In 2016, the dietary supplement market was estimated at $122 billion. By 2022, that figure has risen to $200 billion, an increase of more than 60%. Forecasts announce the same increase between today and 2028 1 .
The questions we are entitled to ask are: is this justified, and what are food supplements for? This is what we will try to answer in this article.
Health at the heart of concerns
Food supplements have been on the rise for a few years, particularly in the West. Several reasons can explain this phenomenon. First, there is a reaction to the “junk food culture” installed by fast food restaurants, first in the USA, then in Europe and the rest of the world.
In the USA precisely, at present, more than 68% of adults are overweight or obese 2 . These maddening figures have had the effect of alerting part of the population, proof of which is the proliferation of nutritionists on the web, whether professional or self-proclaimed.
These often accompany their advice on nutrition and physical activity with the intake of food supplements.
Deficiencies in food
But does this in itself justify the consumption of these food supplements? Don't they represent yet another juicy niche into which profit-hungry companies have rushed?
Well, some studies seem to show that the use of natural food supplements in addition to a balanced diet does indeed make sense.
Dr. David Thomas demonstrated this by comparing the mineral content of 27 varieties of vegetables, 17 varieties of fruit, 10 cuts of meat and some dairy and cheese products between 1940 and 1991.
The results show that there was a significant loss of minerals, proteins and trace elements in these foods during this period.
Among other things, the potassium content of spinach dropped by 53%, its phosphorus by 70%, its iron by 60% and its copper by 96%. The iron content of meat products decreased by an average of 54% 3,4 .
Soil depletion and chemical treatment
Once this observation has been made, one can legitimately wonder how such a degradation in the quality of food could have occurred?
Until today, science has been able to pinpoint two culprits: the depletion of the soil due to its overexploitation, as well as the astronomical quantity of chemical substances used not only in the treatment of the crops themselves, but also intended preservation of food during transport and storage.
We are talking about nearly 70,000 new chemicals added to crops and food since 1940.
In addition, the selection that has been made, de facto reducing the variety of fruits and vegetables available, may in some cases have favored certain varieties that are poorer in nutrients 5 .
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In 1991, you had to eat 3 apples to consume as much iron as in 1940. |
Consuming organic foods, although recommended and certainly better in all aspects, is not enough to close the gap. The organic fields are as poor as the others, and the treatments applied to the adjacent fields end up reaching their organic neighbors via the rains.
Deficiencies and their consequences
So we see that unfortunately, today, worrying about the composition of your plate is not enough to provide your body with all the minerals, magnesium, calcium, amino acids and vitamins it needs. It is becoming more and more complicated to meet our nutritional needs.
At this stage, there are two solutions: eat 25 fruits and vegetables a day (with all the risks that this entails, the sugar content of the fruits has not decreased) or turn to original food supplements natural. This second solution makes it possible to effectively strengthen and maintain our body in general, whether it is our brain, our muscles, our joints, our intestine , etc.
Supplementation to compensate
The nutrients contained or not in food have a major role in the growth of children and the maintenance of good health in adults. For example, an insufficient amount of iron in the body causes fatigue and concentration problems.
Similarly, vitamin D deficiency weakens the immune system and makes it more vulnerable to viruses and germs. The main role of food supplements is therefore to compensate for this inevitable lack due to the poorer quality of foodstuffs, which leads to many diseases.
Among the major consequences of an insufficient intake of essential micronutrients, we often note the early onset of osteo-articular pain and inflammation affecting the tendons. We then speak of rheumatism, osteoarthritis, chronic tendonitis, etc.
It is better to take the lead with natural products like Coxadol . Concentrated in devil's claw plant extracts and vitamin C, it helps prevent and treat pain related to rheumatism, osteoarthritis and other polyarthritis.
In summary, it is your entire metabolism that benefits from a natural nutritional contribution. Your physiological needs are satisfied, the proper functioning of your body is ensured, your immune defenses improve and your whole life is positively affected.
Sources:
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/828514/total-dietary-supplements-market-size-globally/
- https://www.asteur-amerique.org/?+Obesity-in-the-United-States+
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14653505/
- https://wellnessuniversal.com/93JulyAug-pg6-9-14.html
- https://culinarylore.com/food-science:are-todays-fruits-and-vegetables-less-nutritious-soil-depletion-and-nutrition/
