What Are the Best Daily Supplements to Take, According to Science?
Countless people take dietary supplements to support their health and wellness. But not all food supplements are created equal.
Food supplements are intended to, literally, supplement your diet by providing a concentrated dose of micro- and phyto-nutrients - usually in the form of tablets or capsules.
The explicit aim of food supplements is to help you correct nutritional deficiencies and maintain the recommended intake of certain nutrients. It's a multi-billion-pound industry - the market for omega-3 extraction alone is worth £27bn - and food supplements fall into many different categories.
What Is a Food Supplement?
In the breakneck speed of the modern world, where nutrient-poor junk food is so convenient, it's not always easy to eat a diet that will provide enough of all the many nutrients your body needs for optimal health.
Food supplements are intended to, literally, supplement your diet by providing a concentrated dose of micro- and phyto-nutrients - usually in the form of tablets or capsules.
The explicit aim of food supplements is to help you correct nutritional deficiencies and maintain the recommended intake of certain nutrients. It's a multi-billion-pound industry - the market for omega-3 extraction alone is worth £27bn - and food supplements fall into many different categories.
What's the Difference Between Dietary Supplements, Energy Supplements, Health Supplements and Multi-Vitamins
Ah, don't you just love semantics?
The terms 'food supplement' and 'dietary supplement' can be used interchangeably. Yet within these broad categories, you will find a glittering array of different types of supplements - designed to target specific areas of nutrition or drive certain physiological outcomes.
Beauty supplements, for example, target hair, skin and nails. Energy supplements might set their crosshairs for mental sharpness, physical vigour or both.
Multivitamins provide the vitamins necessary for health, but nothing more. Health supplements go a little further and may include minerals, and perhaps amino acids and fatty acids.
Sounds good - but despite the glossy marketing and purported benefits, the food supplement industry is rife with untruths and false claims. We will expand on that shortly, so stay with us.
Herbal, Natural or Synthetic Supplements?
While all food supplements are in effect synthetic, their constituent ingredients can come from a variety of sources. Herbal supplements, for example are derived from plants thought to convey health benefits. Some supplements are natural, meaning they are made using ingredients found in the natural world. Fish oil, for example is natural, although the manufacturers often add synthetic compounds. Other supplements are made using synthetic compounds that were created in a chemical plant.
How Do You Know Which Food Supplements Work?
Rest assured, there are food supplements out there that have a positive impact. But they are easy to miss in an oversaturated, underregulated market - and all the harder to find when honest manufacturers are prevented from referencing the scientific rigour behind their product. Remember: it's illegal for food supplements to make definitive health claims on their packaging. So how do you separate wheat from chaff?
Any brand can pay for a private clinical study, doctor the results and state outcomes that are gravely misleading. Yet peer-reviewed clinical studies have been reviewed and approved by independent experts, published in medical journals and can be trusted.
So, follow these 3 steps to identify which food supplements will work (this is what LYMA has done):
1.
Check for patented ingredients. If you see a TM or R next to an ingredient, it's likely to have been patented. If not, the ingredient is probably generic and unproven
2.
Check for evidence. If you do see a patented ingredient, pop it in the search bar at www.pubmed.gov to see if the exact brand of ingredient has been studied, tested and published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.
3.
Check for levels. Now confirm that the dosage level in your supplement matches the dosage level in the clinical study. If it's not dosed correctly, it may not provide the same benefits. If both the ingredient and the dosage level have been featured in a clinical study on Pubmed, you can trust the ingredient will work.
If both the ingredient and the dosage level have been featured in a clinical study on Pubmed, you can trust the ingredient will work.
How Is the British Supplement Industry Regulated?
It may shock you - and not in a good way - to discover that the food supplement industry isn't regulated by any independent health body. Instead, supplements are classed as food and regulated by the Food Standards Agency. That's the same regulatory body that polices everything from your morning macchiato to your frozen fish fingers.
