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Healf Journal
How To Know If Your Supplements Are Actually Working For You
Verfasst von: Natalie Louise Burrows
Verfasst am: January 15, 2025
When we spend money on something, we want to know it’s worth it, right? Aside from ensuring you’re picking the right supplement (covered here), how do you know if the supplements are working for you?
Natalie Burrows, a Nutritional Therapist and Clinical Director at Integral Wellness, shares her advice on monitoring the results you’re getting from supplements.
As a nutritionist, I frequently encounter clients who are uncertain about their supplements' effectiveness. Selected from the shelves of a health food store or recommended by a friend, the uncertainty as to whether it was the right choice and is actually making a difference is a reality for many.
While supplements can be crucial in addressing nutrient deficiencies and supporting overall health, it's essential to approach their use with a scientific mindset. To determine if your supplements are genuinely making a difference, I recommend using a mix of evidence-based methods, professional insights and connection to self.
What is your baseline nutrient status?
Establishing your baseline nutrient status is important before starting any supplement. This step is often overlooked but is fundamental to assessing supplement effectiveness and ensuring you choose what you need - and don't choose something you don’t! There are a few ways this can be approached…
Evaluate your current dietary intake with a nutritional therapist. It’s the core of what we do, and it's a must when we begin with new clients. Aside from understanding your health history and symptoms, your food diary provides valuable insights into your typical nutrient consumption. This assessment helps identify potential deficiencies and areas where supplementation might be beneficial - especially when symptoms correlate the same nutrient needs!
Certain vital nutrients, such as Vitamin D, iron, folate, and B12 levels, can be measured through blood tests. These tests provide an objective measure of your nutrient status before supplementation. However, I’m often told the GP said the blood test was ‘fine’ or ‘normal’, or the NHS cannot test the nutrients needed (usually budget related). As a Nutritional Therapist, I like to view the blood tests myself, consider when with a health presentation and look for whether nutrients are in optimal ranges. The GP will look for any diagnostic results, whereas other healthcare practitioners, like myself, will want you to live optimally and prevent potential diagnoses. This may mean nutrients can be beneficial earlier than a GP would recommend - but context and health history still matter.
Retesting is also important further down the line and with an appropriate break from supplements so they don’t influence results. As I’ve mentioned in other Healf Journal articles, too much of a nutrient is not a good thing. Balance is key.
Other tests can also help guide appropriate supplements, such as stool testing for microbiome, urine tests for hormones or organic acids, saliva tests for cortisol, and swabs for genetics…
In some cases, genetic testing can provide insights into how your body processes certain nutrients. Nutrigenomics explores how genetic variations can affect nutrient metabolism and supplement effectiveness. For example, individuals with certain genetic variants may benefit more from specific forms of folate supplements. For example, variations in the MTHFR gene can affect folate metabolism, and variations in VDR can influence Vitamin D conversion from the sun. This influences supplement needs. However, a blood test, as discussed, is still relevant to have alongside genetics so dosages can be considered.
What about how you feel? Can you tell?
While objective tests are crucial, subjective symptom improvements can also indicate supplement effectiveness. This is why I encourage clients to get to know their bodies and how they feel. Many people, with the busyness of life, are unaware of how they actually feel inside their bodies, but any health journey encourages this connection.
You don’t have to keep it all in your brain. Write down a detailed log of relevant symptoms. For example, if you're taking magnesium for muscle cramps, record the frequency and intensity of cramps over time. You could score them on a scale for ease of comparison. Validated questionnaires such as the Fatigue Severity Scale might be used to assess the impact of iron, folate or B12* supplementation on fatigue levels.
*Other supplements can also be helpful for fatigue, depending on what's driving the low energy.
It’s also crucial to consider the overall impact on your health and general wellbeing, not just the specific symptoms you aim to address. Track if you notice any changes in your energy levels, sleep quality, or mood, for example. These can be indicators of improved nutrient status. Keep in mind that these changes may be subtle and gradual.
For athletes or fitness enthusiasts, changes in physical performance can indicate supplement effectiveness, including improvements in strength, endurance, or recovery time.
A quick recap on dosage and form - they make a big difference.
The nutrient you’re supplementing with might be the right, but the form and dose may influence the benefit - or lack of! The effectiveness of supplements can significantly depend on the dosage and form used.
Research-based recommended dosages vary for different nutrients. For example, the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for vitamin D is 600-800 IU for most adults, and the NHS recommends adults supplement with 400 IU daily across the autumn and winter months here in the UK. However, for most of the clients I see, this is rarely an adequate dose, with most needs being 1000-4000 IU and cofactor nutrients such as K2 and magnesium being required to support increased vitamin D levels.
The form of the supplement can affect its absorption. A firm favourite, magnesium glycinate, is often better absorbed than magnesium oxide. Magnesium citrate is also well absorbed but can impact the gut for some people. Similarly, methylcobalamin, a form of B12, may be more bioavailable than cyanocobalamin for some individuals - for others, cyanocobalamin can be just fine (genetics are helpful here).
With or without food, that is the question. And that’s because some supplements are absorbed best with food, while others should be taken on an empty stomach. Certain supplements can interact with each other or with medications; therefore, a regime's timing is important to ensure effectiveness. For example, calcium can interfere with iron absorption, so these supplements should be taken at different times, and thyroid medication should be 4 hours away from minerals and taken 30 minutes before food.
If you’ve been wondering if it’s a minefield, you’re probably realising now it is. Hopefully, this explains the depth of consideration that needs to be applied to your health supplements.
Get up-close and personal with your supplement stack.
It's important to recognise that supplement needs and responses can vary greatly between individuals due to age, gender, health status, and genetic variations. Your lifestyle also impacts supplement effectiveness. Stress levels, sleep quality, and physical activity can all influence how your body utilises nutrients too. This is why what works for one person may not work for another and therefore, taking a supplement because your friend does may not lead to the desired outcome.
And finally, supplements should complement, not replace, a balanced diet. By taking a scientific approach to assessing their effectiveness, you can make informed decisions about your supplement regimen and optimise your nutritional status. Regular reassessment and adjustment of your supplement routine, guided by professional advice, such as a registered nutritional therapist, can help ensure you're getting the most benefit from your supplements, spending your money wisely and avoiding potential risks of overuse or interactions.
Dieser Artikel dient ausschließlich zu Informationszwecken – auch dann, wenn er Empfehlungen von Ärzten oder medizinischem Fachpersonal enthält. Er stellt keine medizinische Beratung, Diagnose oder Behandlung dar und ersetzt diese auch nicht. Für medizinische Fragen wende dich bitte an einen Arzt. Die in diesem Artikel geäußerten Ansichten sind die der jeweiligen Experten und spiegeln nicht zwingend die Ansichten von Healf wider.
