The effectiveness of nutritional supplements in preventing certain
diseases and disorders from developing is still being researched today,
so any claims or miracle statements that guarantee the prevention of
certain diseases is generally considered fraudulent. Certain vitamins,
however, do contain antioxidants that protect the body from free radical
damage, making them potent and therefore legitimate preventive health
nutritional supplements.
1. Antioxidant preventive health nutritional supplements
Antioxidant
preventive health nutritional supplements include vitamins C, E, and
beta-carotene-- a compound of vitamin A. Mineral antioxidants include
zinc, selenium, and manganese. While it is likely improbable to rid the
body from all free radicals, together, these vitamins and minerals help
defend the body from oxidative stressors, working to increase the
immune system.
2. How preventive health nutritional supplements work
Preventive
health nutritional supplements can be packaged and sold as a
sole-vitamin or mineral, or can be compounded together as complete
multi-vitamins and minerals.
Each vitamin and mineral has its own
function in fighting free radicals: vitamin C protects and aids the
utilization of proteins in the body; vitamin E protects fat in cell
membranes; beta-carotene protects against free radicals formed by
ultraviolet light; zinc guards against free radicals that may have
slipped by other antioxidants; and selenium enzymes guard the energy
producing part of the cells.
3. Diseases and free radicals
A
combination of antioxidant vitamins is important (taken in the right
amount and dosage per day) because free radicals are known to be
connected to an array of diseases such as cancer, heart disease,
arthritis, cataracts, and even early aging, to name a few. It is
speculated that a regular and complete intake of these preventive health
nutritional supplements can greatly lower the chances of acquiring such
diseases, as well as slow down the degenerative process.
The
problem with preventive health nutritional supplements is that it is
hard to know for sure if a certain disease would have occurred if a
person was not taking the supplements in the first place, or the other
way around. At this point, science cannot conclude that supplements are
"cures" for many diseases. However, supplements have been proven to
prevent deficiencies, such as scurvy. Preventive health nutritional
supplements, therefore, should be seen as a health insurance for the
body with no absolute guarantees.