Food supplement regulations ban manufacturers from making health claims about their products. In some ways that's a good thing. But if there's no onus on validating a pharmacological benefit of a supplement, then any manufacturer can enter the food supplement market.
As a result of this sad lack of rigorous regulation it has been claimed that 90% of the food supplement industry is little more than a placebo. As the industry has ballooned in value, more manufacturers and more products have joined the goldrush. As manufacturers of a supplement which contains ONLY patented, proven and peer-reviewed ingredients, we see our industry being tarnished and public confidence in food supplements eroded. Yet there is an undeniable reality that we have unwavering faith in. Food is medicine. Proper nutritional supplementation has a huge role to play in disease prevention and the happy, healthy living of global populations.
Which begs the question…
What Nutritional Deficiencies Do Most Adults Have, and What Supplements Are Best to Tackle These?
Health and wellness is a vast, ever-changing tapestry, formed by the intricate interweaving of many different threads. Eating a rich and varied diet is just part of the bigger picture. In short: it's not as simple as visiting Google and typing “what vitamins are you lacking if you're tired all the time?” Nutritional deficiencies undoubtedly play a role in short-term problems such as fatigue, insomnia and headaches, but more importantly they increase the risk of developing chronic health conditions in later life.
Analysis of the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey in 2018 found depletion in several key micronutrients was common across mid-life age ranges in the UK. Those micronutrients include magnesium, potassium, iodine, calcium, folic acid and riboflavin. Food supplements can help to compensate for a diet that's lacking in quality and variety. And it's a natural conclusion to think that if you are low in magnesium, for example, you should reach for a magnesium supplement. But it's never that straightforward. Over-supplementation can cause problems of its own. And as we have learnt, most food supplements are little more than placebos.
That's where the science on food supplements is really coming in to its own - driving an emerging wave of products that are built on efficacy and bioavailability: giving your body the right nutrients, at the right time, in the right dosage.
What Are the Best Supplements to Take Daily?
First, we need to talk about something called bioavailability. The way your body absorbs nutrients is a fascinating thing. The concept of bioavailability refers to the rate at which a substance enters bodily circulation and becomes available to its intended biological destination(s)[1].In short: how fast does a nutrient get into your body and start having an effect. Diet-related factors affecting nutritional bioavailability include the structure of food, the chemical form of a particular nutrient and the way food has been processed, cooked or treated[2].
Then there are relationships between different nutrients. For example, eating foods that are high in vitamin C increases the absorption of iron[3], a nutrient that 25% of the global population is deficient in according to the World Health Organization. On the other hand, absorption of nutrients such as calcium and zinc can be hindered by phytic acid, a compound found in many foods including grains, legumes and tubers[4]. Understanding the interactions between different nutrients is one of the keys to creating food supplements with high bioavailability. Food supplements that the body absorbs readily. Food supplements that work. Here's a quick run through of some of the best supplements to take daily.
Ten Proven Ingredients. One Perfect Formula
Anti Inflammatory Curcumins
Boosting Natural Fibres
Naturally Occuring Fatty Acid
Immunity Boosting Vitamin D3
Spectrum Ayurvedic Adaptogen
Nutrient Citicoline
(30mg) Powerful Natural Carotenoid
Vitamin K2 as MK7
Cosmeceutical for Hair, Skin and Nails
Saffron Actives
Which Micronutrients (Vitamins) Do We Need to Take Daily?
Vitamins are responsible for supporting all sorts of bodily functions that maintain good health - such as clearing out free radicals and keeping the immune system strong. However, many of the essential vitamins we need can't be stored in the body, which makes it important to top up regularly. The NHS recommends getting the following vitamins daily: vitamin A, the B vitamins (including thiamine, riboflavin and folic acid), vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E and vitamin K. But in truth most people are rarely deficient in vitamins other than D and K. If you are keen to supplement, remember to use patented ingredients in the correct dosage.
