Thread: Healthy food supplements https://youtu.be/bREPaPWc2zI

Supplements are not a substitute for a balanced healthy diet.1 A diet that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, adequate protein, and healthy fats should normally provide all the nutrients needed for good health. Most European countries agree that messages aimed at the general public should focus on food-based dietary guidelines.7 Supplements do not feature in these guidelines, but there are certain population groups or individuals who may need advice about supplements, even when they eat a healthy balanced diet, i.e. women of childbearing age, individuals on specific medications.

Partly due to our modern lifestyle, not everyone manages to eat a healthy diet. In Europe, dietary surveys have suggested that there are suboptimal intakes for several micronutrients.2,8 The EU-funded EURRECA project found inadequate intakes for vitamin C, vitamin D, folic acid, calcium, selenium and iodine.9 A recent comparison of national surveys showed widespread concern about vitamin D intakes, whereas certain age groups are more likely to have low intakes of minerals.2 For example, there is concern about adequate intakes of iron amongst teenage girls in Denmark, France, Poland, Germany and the UK.2 Poor iron status in young women also increases the risk of infants being born with low-birth weight, iron deficiency and delayed brain development.10 Folate status is also critical for women who may become pregnant. They are advised to take folic acid before conception, and continue for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. An adequate folate status can decrease the risk of having a baby with neural tube defects such as spina bifida. Recent research suggests that 50–70% of Europeans have poor vitamin D status.2,11,12 Since vitamin D status is dependent not only on dietary intake but also exposure to UV light, there may be a stronger case for advising supplements for vitamin D in Northern European countries. In some countries (including UK, Ireland, the Netherlands and Sweden) there are already recommendations for certain groups in the population to take a vitamin D supplement, although there are calls for more research.

Other common concerns are shown in Table 1, although groups considered at risk are not the same in different countries.