Keeping our bodies and minds healthy is paramount to overall wellbeing and if there’s one thing we all strive for, it’s balance. From work/life balance to mental balance, many of us know that striking the perfect balance is no mean feat.
Leading an active lifestyle is a key driver of overall health and wellbeing. Nutrition is another big player and it’s widely appreciated that a diet with plenty of varied, fresh produce is beneficial to health. Where it can be challenging to keep up with daily nutritional needs, supplements can be a beneficial way to fill the gaps.
Here are our most common supplements to support your overall health and wellbeing.
Omega 3 Fatty Acids
Omega 3 Fatty Acids, especially Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) benefit the health of the heart, brain, vision, blood pressure and blood lipid levels – as well as having a host of other overall benefits.
The current national nutritional guidelines indicate that we should be aiming to consume at least two portions of fish a week, one of which is an oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring etc. Many of us don’t a lot of people don’t reach this on a regular basis, or are following a vegan diet where it may be more difficult to consume enough essential fatty acids.
This is where supplementing with Omega 3 Fatty Acids can really help. The health benefits of an Omega 3 supplement are well documented and accepted and we would consider it a great option for supporting overall health. For those following a plant-based diet, we have options for you too. We would always recommend supplementing with Omega 3s for general health in conjunction with dietary intake.
- Some of our favourites:
Phosphatidylserine
Phospha-what now? Phosphatidylserine, or PS as it’s known is a phospholipid naturally found in the blood brain barrier which plays a role in cell signalling. Levels of PS in the brain are believed to decline naturally with age.
One particularly interesting study tested a combination of PS and Phosphatidic Acid (another phospholipid) on 75 chronically stressed but otherwise healthy males. It was found that supplementation effectively reduced the serum cortisol (stress hormone) response to stress when compared to placebo. A blunted response of cortisol implies a better overall response to stress; reducing levels and feelings of stress is important for an overall feeling of wellbeing.
The downside of PS is that in powder format it tastes pretty awful, the plus side of our PS is that it’s available in a convenient, flavourless tablet form! So why not give your taste buds and adrenal glands a break and check out our PS Tablets.
Trans Resveratrol
Resveratrol is naturally found in red wine and red grapes, it is also probably one of the most researched supplements around currently. Due to its presence in red wine, Resveratrol is the compound which has been credited with granting long life to the Mediterranean population. It’s highly likely that the overall longevity of our French and Italian brethren can actually be attributed to their overall diet and lifestyle.
Amongst other things, Resveratrol is regarded as a hugely powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compound, with an ability to scavenge pro-oxidative compounds. Thanks to our fairly unhealthy Western diet, we could do with all the help possible when it comes to increasing our intake of antioxidants. Improving the body’s antioxidant defences could help to reduce the peroxidation of organic compounds such as lipids, proteins and DNA.
There are a huge amount of health benefits that Resveratrol may hold, unfortunately there are none that we can currently say it ‘does’ hold. Sadly this is going to cut this section a little on the short side, but I would recommend giving Resveratrol a google and seeing for yourself what this compound could do for you.
Green Tea Extract
Green Tea is from the leaves of Camellia sinensis. The same plant provides the leaves that make Oolong Tea, Black Tea and White Tea – whatever your favourite morning cuppa is, chances are that the humble Camellia sinensis has you covered! Green Tea has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years and has recently experienced an explosion of popularity in mainstream nutrition. The main reason for this has been the rise in research showing the potential of Green Tea to act as an antioxidant and potentially to increase fat oxidation.
Studies as far back as Dulloo et al in 1999 have reported an increase in overall energy expenditure and the rate at which our bodies metabolise fat for energy after a dose of Green Tea. There are other notable benefits as Green Tea is rich in polyphenols, which are natural compounds that have health benefits, such as reducing inflammation.
The good news for Green Tea is that the vast majority of available research does show a positive effect on the body and it might be beneficial to support health and wellbeing. For a highly dosed Green Tea supplement, why not check out our Super Strength Green Tea Capsules 450mg.
Inulin
Inulin is a soluble, naturally sweet fibre extracted from the root of the chicory plant, a member of the dandelion family. It is very high in fibre, packing in a massive 89g fibre per 100g of product. This contributes to the normal function of the bowels for obvious reasons, anyone who’s ever eaten a packet of prunes will be familiar with the chaos that can follow an overindulgence of this nutrient! A large amount of the adult UK population don’t get near the recommended 30g of fibre per day; if you feel you may be one of these adults, then Inulin can help you towards reaching this goal.
As mentioned above, one of the main areas of interest surrounding Inulin is to do with its function as a prebiotic. Generally speaking people are familiar with probiotics now – healthy bacteria which can allegedly enhance gut health. In the loosest terms possible, prebiotics are food for these helpful little guys. It stands to reason that if you’re spending money on improving your gut health, you’ll need an environment that the good bacteria can survive in. Our Inulin Powder is the best priced in the UK, so why not give your intestinal bacteria a boost?
Take Home Message
This is by no means an exhaustive list as there is an absolute mass of ingredients and supplements available which could support your health goals. We couldn’t end without mentioning our Complete Multivitamin Complex™ . If you’re looking for a convenient all-in-one product, this is about as close as you’ll get.
It’s never too early to start making good choices when it comes to looking after ourselves. If you are looking for other diet and nutrition information, we have a number of articles for you here.
References:
Bonnefont-Rousselot, D. (2016). Resveratrol and Cardiovascular Diseases. Nutrients. 8(5), E250.
Dulloo, A.G. et al (1999). Efficacy of a green tea extract rich in catechin polyphenols and caffeine in increasing 24-h energy expenditure and fat oxidation in humans. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 70(6), 1040-1045.
Hellhammer, J. et al (2014). A soy-based phosphatidylserine/ phosphatidic acid complex (PAS) normalizes the stress reactivity of hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal-axis in chronically stressed male subjects: a randomized, placebo-controlled study. Lipids in Health and Disease. 13(121).
About the Author
Jack (MSc Sports Nutrition, BSc Hons Sport and Exercise Science) works within the BULK POWDERS® product team. His role includes all aspects of new product development, from recipe concept and formulation, to website content and legislation.