Adaptogens
Adaptogens are derived from non-toxic plants and mainly come in the form of herbs or roots. Their role is to counteract the impact of chemical, environmental or physical stressors on the body and restore balance to the system. Adaptogens are thought to help promote everything from calmness and mental clarity to healthy sleep patterns. A good example of an adaptogen is ashwagandha, which has been a staple in ancient Chinese medicine for some 8,000 years and is enjoying a renaissance today for its ability to help tackle stress and anxiety.
Nootropics
With the promise of enhanced cognitive performance, the clamour around nootropics has been reaching fever pitch in recent years. But there's one nootropic that's as old as time - and you've almost certainly sampled it already this week: caffeine. Yes, caffeine is a type of nootropic, a group that increases cognitive functions such as memory, creativity, motivation and attention. There are many natural nootropics - including coffee, ginkgo biloba and panax ginseng - and there are synthesised versions that are made in a lab, like Adderall and Ritalin. Then there's Cognizin®, a cutting-edge nootropic that works by increasing acetylcholine and dopamine in the brain.
Beta glucans for the immune system
Beta-glucans are fibres that are found in the cell walls of yeast and mushrooms, and cereals such as oats and barley. The fibres from yeast are particularly good at strengthening the defence functions of key innate immune cells like neutrophils and macrophages, while balancing inflammation[5]. This beneficial impact on the immune system is behind the academic thinking that beta glucans can help the body to fend off colds flu and other health issues[6].[6].
Antioxidants
Found in many plant foods, antioxidants help to protect your cells from oxidative stress and breakdown caused by free radicals. Free radicals are created naturally as a by-product of exercising and metabolising food, and also by exposure to pollutants such as tobacco smoke. By providing protection against free radicals, antioxidants are thought to help fight the signs of ageing while helping to prevent the onset of serious degenerative conditions.
Anti-inflammatory nutrients
Inflammation has acquired a bad rep over recent years. But it's not all bad. Acute (short-term) inflammation is how your body fights invaders, flushes out cellular debris and heals from injury. When this inflammatory process continues unchecked, however, it can wreak havoc.
Chronic (long-term) inflammation is thought to help trigger a long list of conditions including arthritis, asthma, heart disease, cancer, diabetes and even mental illness. Then there's “inflammaging” - which relates to how chronic inflammation speeds up the biological ageing process. If you are noticing breakouts of blemishes, fatigue, weight gain or anxiety, a developing problem with chronic inflammation could be playing a part.
The good news is that chronic inflammation is reversible. For so many reasons it's important to try and get a daily dose of foods that are high in anti-inflammatories, such as tomatoes, olive oil, fruits, nuts, leafy greens and fatty fish - or to support your diet with supplementation.
Best Supplements for Men and Women
We're sceptical about the idea that men are from Mars and women are from Venus. But what we can say for sure is that men and women have slightly different nutritional needs. Skimming the research suggests men may benefit from vitamin D and magnesium to support testosterone production[7][8], and boron and lycopene for prostate health[9][10][58].
Women meanwhile typically need slightly higher levels of calcium due to having lower bone density. Lycopene provides enhanced protection from oxidative stress[11], while beta glucans have been shown to reduce stress and mitigate the impact of upper respiratory tract infections[12]. Ashwagandha and affron® (saffron) support healthy sexual functions and balance[13] [14].
Yet the differences between men and women are almost trivial in comparison to the similarities. Thanks to modern lifestyle and dietary habits, both men and women typically experience very similar issues such as stress, weight gain, ageing skin, poor exercise recovery and hormonal imbalance. That is to say, the best supplements are going to be well received by all bodies.
Best Supplements for Muscle Gain, Muscle Strength and Recovery
When you are trying to build strength and improve your recovery from exercise, you already know that protein is important. But herbal supplementation has a role here too. So what are the best supplements for building and maintaining muscle?
