7 Reasons Your Supplements May Not Be Working

As many of you know, I have been working for the last year on becoming a licensed Nutritional Therapy Practitioner through the Nutritional Therapy Association and I graduate at the end of the month! My creepy dream of becoming Liz Wolfe (my idol, check out Eat the Yolks, it's amazing) is slowly coming true and I could not be more excited. Many of you also know that I have been working in the vitamin and supplement industry for the last few months and I have really taking a liking to it. It allows me to reach a lot of different people who normally wouldn't have access to holistic nutritional wisdom and helps me spread the word, ever so gently, about the benefits of an ancestrally based, nutrient-dense diet. I'm happy to say, both of those things are coming together to make a beautiful baby in this next post.

I wanted to create a guide to help my team better educate people about why a supplement may not be working and how to create a healthier, more balanced body that will accept supplementation of nutrients we may be lacking from our diet and lifestyle. This is also my community outreach project for school, so I will be presenting it to my team sometime this week! I love being an teacher and health education is where my heart lies, so I am so excited to get this short guide out there, even if it only reaches a few people. I'm also hoping to turn it into a downloadable document that you can use to reach out to others struggling with their health. Many people don't want to take supplements or change their diet because they think it won't work, but this guide can help open their mind to the healing power of a properly balanced body and mind.

So, without further ado, I present to you below the top reasons your supplements may not be working. Spoiler alert... it may not be the supplement!

Top 7 Reasons Your Supplements May Not Be Working

We live in a fast-paced world full of creative and wonderful conveniences. Food and our diet are no exception. Since the first World War, humans have been striving to make our food production faster, easier and more efficient. With the industrial revolution came the ability to process food and preserve it on shelves, allowing it to reach far and wide at a time of food crisis. Once the war was over though, we held on to these conveniences and expected our food to always be available quickly and at any time. This drew us away from the slowness of organically grown vegetables, pasture-raised animals and properly prepared whole-grain foods. This change in the standard American diet began to steadily deplete our bodies of the nutrients needed for optimal health. Thus the supplement industry was born. Just as quickly as we created processed foods, we began creating vitamins and minerals to supplement for what we are lacking in our diets. In theory, supplementing our diet with these essentials, like multivitamins, omega-rich oils, probiotics and superfoods, should be enough to maintain proper health and keep us happy, energetic and full of life. But what if these supplements aren’t working? Is it the supplement or is it something else? The answer is a little bit of both. Here are the most common reasons your supplement regimen may not be working.

Improper Digestion

The main function of the digestive system is to break down our food into easily assimilated nutrients that the body can then use for energy production, hormone creation, pH balance and cellular health. When we can’t breakdown our food because of stress, age, eating too quickly, or improper diet, the body can’t absorb any of the nutrients needed for optimal health. It would make sense then that if we aren’t digesting our foods, we probably aren’t digesting our supplements! The best way to work on our digestion of nutrients is actually one of the easiest. Slow down. The body needs to be in a relaxed, or parasympathetic, state for optimal digestion. Only when the body relaxes are key enzymes needed for digestion released, including saliva and hydrochloric acid. When we slow down we also tend to chew our food better. Put your fork down between bites and really enjoy it. Smaller bites of food are easier for the stomach and small intestine to breakdown. You can translate this to supplements by taking them when you are relaxed and calm, and you can even try “tasting” your supplements. Not all supplements can, or should, be chewed, but most can be held in the mouth for a short period of time. Taste bad? That is actually a good thing because the bitterness will stimulate more saliva and enzymes to break the food down. Still having trouble with digestion? Try a liquid form of your vitamins. Liquid is easier to absorb and usually enters your system faster than a tablet or capsule would. You can also look for a vitamin with added enzymes or supplement with digestive enzymes when taking your daily vitamins.

Hydration

Our bodies are comprised of over 60% water, making it the most important nutrient we can supplement with. When our bodies are dehydrated, we struggle to properly perform almost every function in the body, from digestion to detoxification to energy production. No wonder we need water to properly assimilate nutrients! As a culture, we tend to drink diuretic beverages like coffee, tea, soda and energy drinks daily, which take the water out of our cells and flushes it through our kidneys, changing the mineral balance in our bodies. By drinking more water we can fight this imbalance and allow our bodies to operate at a more efficient level. If you feel your supplements are not working, try replacing one diuretic beverage with water or just increasing your water intake daily. Keep in mind to sip water throughout the day, not to chug a glass at a time. Too much water at a time just flushes the system, leading to less water absorption and more water retention.

