By LIM MUI ENG

WHY take supplements? This is the most important question when you are determining whether to take vitamin and mineral supplements.

The reasons are many and varied. The major ones are unbalanced diet due to irregular meals, pregnancy and lactation, drug-induced nutrient deficiency, alcoholism, and the special dietary needs of different age groups (eg, children and seniors). But the list goes on.

Who takes supplements?

You probably do, and so do most people. So, you are not alone. Most people don't eat properly, and even those who do may be missing some nutrients.

A truly effective supplement programme should be personalized for you. First of all, to structure your programme properly, you must know what you need to take.

What are vitamin and mineral supplements?

According to Earl Mindell, PhD, author of "The Vitamin Bible", most people think "pill" when they talk about vitamins. This word brings to mind confusing images of medicines and drugs. Though vitamins do some of the work of both medicines and drugs, they are actually neither.

"Quite simply, vitamins are organic substances necessary for life", Mindell says. "Vitamins are essential to the normal functioning of our bodies and, save for a few exceptions, cannot be manufactured or synthesised internally.

Necessary for our growth, vitality, and general well being, vitamins are found in minute quantities in all natural food. "We must obtain vitamins from these foods or from dietary supplements," says Mindell.

"What you have to keep in mind is that supplements ?available in tablet, capsule, liquid, powder, and even injection form ?are only food substances, and, unless synthetic, they are derived from living plants and animals.

"If you think of the body as an automobile's combustion engine and vitamins as spark plugs, you have a fairly good idea of how these amazing minute food substances work.

"Vitamins are components of our enzyme systems, which, acting like spark plugs, energise and regulate our metabolism, keeping our functioning at high performance.

"Compared with our intake of other nutrients like protein, fat, and carbohydrates, our vitamin intake (even in megadose quantities) is miniscule. But a deficiency in even one vitamin can endanger the whole human body.

The human body requires 30 micronutrients daily for proper metabolism and the functioning of all the organs and systems. These include the vitamins such as vitamin A (retinol carotene), the vitamin B-complex group, vitamin C (ascorbic acid), the bioflavonoids, vitamin D, vitamin E (tocopherol), and fatty acids (especially gammalinolenic acid).

Other essential micronutrients include the active minerals: calcium, chromium, copper, iodine, iron, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, sodium, and zinc.

Some supplements help you absorb these various micronutrients. Some have additional benefits, and add other positive nutrients to your diet.

These include acidophilus, bee pollen, royal jelly, bee propolis, brewers yeast, chlorella, chlorophyll, desiccated liver, evening primrose oil, fish oil, garlic, ginseng and other medical herbs, kelp, and lecithin.

What is in vitamins?

When you take vitamins or minerals, you not only get the nutrients, you also get some hitchhikers that need to be included with some vitamins so that you can absorb them.

It is not only what you do get in natural vitamins but also what you don't get that is important. In natural vitamins, there is usually no sugar, artificial flavour, preservatives, or other harmful additives.

Some vitamins and minerals contain coal tar as the binder. This substance is cancer causing. More factors need to be included in your investigation of supplements.

Fillers or diluents are inert materials added to the tablets to increase their bulk and make them a practical size for compression.

Dicalcium phosphate, an excellent source of calcium and phosphorus, is used in better brands. It is a white powder derived from purified mineral rocks. Sorbitol and cellulose (a plant fibre) are used occasionally.

Binders give cohesive qualities to the powdered materials. They hold the ingredients of the tablet together. Cellulose and ethyl cellulose are used most often. Other binders that can be used are acacia, vegetable gum, algin, lecithin, and sorbitol.

Lubricants added to tablets keep them from sticking to the machines that punch them out. Calcium stearate and silica are commonly used. Calcium stearate is derived from natural vegetable oil. Silica is a natural white powder. Magnesium stearate can also be used.

Disintegrators such as gum Arabic, algin, and alginate facilitate the break-up or disintegration of pills after ingestion.

Colours make the tablet more aesthetic or elegant in appearance. Colours derived from natural sources like chlorophyll are best.

Flavours and sweeteners are only used in chewable tablets; sweeteners are usually fructose (fruit sugar), malt dextrin, sorbitol, or maltose. Sucrose (sugar) is rarely used in better brands.

Coating materials protect tablets from moisture. They also mask unpleasant flavours and odours, and they make tablets easier to swallow. One of the substances, Zein ?a natural, derivative of corn protein ?is used as a clear film coating agent. Brazil wax, a natural product derived from palm trees, is also frequently used.

Drying agents prevent water-absorbing materials from picking up moisture during processing. Silica gel is the most common drying agent.

What are the various forms of supplements?

Now that we know what supplements are, we have to decide what form to take them in. There are several choices - tablets, capsules, liquids, powders, drops, ointments, gels, and lozenges. Also, a physician could give them either intramuscularly or intravenously.

Tablets are compressed blocks of material available in various potencies, especially the higher ones. If kept in a closed bottle, they can be stored for an extended period.

Tablets are usually coated, most commonly with a sugar or protein. Some people may have reactions to these additional ingredients, in which case changing brands may be desirable.

Capsules, like tablets, are convenient and easy to store. Small containers made of gelatine or another soluble material, they are the usual vehicles for oil-soluble vitamins such as A, D and E.

But the ingredients inside these containers can be either liquid or powdered. The advantage of powder-filled capsules is that they can be opened and sprinkled on food or into beverages, which are useful for people who have difficulty swallowing. Capsules are available in the same potencies as tablets, and the storage properties are the same.

Powders have the advantages of extra potency (one teaspoon of many vitamin C powders can give you as much as 4,000 mg) and the added benefit of no fillers, binders, or additives, important for anyone with allergies.

They can be sprinkled on food and in beverages and are also easy for children or the elderly to consume. They provide an excellent way to supplement the essential amino acids. Powders should be kept in a dark place away from high humidity.

Nutrients in liquid form are easily taken and are especially good for children and elderly people who find swallowing tablets or capsules difficult. They can be easily mixed with beverages.

Vitamin C is readily available as a liquid. This may be the preferred form for people suffering from sore throats and find swallowing pills painful. Liquid nutrients are usually lower in potency. They should be refrigerated after opening. And, once opened, they should be finished within the manufacturer's recommended period. This is because potency is lost over time.

How to store vitamins

Vitamin and mineral supplements should be stored away from direct sunlight, ideally in a cool, well-closed, preferably opaque, cabinet. They do not necessarily have to be stored in the refrigerator unless you live in a very hot place. To guard against excessive moisture, place a few kernels of rice at he bottom of your vitamin bottle. Rice is a natural absorbent.

If vitamins are kept cool, sealed, and away from light, they should last for two or three years. To ensure freshness, though, your best bet is to buy brands that have an expiration date on the label. Once a bottle is opened, you can expect the contents to last about 12 months.

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