Ashwagandha deserves a mention here. In one controlled study, male participants given ashwagandha vs a placebo showed significantly greater increases in muscle strength, greater increase in muscle size and greater increase in testosterone - as well as a greater decrease in body fat percentage[15]. Magnesium can help here by assisting with protein synthesis[16].
There are indirect ways to improve your strength training and exercise responses too. Lycopene, for example, has been shown to improve lung function, which could obviously help with cardio workouts. As for exercise recovery, studies have shown that Hydrocurc™ - a highly bioavailable turmeric supplement - reduces blood lactate immediately after exercise and results in less pain 48 hours after exercise[17]. Ashwagandha meanwhile, has been shown to reduce muscle damage - on top of the strength-building benefits mentioned above[18]. Beta glucan supplementation can reduce the cold and flu symptoms that often develop in the days following intense endurance exercise[19] by priming the innate immune system[20].
Natural Supplements for Brain Health
We know more about space than we do about the nuances of the human brain. As a human you are walking around with a three-pound supercomputer attached to your torso - with a network of ten billion neurons exchanging information at speeds of up to 250mph. Your brain is special. We don't fully understand how it works. What we do know is that you can support it - and the wonderful things it does - with natural supplements for brain health.
One of those brain supplements is citicoline. Classed as one of the nootropics or 'smart drugs', citicoline has been shown to enhance focus, attention and cognitive function, while protecting against free radical damage[21]. It's also believed to be among the best memory supplements due to its activity in the frontal lobe - and may help to mitigate cognitive decline associated with ageing[22]. Citicoline is so well respected that it's used to support neurological recovery in patients with traumatic brain injuries, stroke and cognitive disorders[23].
Another revered natural supplement for brain health is ashwagandha - which as you can see has an extensive range of actions. One fascinating study revealed that patients administered ashwagandha for eight weeks developed significant improvements in immediate and general memory as well as improvements to attention and information processing speed - versus patients administered a placebo. affron® - a standardised extract of saffron - has been shown to enhance mood.
Supplements for Depression
Living with depression can be incredibly challenging. Sadly, prevalent in today's society, it's a condition that has many potential origins. One school of thought is that depression can be caused by - or manifest as - a chemical imbalance in the brain.
What we know for sure is that the food you eat directly affects the structure and function of your brain - and thus your mood. So diet is a good place to start in terms of easing some of the symptoms you may be experiencing. Are there any supplements that might be helpful here?
Both ashwagandha and curcumin have been shown to relieve symptoms of low mood[24], [25] affron® - a patented saffron extract - has improved mood in many peer-reviewed clinical studies[26]. And beta glucans too have been shown to elevate mood in a study of women[27].
Supplements for Stress and Anxiety
While a little stress can be a good thing, living with persistent stress and anxiety is draining and can be deadly. Carefully observing and identifying the conditions that are triggering your stress can help you to bring about the changes needed to live a less turbulent and healthier life. But it's also worth knowing that there are ways to help to relieve some of the pressure, tension and edginess.
Ashwagandha root (again!), is a widely reported natural remedy[31]. (If you want the science, ashwagandha root is thought to help due to its moderating effect on the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis[32].) Beta glucan has also been shown to improve psychological wellbeing[33]. A separate study revealed that saffron extract reduced symptoms of low mood in teenagers[34].
Supplements for Tiredness
It's natural to feel occasional tiredness. But when your tiredness is chronic, it can really impact your quality of life. It starts with struggling to get out of bed in the morning - wishing you had one more hour under the duvet - and stays with you throughout the day, affecting your energy levels, focus, motivation, appetite and more. The day becomes a drudge.
Certain supplements have been shown to alleviate some of the deficits caused by tiredness. These have been linked to improvement in memory and cognitive functions such as processing speed - with benefits both shortly after ingestion and over time with daily supplementation[28].
