GETTY
Dietary supplements: They’re now a £400 million industry
Just under half of Brits now take daily dietary supplements, and as a nation we now spend more on them than we do painkillers.
The latest trendy supplement on the scene is chlorophyll – a pigment vital for photosynthesis in plants – which is designed to be taken as a liquid shot.
It’s packed with vitamins A, C, E and K, as well as antioxidants, and it’s claimed drinking it every day can energise the body, prevent cancer, stimulate the immune system and
clean your intestines.
Studies are mixed over whether it can actually provide these effects, and it’s been suggested it wouldn’t survive in your digestion long enough for absorption anyway.
However, there are a number of other supplements experts recommend you do take to boost your health.
GETTY
Chlorophyll: Studies are mixed on its health benefits
You can produce vitamin D naturally through direct sunlight, but in the UK it’s thought the majority of people are deficient due to the cloudy weather.
Vitamin D
You can produce the vitamin naturally through direct sunlight, but in the UK it’s thought the majority of people are deficient due to the cloudy weather.
Additionally, getting enough vitamin D through food – egg yolk, oily fish and fortified milk are the main dietary sources – is also very difficult.
Last year the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition recommended everyone over the age of one take a 10mg supplement every day as a minimum.
As well as protecting bone and muscle health, a recent study published in the British Medical Journal discovered vitamin D could also boost your immune system, warding off colds and flu.
GETTY
Vitamin D: Most of the UK population should supplement, according to experts
Magnesium
It’s thought 90 per cent of us are deficient in the mineral required for thousands of chemical processes in our body, including muscle activation, nerve function, protein digestion, metabolism, bone health and blood pressure regulation.
However, one of its most important qualities is helping you sleep, since it helps relax the muscles and calms the mind.
A recent joint study published by the University of Bristol and University of Eastern Finland also found it could lower risk of bone fractures in men by 44 per cent.
According to the National Institutes of Health, you can absorb it naturally in some foods, including green leafy vegetables, nuts and whole grains.
But many of us won’t get enough through dietary sources. Many experts suggest supplementing with one of the many ways to absorb it – as tablets, a spray rubbed into your skin or as bath flakes to soak in.
It’s recommended adults take a 400mg supplement of magnesium citrate (more absorbable than magnesium oxide) daily.
Vitamin B12
The only natural sources of the vitamin are animal products, such as meat, salmon and milk, making it difficult for vegetarians or vegans to consume enough.
A 2016 study found one in 12 women between 19 and 39 were deficient, risking fatigue, headaches, anaemia and Crohn’s disease.
It has a variety of uses, including making DNA, nerve and blood cells, and is crucial for a healthy brain, immune system and regulating mood.
GETTY
Magnesium: It helps you sleep and prevents older people getting bone fractures
The UK government recommends adults take 15.5micrograms per day.
Omega-3
They’re the key component to fish oil, and play an important role in brain function, normal growth and development, and inflammation.
Earlier this year a study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology found it helped muscle recovery after exercise, while previous research discovered it boosted heart health and can ward off depression.
Dietary sources of omega-3 include grass-fed beef and oily fish, but if you don’t eat much meat or fish it’s wise to supplement.