This post comes to us from our friends at Natural Solutions for a Healthy You.
If you’re reading this blog, you know that nutrition profoundly affects your health. In fact, it seems so common-sensical that it seems hard to refute. However, it is still very rare that a mainstream medical journal addresses nutritional status in a diagnostic sense. But the tide is turning.
The March 2012 issue of the British Medical Journal The Lancet contains an extensive review entitled “Selenium and human health” that emphasizes why we should determine selenium status, whether high or low, before recommending proper supplementation.
The author concludes that there is a definite “U-shaped link with status; whereas additional selenium intake may benefit individuals with low status, those with adequate-to-high status might be affected adversely and should not take selenium supplements.”
Targeted supplementation is the answer
Low selenium status has been linked to several diseases, including heart disease, infertility, low immunity, thyroid disease and cancer; but too much selenium is also linked to several health risks, including an increased risk of developing type II diabetes. This paper epitomizes the philosophy that more-is-not-necessarily-better for vitamins and minerals.
The paper also implies that balance is the key and that each individual has unique needs for different nutrients. Blood levels of nutrients don’t change until dramatic changes in your health have taken place and are often misleading. In order to get an accurate picture of a person’s nutritional needs, we must evaluate the function of an entire panel of nutrients. In this way, we can determine where there are nutritional needs versus the need to decrease or eliminate certain vitamins or minerals.
Don’t guess – Test!
We have many tests available to help evaluate your specific nutritional needs. All that is usually needed to determine which test(s) are right for you is a quick phone consultation. Then, we can complete any necessary testing (or arrange to have it completed) and get you on your way to determining how to best meet your specific nutritional needs.
Source: Rayman MP. Lancet 2012 2;379:1256-1268.