to physical disorders. Your mental performance and productivity depend on getting enough micronutrients from foods and supplements. Otherwise, you will find it hard to keep up with the most accessible work assignments.

In particular, a survey proves vitamin D deficiency reduces your work productivity. With the lack of iron in your blood, it will be hard to focus and live through the day. Besides, without sufficient amounts of B-group vitamins, your body won't produce enough energy for brain performance. It can result in slowing your thinking process and learning skills.

Wrapping up

Supplements are essential to attaining optimum health. Supplements are especially beneficial for individuals who don't have time to make nutritious food for themselves, for example, athletes, parents, and busy professionals.

People used supplements as a quick fix for weight loss in the past. But that's not how it works anymore. Now, we’re using health supplements to improve our overall health and well-being and boost productivity. The impact of health supplements is not always seen immediately through their positive effects. It can be more of a long-term process that contributes to your health. Meanwhile, supplements are meant to support your body in what it needs to do, not replace it. Many experts recommend taking them with food and water, not just by themselves.

You will find supplements formulated in such a way that they target specific issues that you may have. So if you do not get the right kind of nutrients from your food, supplements can provide everything else you need. Supplements also maintain a youthful look and enhance stamina – giving us a massive boost in our productivity levels over time.

Resources:

• FOOD SUPPLEMENTS Challenges & risks for consumers (2020)
• B Vitamins and the Brain: Mechanisms, Dose and Efficacy—A Review (2016)
• 1 in 3 adults don’t get enough sleep (2016)
• Restless legs syndrome (2022)
• Dietary Supplements: Herbals and Botanicals – 9.370 (2022)
• Micronutrient Deficiency (2017)
• 4 Diseases Caused by a Lack of Essential Vitamins and Minerals (2013)
• Dementia Associated With Vitamin B12 Deficiency (2000)
• Impact of Vitamin D Deficiency on the Productivity of a Health Care Workforce (2012)
• Magnesium Intake and Sleep Disorder Symptoms: Findings from the Jiangsu Nutrition Study of Chinese Adults at Five-Year Follow-Up (2018)