SUPPLEMENTATION EDUCATION

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT FOR YOU

TJ HELMS
HW499 – BACHELOR’S CAPSTONE IN HEALTH AND WELLNESS
WHAT IS SUPPLEMENTATION? A
DEFINITION
▪ Dietary supplementation is the adding of a
dietary item that one person is deficient in
receiving and takes an item, usually in a form of
pill or powder to make up for the nutritional gap
in their diet (CHPA.org, n.d.).

▪ Can be used to supplement for nutritional gaps

in:
▪ Vitamins
▪ Minerals
▪ Amino acids

▪ Can also be used for other things

▪ Enzymes
▪ Prebiotics
▪ Probiotics
▪ Collagen
WHAT IS THE MOST COMMON USED
SUPPLEMENTS? (CDC.GOV, 2020)

Most Common Used Supplements

45

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

0
20-39 40-59 60+

Multivitamin Vitamin D Omega 3 fatty acids Botanicals Calcium

WHICH GROUPS OF PEOPLE BENEFIT BEST
FROM SUPPLEMENTATION
▪ Certain groups of people benefit from certain vitamins
and minerals

▪ Vitamin D
▪ Best for people who have restriction in movement
and can’t get outside to the sun as often
▪ People who live in climates where the sun
exposure is limited

▪ Vitamin B12
▪ Best for senior citizens due to low absorption from
food
▪ Vegans due to not eating meat sources

▪ Folic Acid
▪ For pregnant women because the daily amount for
most women is 400 mcg daily
▪ Pregnant women need 600mcg daily so they could
benefit from a supplement
THE REAL QUESTION IS: DO PEOPLE IN GOOD
GENERAL HEALTH REALLY NEED SUPPLEMENTS?
▪ Answer is no
▪ First way to fix nutrition deficiency is
by altering diet.
▪ If people have trouble absorbing such
as elderly or immuno-compromised or
other special populations.
▪ Always talk to your doctor before
taking supplements to see if that is
what needs to be done.
ISSUES WITH CERTAIN SUPPLEMENTS WITH
RESEARCH
▪ Vitamin E
▪ Older research said that Men who took
Vitamin E supplements might have
lower risk of developing prostate
cancer.
▪ A 29,000 clinical trial was done with
men taking Vitamin E for prostate
cancer by NIH.
▪ Results from the clinical trial showed
the Vitamin E intake actually increased
chance of the men developing prostate
cancer.
ISSUES WITH SIDE EFFECTS
OF CERTAIN SUPPLEMENTS
▪ Vitamin K
▪ Can cause issues with warfarin (a drug used
for thinning blood) by lowering the
effectiveness of the blood thinning and could
cause blood clotting to happen.

▪ Antioxidant supplements
▪ Example (Vitamin C & E)
▪ If on chemotherapy could reduce the
effectiveness of the chemotherapy.

▪ Always important to list any and all

supplements with your doctors to avoid side
effects as the ones listed above and others.
 ANY
QUESTIONS
?
THANK YOU!
REFERENCES
▪ Slide 3
▪ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, February 19). Dietary Supplement Use Among Adults: United States, 2017–2018.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db399.htm#:~:text=During
%202017%E2%80%932018%2C%2057.6%25,supplement%20use%20increased%20with%20age.

▪ Slide 4
▪ Radcliffe, S. (2014, September 2). 3 Groups Who Really Can Benefit from Vitamin Supplements. https://www.healthline.com/health-
news/food-three-groups-who-can-benefit-from-vitamins-121913.
▪ Kay, C. (2020, October 12). Folic Acid and Pregnancy: How Much Do You Need? https://www.healthline.com/health/pregnancy/folic-acid.

▪ Slide 5
▪ Poll finds 86% of Americans take vitamins or supplements yet only 21% have a confirmed nutritional deficiency. American Osteopathic
Association. (2019, July 19). https://osteopathic.org/2019/01/16/poll-finds-86-of-americans-take-vitamins-or-supplements-yet-only-21-
have-a-confirmed-nutritional-deficiency/.

▪ Slide 6
▪ U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2013, July 13). Should You Take Dietary Supplements? National Institutes of Health.
https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2013/08/should-you-take-dietary-supplements.

▪ Slide 7
▪ U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2020, September 3). Office of Dietary Supplements - Dietary Supplements: What You
Need to Know. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/WYNTK-Consumer/#:~:text=Taking%20more%20than
%20you%20need,the%20liver%20and%20other%20organs.