Common Q&A

Q: What are vitamins and minerals?

A: Vitamins and minerals are categorized as ‘micronutrients’.  The amounts of micronutients necessary for functioning of the human body are smaller in comparison to macronutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, and fats), however without these micronutrients our the processes  of the human body cannot function.

Vitamins:  Vitamins are organic substances (meaning they contain carbon) and are necessary for life. Our bodies cannot make vitamins and therefore we rely on what we ingest to provide the source of these essential micronutrients.

Minerals: Minerals are inorganic substances (meaning they do not contain carbon) and are also essential for human life.  Some minerals are made by our bodies while others must be provided by our diets.

Micronutrient deficiencies of primary public health concern:

•   Over 2 billion people over 30% of the world’s population are anaemic, many due to iron deficiency

•   About 2 billion people are affected by inadequate iodine nutrition worldwide

•   More than one third of preschool-age children globally are vitamin A deficient (Vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of preventable blindness in children)

Although we are blessed with a wide selection and abundance of food in North America, unfortunately with the amount of processing of our food, no matter how carefully one shops, it is almost impossible to ensure you are meeting all the necessary requirements and consume adequate nutrients through diet alone. 

Q: Does a healthy diet provide enough vitamins and minerals?

A: Not always… Many health problems can be linked to decreased nutritional availability in food.

The nutritional content in food is often depleted or destroyed for a number of reasons:

1. Soil conditions: Depleted soil due to poor farming conditions and the use of fertilizers that can deplete nutrients such as iron, vitamin C, zinc and trace minerals, as well as affect our hormones.

2. Food Transport: Food shipped long distances and stored long periods before sale loose much of their nutritional value.

3. Chemical Growth Hormones: Antibiotics and growth hormones given to livestock accumulate in the fat cells of animals which are then in turn stored in human fat cells.

4. Food additives: These can limit the bioavailability of nutrients in food.

5. Food processing: Food processing is the single greatest destroyer of nutrients. Processed ‘food’ such as chips, soda, fries, candy, etc. contain little or no nutritional value except unwanted fats and calories.   These ‘foods’ deplete the nutrient stores and cause nutrient malabsorption as well as increase the load of toxins and cancer-causing substances, and cause stress and irritation in the human organ system.

Through these harmful processes much of the food we eat is depleted of nutrients and therefore nutritional supplements are an important part of a balanced health regimen.  Supplements provide a way to ensure your intake of essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that you may not be available in the foods you ingest.

Q: Why are quality vitamin and supplements important?

A: Not all vitamins and dietary supplements are created equally, therefore it is important to have knowledge of the supplement industry and how supplements are manufactured. The team at ProSupplements.ca knows which suppliers have quality products, and every supplement we offer has been carefully reviewed for efficacy and safety.

We promote only the best products from manufacturers who we feel confident use the highest quality ingredients and have regulated business practices.

Q: What do I look for when buying a supplement?

A: It is truly confusing to shop for supplements unless you know what qualities to look for.  Fortunately all brands available on ProSupplements.ca provide professional grade supplements. For instance, Thorne Research produces supplements sold only through licensed Healthcare Practitioners and none of their products contain corn, wheat, nuts, or gluten.  While a few of their products have ingredients derived from a shellfish source, and a few products do contain rice, dairy, soy, or yeast, these allergens are clearly indicated on the product labels and in the product labeling and warnings.

We recommend a capsule over a tablet whenever possible, and ideally products should be all natural and contain only the highest quality ingredients with absolutely no additives, preservatives, fillers or flowing agents.  Professional supplement brands rarely use tablet form.  This is because all tablets contain binders and glues to keep their shape. Many tablets contain artificial coloring agents to make them look more appealing (Titanium Oxide as a ‘whitening agent’ is one example).

Additives often cause allergic reactions, and many are detrimental to your health. Pharmaceutical glaze, confectioners glaze, or natural glaze may be the name of the ingredient you see on the label, but these are just euphemisms for the real name of the ingredient ‘shellac’ the same substance you use to varnish furniture. Shellac is used because it makes a tablet “shiny” and easier to swallow.

Labels will also list natural vegetable coating, natural protein coating, vegetable coating, or maize protein – all euphemistic names for Zein, which is a corn protein. Many people are allergic or sensitive to corn protein, and would readily recognize its presence in a substance if it were correctly identified..

It is important to purchase supplements from a professional source and to ensure you carefully read labels to ensure they are professionally made and have the highest quality ingredients. 

Q: How important is Vitamin D?

A: First of all it is of utmost importance to know the level of vitamin D in your body. Vitamin D deficiency is epidemic in North America and the further North you live the more deficiencies we find. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that the body makes in the skin as a result of exposure to sunlight. If you have darker skin, gastrointestinal problems (such as Crohn’s Disease, Celiac Disease), taking antacids or oral steroids, or rarely go outside your need for vitamin D escalates.

The Canadian Cancer Society recommend adults living in Canada should consider taking Vitamin D supplementation of 1,000 international units (IU) a day during the fall and winter. Adults at higher risk of having lower Vitamin D levels should consider taking Vitamin D supplementation of 1,000 IU/day all year round. In the United States the recommendations are much higher. Interestingly, the more north you live in latitude, the more deficiencies we see in vitamin D levels. Many practitioners are recommending much higher levels especially if you have been tested and found to have low levels of D.