Supplements: Allies of longevity or dangerous fashion?

“ Vlet us learn more years than any previous generation — but not always with more quality of life. I see this every day in consultation: people with many years ahead, but polymedicated and tired. And this is where supplementation, when well done, can make a difference.

What is, after all, a “good” supplement?

A quality supplement is in practice a nutraceutical: a nutrient with proven property that works and improves health. It seems simple, but there is an essential question behind it — how can we be sure that what is written on the label is, in fact, what is inside the capsule?

The most common error: self-supplementing

It is often heard in consultation: “I have taken this supplement for years, but I have never been accompanied.” Taking supplements on your own, guided by a friend's recommendation or by a store, is one of the most common mistakes I see. The right question is not “what supplement is in fashion?” but “what does my body need, concretely?”

— and that answer only clinical tests can provide.

It is now possible to measure most nutrients clinically — from coenzyme Q10 to vitamin D, K2 or zinc. To supplement without this is often to waste money and, worse, create imbalances.

The nutrients “dance” among themselves

A point that few people know: nutrients do not act alone. Calcium needs vitamin D to be absorbed, and vitamin K2 to be correctly transported to the bones, rather than deposit into the arteries. Zinc interacts with copper and iron. Supplementing one without thinking about others can unbalance everything else.

The question of quality (and counterfeiting)

Unlike medicines, supplements do not have the same level of control.”