Are you over supplementing?

In a recent interview with W magazine, Hilary Swank informed that she was ingesting over 40 supplements daily (from Aloe, vitamin C, to Flax oil, you name it), which were recommended by her nutritionist. Hilary thinks she is doing good for her body, but in reality she may be overworking her kidneys and liver, increasing her risk for elevated liver enzymes (indicating liver disease/failure) and elevated BUN (blood urea nitrogen)and Creatinine (indicating kidney disease/failure) and dehydration, it takes a lot of water to detoxify all those supplements. Dehydration can contribute to muscle fatigue and prevent the kidney and liver from working effectively. Now, most of us may not take as many as 45 supplements daily but we should still ask ourselves, "Am I taking too many and are these the right supplements for me?" There are a number of supplements that help reduce high cholesterol, increased immunity and others that curb your appetite. All of them may sound appealing, but are they essential for your health and well being. The Livitician recommends that you speak to a Registered Dietitian (make sure it's an RD, anyone can call themselves a nutritionist) and your primary care physician to discuss the supplements that you want to take and your medications to relay drug/nutrient interactions. Please only take the minimum number of supplements necessary to befriend your liver and kidney, let's not stress out those little organs that have to do a lot as it is without supplements to clean the body. Several factors need to be taken into consideration before you start to take any supplement. Your family history for instance, if you have a genetic propensity for conditions such as, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, breast cancer, please consult with your doctor and Registered Dietitian to see what supplements are RIGHT for you. Your current diet is also a factor. Plenty of what we eat is already sufficient enough with e.g., calcium or vitamin C depending on your dietary intake, you may not need those supplements if you're already ingesting the right amount for your body. Here at The Livitician Network, we offer a number of supplement options that are recommended based on your blood work, medical and family history, and food frequency questionnaire and 24 hour dietary recall. Please schedule your nutrition consultation at (310) 247-0018 or deborah@livitician.com. and check out the products tab on http://www.livitician.com/. - Juice Plus, which offers 17 servings of fruits and vegetables and grains per day (order at: http://www.livitjp.com/). Whole food supplements are best for not overworking the kidney and liver, multivitamins are isolated, fragmented vitamins and minerals that are not all utilized, hence the reason why your urine is neon after taking those supplements. Order Juice plus as a great overall heathful supplement to keep your immunity up with some extra real food in a capsule. In moderation is key when it comes to taking supplements and talk to your MD about the medications you are taking, make sure that they are indeed at the lowest level necessary and that each one is essential, if not discuss with him about weaning down or finding a nutraceutical alternative (e.g., Bioslife 2 from Unicity as a replacement or adjunct to a statin-Lipitor, order at (800)864-2489-
IBO: 45387601). Know your family history and focus on alla naturale when it comes to meeting your nutritional needs.