A colleague reached out to me late last night. He asked me one of the most popular questions that I get asked as a functional medicine doc, especially in and around New Years.
“Hey, what supplements should I be taking daily?”
It’s not at all a bad question. I ponder it myself from time to time. Despite where I am in my learning, no matter what new diet or scientifically advanced supplements come out, my response is always the same.
“It depends.”
I promise that I’m not trying to be a smartass when I answer this way. If I were to just blurt out names of supplements, or even specific vitamins or minerals, I would be doing both parties a disservice and I’ll tell you why.
Most of the time, supplements aren’t entirely necessary. Yep, you read that right, you might not need any supplements at all. The primary role of a supplement is in the name… to supplement. These are meant to complement or enhance the effects of what is already going on in the system. If you have a poor diet, don’t get enough sleep, and aren’t exercising appropriately adding in supplements might just be making your pee more expensive. For those of us that live in New Jersey, it’d be like rolling up to the gas station and telling the attendant to put premium fuel in your 1997 Chrysler New Yorker that needs an oil change and new brake pads… you’re kinda wasting your money at that point.
It’s also important to consider what your goals are and what’s showing up in your bloodwork.
Another reason why I don’t recommend supplements without diving deeper into your health history is because some supplements can interact negatively with certain health conditions and certain medications as well. This could be like shooting off fireworks from your gender reveal party into an already roaring forest fire… causing way more harm than good.
… And we didn’t even begin to talk about the quality of supplements, their ingredients, or the ratios/dosage that make sense for your body and your specific needs.
Needless to say, there’s a lot to unpack from such a seemingly simple question.
Email me at dr.vinny@bfsrehab.com with some of the supplements you’re currently taking and we can discuss if these are worth the time and money or not.
