supplements

Nutritional supplements are made to do just that — supplement the body with nutrients that are missing from your diet. But your best bet when it comes to supplements like vitamin D, calcium, and omega-3s, according to recent studies, may be to stick to what's in your food.

One finding from a US Preventive Services Task Force panel found that postmenopausal women who took low doses of calcium and vitamin D (lower than 400 IU of vitamin D and 1,000 mg of calcium) to prevent bone fractures saw no benefit and had an increased risk of developing kidney stones. The panel also stated that since not enough research is available for higher doses, they weren't able to make a recommendation when it comes to taking more than those lower doses.

Another review of three studies found that taking omega-3 supplements did little to help mental or cognitive skills in older adults who took a supplement for up to 3.5 years. The researchers did say, however, that long-term benefits could be possible — and not just with your smarts, since omega-3s help prevent heart disease and reduce joint pain as well.

In any case, getting your 600 IU of vitamin D and 1,000 mg of calcium naturally through what you eat is a foolproof way of reaping the benefits from these nutrients. Check out our list of foods high in Vitamin D and nondairy calcium sources, as well as how to prevent omega-3 deficiency, here.

Do you take supplements?

Magnesium is an essential mineral our body needs and is found in our bones, body tissues, and organs. A well-balanced diet will usually provide you with adequate magnesium levels, but if you are prone to headaches, forgetfulness, sore or cramping muscles, stress, or chronic fatigue, a deficiency in magnesium might be what's slowing you down. For ways to get a daily dose of magnesium, read on.

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Prevention here on FitSugar!

Skin Health
By the Editors of Prevention

Your birthday suit is pretty good at taking care of itself, but this process changes over time. Through natural exfoliation, your skin sheds dead cells as younger ones, generated deep in the epidermis (skin's top layer), migrate upward to replace them. In young, healthy skin, cells take about 28 days to reach the surface and flake off 12 days later, but as you age, renewal slows; new cells aren't produced as quickly, and old ones hang on longer.

Your skin also loses its luster over time as free radicals — generated from things like stress, cigarette smoke, and the skin's top enemy, the sun--cause cell damage that leads to discoloration and even cancer. Your body starts producing collagen, a protein that helps keep your skin plump and elastic, more slowly, causing the outer skin to become more prone to creasing and wrinkling. Cells also tend to lose moisture faster, due to hormonal changes, so skin becomes drier and less glowy.

Lifestyle factors, like avoiding excess sun exposure and wearing sunscreen when you head outdoors, getting plenty of sleep, washing and moisturizing your face at night, combating stress, and getting plenty of exercise, can all keep your skin healthy and youthful longer. And certain vitamins and supplements can help fight wrinkles, discoloration, and other signs of aging, too. But a key distinction here is that most of them work best when applied topically, not through pills or diet.

11 Foods That Give You Beautifully Radiant Skin

Best supplements

Omega-3s: These supplements aren't just making headlines for heart health — dermatologists also recommend them to help prevent dry skin and problems like psoriasis and eczema. These fats are a key component of the lubricating layer that keeps skin supple, and they aid in the production of hormones that improve skin texture and help combat the inflammatory damage wrought by free radicals--one of the causes of wrinkles and blotchiness. To get enough omega-3s in your diet, supplements are often recommended in addition to eating fish, walnuts, and other food sources.

Topical nutrients

You can get these from food or multivitamins, but for optimal skin health, use products that contain them too.

Vitamin A: Derivatives of this vitamin are known as retinoids, and you can find them in OTC or prescription products. They're proven--through more than 700 studies! — to reduce wrinkles, fade brown spots, and smooth roughness. The downside to their effectiveness is potential side effects. Retinoids can cause redness, scaling, and flaking that can last for weeks or more; OTC products tend to be milder than Rx ones.

More About Retinoids and Products That Contain Them

Vitamin B3: This B vitamin, commonly known as niacinamide, helps boost production of the compounds that comprise your skin's outer barrier, which helps it lock in moisture better. The ingredient is also shown to help reduce redness in rosacea patients and is especially helpful if you have dry or sensitive skin.

Vitamin C: Proven to mop up the free radicals that trigger wrinkling, sagging, and other aging changes, vitamin C also helps smooth and firm skin and fade brown spots. In one study, women who treated sun-damaged skin with a C cream for 6 months saw significant improvement in fine lines and discoloration. Though the benefits of retinoids and vitamin C sound similar, using both delivers more complexion perfection.

Vitamin E: This powerful vitamin eases dry skin (by helping skin retain its natural moisturizers) and bolsters UV defense. A slew of skin care studies document its superstar status. In one, E significantly reduced the number of skin-damaging free radicals created after exposure to cigarette smoke. Others show that when it's used before UV exposure, skin is less red, swollen, and dry, which is why the ingredient is often included in sunscreens.

See 7 More Doctor-Proven Beauty-Boosting Supplements

The Best Supplements For Your Skin

Remember a couple years back, when it seemed like every beauty company was coming out with some kind of nutraceutical beverage designed to make your skin look great while you hydrated? Well, although the craze for them has died down, there are still plenty of new ones coming out.

Recently, I was sent ReBloom ($28), a "beauty sleep drink" that promises to deliver better, beautifying sleep without drugs or preservatives. It costs nearly $30 for a one-week supply, or about $1,500 a year if you drink one every night as directed. Fortunately for the drink's makers, the stuff really does work; this Bella slept better and woke up noticeably more refreshed every time I knocked one back before bed.

Oh, but there's a catch. To see what it is, keep reading.

When I asked my doctor about ways to prevent migraines, she recommended I take a magnesium (oxide) supplement. I headed to my closest drugstore and picked up a bottle of Nature's Bounty Magnesium supplement (500 mg), and I've been taking one pill every morning for the last few weeks.

Even though it's been less than a month, since taking the mineral supplement I've been headache and migraine free! This even includes the times that I've had red wine, which is one of my triggers. In the last few months I've also been incorporating foods that prevent migraines into my diet, like topping my yogurt and fruit with ground flaxseed. But I didn't notice a drastic change until I started taking magnesium. Have you tried any supplements to rid you of your ailments? Any other tips for saying goodbye to migraines?

DrSugar is in the house! And she's answering your health-related questions, like this one submitted in our Ask Anything group.

Q: Does it matter which brand of vitamins I take? Are the more expensive ones better for you?

A: This is a great question to ask because I'm sure many of FitSugar's readers, including me, have become perplexed and overwhelmed when at the health food store or vitamin store shopping for a daily multivitamin! I think it's great that you are taking a multivitamin, as vitamins have been recommended for years because they help you get the key nutrients your body needs if your diet is low on fruits and vegetables. To learn if high price equals high quality in vitamins, keep on reading.

I interviewed trainer Jackie Warner recently, and before we spoke I asked you all to submit questions for her. Sugar user LD fit was curious to know Jackie's take on weight loss and fat burning supplements like CLA.

Here's what Jackie had to say on the matter:

"I love certain supplements. There are some very safe supplements that don’t cause any harm to the body and you can take forever and I’ll give her a few. One is a branch change amino acids which are called ETAAs and they are the aminos that will help you with fat metabolism and then the other is glutamine, which is another amino acid. It is the only one to reach the blood stream barrier so it’s a very powerful one and the benefits to glutamine are numerous. Not just muscle building and weight loss but also a lot of studies have shown that it helps with memory and acuity. Then there is L-carnitine which is a good one to take — a major fat burner — and you can take it forever. These are all safe to take everyday, forever."

Jackie has more to say on the subject so keep on reading.