One of the main causes of chronic tiredness is an inability to get a good night's sleep in the first place. As a wellbeing-promoting herb, ashwagandha can help here too[29]. So too can saffron extract, which has been shown to improve rest quality while reducing the daytime dysfunction caused by lack of rest[30].
Best Supplements for Skin, Hair and Nails
Flawless, radiant skin. Thick, luscious hair. Strong, beautiful nails. They are three of the pillars of cosmetic beauty - and that's not the only thing they have in common. Skin, hair and nails all contain a protein called keratin. Supplements that claim to support skin, hair and nails - and there are lots of them - should target the keratinocytes that produce keratin if they are to have any meaningful effect. But, as we know, there's a lot of deception in the supplement industry. So what are the best supplements for skin, hair and nails?
Let's start with your skin, the largest organ in the human body. Cynatine® HNS is made from keratin and has been referred to as the holy grail of beauty, improving skin condition within 90 days[35]. Lycopene meanwhile helps to protect the skin from the harmful, ageing effects of UV light from the sun[36]. As for hair and nails, Cynatine® HNS comes up trumps again - improving hair growth, hair strength, hair lustre and nail strength within 90 days[37].
Best Supplements for Joints and Bones
The creaks and cracks of achy joints are all part of getting old. At least that's what some people would have you think. But it doesn't have to be that way. Along with regular exercise, good nutrition can help to relieve and even reverse joint pain and preserve the unique joy of movement.
Earlier in this article we covered the fact that deficiency in vitamins D and K is relatively common in adults. That's particularly relevant here, because those vitamins play a crucial role in bone health[38]. Therefore supplementing with vitamins D and K is worth considering if you are concerned about joint health. Research has also shown Levagen®+ may be helpful for leading an active life[39].
Supplements for Vegetarian Diet
A vegetarian diet can be a very healthy diet. But there are a few key nutrients that vegetarians tend to be low in.
The nutrients to consider supplementing include iron, vitamin B12, creatine, vitamin D3, a fatty acid called DHA, calcium and zinc. These play many roles in your body - from immune system strength to brain development - and they are typically lacking in vegetarian diets.
Best Supplements for Sleep
The fact that you feel so foggy and groggy after a bad night's kip is the only evidence you need to prove that catching your Zs is crucial. Sleep is when your brain files away new information. The body goes through all kinds of cellular repair. Your blood is flushed with chemicals that boost your immune system. Research even suggests that sleep can reinforce the health of the cardiovascular system.
So what are the best supplements for sleep? Research has shown that some remedies have sleep-promoting properties - both in healthy volunteers and those suffering with insomnia[40]. The same is true for saffron extract, which has been shown to improve quality of rest[41].
Best Menopause Supplements
The menopause affects every woman differently. Your experience is unique to you. However, some of the more common symptoms include difficulty sleeping, stress, dry skin, thinning hair, weight gain, joint pain and loss of libido. The good news is that you don't have to pass through the menopause passively. By working actively with your body and fuelling yourself with the right nutrients, you can ease many of the symptoms you may come to experience.
A rich and varied diet full of fresh and natural food should be your starting point. But there's some exciting research in the field of supplementation for the menopause. So what are the best menopause supplements?
For starters, lycopene has been shown to reduce the oxidative stress associated with loss of bone density in postmenopausal women[42]. Beta glucan meanwhile has been shown to elevate mood in women experiencing stress.[43] Ashwagandha can potentially have a large impact on women going through the menopause - as research has shown that it can reduce low mood,[44] improve sexual enjoyment[45], improve body stability[46] and aid rest[47].
As for tackling the typical cosmetic impacts of the menopause, Cynatine® HNS has been shown to improve skin appearance [48] as well as hair strength, thickness and lustre within 90 days[49]. The message is clear: a healthy diet and food supplementation can give you a rich arsenal with which to combat symptoms of the menopause.