Mineral Imbalance

Minerals all depend on one another to function properly. Each mineral uses another to keep it in check. For example, potassium and sodium work together to balance your hydration levels. The body has an innate ability to keep all of these minerals balanced, but if we are not consuming the right minerals in our diet, we may become deficient in one or another. This is why many mineral supplements may have more than one mineral on the label. We can easily throw off the mineral balance of our bodies by over supplementing on a particular kind. Some minerals also need other vitamins to help break them down, known as cofactors. Vitamin D3 is important for the assimilation of calcium and many calcium supplements will include this along side magnesium or zinc. If your mineral supplement isn’t working, it could be because you lack the necessary cofactors and could benefit from a multi-mineral supplement or a practitioner who can guide you through your unique mineral balance needs.

Diet

Macronutrients in our diet are needed in a proper ratio in order to maintain the body’s natural balance. These include proteins, fats and carbohydrates. When we eat meals that are out of balance, or contain poor quality nutrients, such as processed and refined foods, we do not allow the body to live in harmony. We need each macronutrient for optimal health. Proteins are made of amino acids, the building blocks needed for building muscle, transmitting signals to the brain and cardiovascular health. Carbohydrates are made of sugars the body needs for cellular energy. Fats are made of fatty-acid chains that help build hormones, lubricate and form cell structures and comprise up to 60% of our brain tissue. All of these macronutrients are needed together. A diet low in healthy fats, like avocados, olive oil, grass-fed butter and omega fish oils, can cause low-quality hormone production, poor cognition and thicker, more viscous blood. A diet high in refined carbohydrates, like processed white flour and sugar, can cause the body’s blood sugar levels to become imbalanced and cause a plethora of health issues. A diet low in protein can limit the essential amino acids needed to build strong muscles and build hormones responsible for mood. Many times we try to supplement for these issues with whatever we are lacking in the diet and usually it can help alleviate nagging symptoms. But if your supplements are not working, they may not be enough to make a lasting impression on a body out of balance. Try working on different, more balanced macronutrient ratios in your diet to help restore harmony and increase a supplement’s value.

Quality of Supplement

Unfortunately, not all supplements are created equal. Some vitamins and minerals come from food and some are created in a lab. Both have their benefits and drawbacks, but if the supplement you are taking isn’t working, you may want to pay closer attention to where it came from. Some vitamins are full of fillers and chemicals to preserve the ingredients. If you aren’t careful, you may be taking a supplement with more junk than active constituent, so always read the label for additional ingredients. Be mindful of conventional versus organic supplements as well. The quality of your supplement is just like the quality of your food. Conventional supplements may come with pesticides and inorganic materials that may be hindering the supplements ability to work as well, so try an organic product. Also keep in mind that cost doesn’t necessarily equal quality. There are many reasonably priced vitamins out there that are of great quality because they want to make the product available to all consumers, not because they are made of cheap ingredients.

Stress Level

In today’s society it is hard to not be overwhelmed by stress. Stress at work, stress at home, stress at the gym. And then sometimes we get stressed about our stress, which causes even more stress. So what does the body do? It gives us a boost. In particular, a boost of cortisol, or adrenaline. The adrenal glands function as our stress moderators, flooding the blood stream with cortisol, a steroid hormone, to keep us awake and alert. This is what is known as the “fight or flight” hormone and it’s job is to keep us alive. It stimulates the body to make more energy, to need less nourishment and wires our brain for an oncoming attack. Sounds great, right? But it comes at a cost. Too much stress can tire out the adrenals, making it harder and harder for them to maintain this state. It also pulls the body away from the parasympathetic state that is necessary for proper digestion and sleep. Constant stress in any form, not just emotional, can greatly diminish the body’s ability to absorb nutrients, including those supplements you’ve been taking to help you sleep… Sometimes we can stress the body just through our diet. Coffee is a cortisol stimulator, and if you are having trouble sleeping or relaxing at any time of day, try cutting your serving in half or removing it completely. You may find you are actually more awake and rested when you can sleep at night once you have adjusted to life without caffeine. An unknown food allergy can also cause the body to have an inflammatory immune response which can be counteracted with, you guessed it, cortisol. If you’re still having trouble with your supplements, try managing your stress instead. Some stress relieving activities include meditation, reading, yoga or other light exercise, or any activity that makes you feel calm and centered, like painting.

Bio-Individuality

The last thing to keep in mind is bio-individuality. Every person is unique and may need something different than someone else with the same issue. If your supplement isn’t working, it may not be the right one for you. It could be the particular brand, but it could also be the product itself. There are many different types of supplements out there that all work toward the same goal. Vitamins, minerals, herbs, homeopathy, aromatherapy. If one modality isn’t working, try another. The opposite rings true as well. If a supplement is working for you, stick with it! If you are seeing results, your body is responding well to it, and that is what we want! To help the body naturally improve itself and lead to optimal health.

The purpose of this guide is information only and should not be considered medical advice. I am not a licensed medical doctor and should not be treated as one. Always consult with your physician or pharmacist before beginning a supplement regimen or changing supplements as many supplements contain contraindications that should be discussed with a licensed professional before use. The information presented herein has not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and it is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.