Supplements for Hormonal Imbalance
If you remember being a teenager - or you have teenagers of your own - you know how powerful hormones can be. Hormones are chemicals that help to control all sorts of biological processes and functions. Your body stores and releases a cocktail of hormones every day - and like any good cocktail, hormonal balance is really important. When your body starts producing too much or too little of a certain hormone, it can trigger all kinds of problems including fatigue, hair loss, weight gain, muscle weakness, loss of libido and more.
There are several different causes of hormonal imbalance. But one of the first areas to address is your diet. Healthy bodyweight and good nutrition play a huge role in proper hormone regulation. Many of the symptoms that can be associated with hormone imbalance are already addressed in this article - and can be reduced and even reversed through specific nutritional supplementation[50][51][52].
In many cases maintaining a healthy bodyweight and eating fresh, healthy foods - boosting your nutrition with food supplements if needed - will help to restore proper hormone regulation. However in some cases - and dependent on the cause of your imbalance - hormone therapy may be required.
Best Supplements for Gut Health
It's not the most pleasant thing to think about while you're tucking in to your morning porridge. But deep in your intestines is a huge army of bacteria - 40 trillion strong. So numerous are these bacteria, that they actually outnumber the human cells in your body.
Collectively these bacteria - up to 1,000 different species among them - make up your microbiome. This microbiome is crucial to your health and impacts everything from your heart and brain to the strength of your immune system, not to mention your ability to absorb nutrients from food. In fact, this bacterial landscape is so crucial to health that researchers are now beginning to refer to the microbiome as an organ in its own right.
Your microbiome is a battlefield, where good bacteria are locked in an eternal war with bad bacteria. It's thought that the balance between good and bad bacteria in your gut is crucial to your health. Healthy foods feed the good bacteria. Junk foods harm the good bacteria. Particularly gut-healthy foods include pulses and legumes, artichokes and oats and fermented foods such as yoghurt, kimchi and sauerkraut. In terms of supplementation you may wish to look into probiotic and - in particular - prebiotic supplements.
Best Anti-ageing and Anti-inflammatory Supplements
Considering what the alternative is, it's amazing that ageing is so vilified. A few wrinkles here and there are all part of enjoying a long and happy life. Yet of course nobody wants to look older than they feel. Earlier in this article we discussed the concept of inflammaging - where chronic inflammation accelerates the biological ageing process. Therefore a diet rich in anti-inflammatory foods such as tomatoes, leafy greens, nuts, fatty fish and berries is a great way to resist the biological ageing process and maintain good health in general.
Supplementation can help here too. Lycopene for example has been studied in peer-reviewed papers[53][54]. Lycopene has also been shown to protect skin[55].
Of course two of the biggest cosmetic worries when it comes to ageing are skin and hair. One formulation that could help is Cynatine® HNS, which has been shown to improve skin appearance[56] as well as hair strength, thickness and lustre within 90 days[57].
Ageing is something to celebrate. But with the right nutrition and supplementation, there's no reason you can't retain a little more of your youth.
What is the number one supplement in the world in 2022?
“LYMA is flying the flag for evidence-based nutrition.” So reads the praise for LYMA in Country & Town House's Supplements To Know.. It's one of a growing number of reviews that are waking up to the fact that every ingredient in our supplement has been through rigorous trials and peer-reviewed by independent experts.
And it shows in the way LYMA makes you feel.
“Miracle pills. The days of taking a cocktail of hit and miss vitamins are over.” That's what they said about LYMA in Vogue. While in the Daily Mail, beauty expert Rachel Carlyle stated: “I'm impressed LYMA has had such a positive effect on my skin in a month.”
“Experts are queuing up to praise LYMA,” they said in the Financial Times, “an ultra-sophisticated regimen boasting patented, peer-reviewed ingredients that address everything.” LYMA has also featured in Cosmopolitan, Tatler, The Evening Standard, The Telegraph and more.
Is LYMA the number one supplement in the world today? Try it and see for yourself or read more reviews.