Three Key Supplements You Should Always Keep Stocked

It’s well known that certain supplements—vitamin D3, multivitamins, and omega-3 fatty acids, for example—are meant to be taken daily. But there are times when we need instant support, and it doesn’t do us any good to have an upset stomach, occasional constipation, or back and knee discomfort and not have on hand the supplements that can best support our health. So we’ve narrowed down the necessities for you into a short list of “must-have” supplements you should never be without.

For starters, you can’t afford to neglect your gut’s balance of friendly flora, such as Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria. Without sufficient populations of these critical bacteria in your digestive tract, issues like occasional diarrhea, bloating, and gas are all but guaranteed—especially during times of stress or overindulgence.^1-4 Research shows that psychological stress can significantly decrease levels of gut microflora, while certain dietary choices—including excess consumption of sugar, refined carbohydrates or even protein, if it’s not properly digested—can do the same.^5-6

Luckily, avoiding these common traps and keeping your bacterial balance on track is easy with a high quality probiotic—such as VRP’s BioPRO™, which delivers 10 billion colony-forming units (CFU) per gram of Bifidobacterium bifidum, Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium infantis, Bacillus coagulans, and Lactobacillus acidophilus.⁷ BioPRO can give your friendly flora a daily boost—and taking this probiotic powerhouse daily is always a good idea—but extra should be kept on hand for times of stomach upset. Studies have revealed the ingredients in BioPRO support digestive comfort by reducing the potential for bloating, indigestion, and diarrhea, while at the same time encouraging your gut’s natural bacterial population to thrive.^8-9

Of course, staying regular is just as important—and while probiotics play no small role in this department, sometimes your bowels need a little extra support to get moving. Occasional constipation is a common consequence of low-fiber, high-dairy, high-sugar diets, and its effects on gut permeability and colon cell health can be significant.^10-13

During these times, consider giving your sluggish bowels a boost with gentle herbs like senna leaf, cascara sagrada bark and butternut bark—the use of which research supports for safe and effective relief of occasional constipation.^14-16 You’ll find these botanicals combined with nutritive, bowel-bulking fiber—including psyllium husks and fructooligosaccharides—in VRP’s EZ Cleanse™, designed to both enhance regularity and curb constipation-related bloating and discomfort.^17-18

Finally, no natural “survival kit” would be complete without a solution for joint mobility and comfort. Imbalanced inflammatory responses can be a significant drag on your lifestyle, impacting your joint health and circulation in both the short and long term.^19-20 But nutraceuticals that balance mediators like COX-2 enzymes, prostaglandin E2, and matrix metalloprotein (MMP)—while keeping inflammatory activity in check and boosting your body’s own comfort-enhancing chemicals—can help to ensure that you stay active and flexible for life.

Key compounds to support joint comfort include turmeric root, Boswellia serrata, dl-phenylalanine, and nattokinase—all of which you’ll find in the formula Back in Action™, available from Vitamin Research Products®.^21-24

References:

1. Hawrelak JA, Myers SP. The causes of intestinal dysbiosis: a review. Altern Med Rev. 2004;9(2):180-97.

2. Amanatidis S, Mackerras D, Simpson JM. Comparison of two frequency questionnaires for quantifying fruit and vegetable intake. Public Health Nutrition. 2001;4(2):233-239.

3. Klesges RC, Klem ML, Bene CR. Effects of dietary restraint, obesity, and gender on holiday eating behavior and weight gain. J Abnorm Psychol. 1989;98(4):499-503.

4. Bailey MT, Coe CL. Maternal separation disrupts the integrity of the intestinal microflora in infant rhesus monkeys. Dev Psychobiol. 1999;35:146-155.

5. Smith EA, Macfarlane GT. Dissimilatory amino acid metabolism in human colonic metabolism. Anaerobe. 1997;3:327-337.

6. Kruis W, Forstmaier G, Scheurlen C, Stellaard F. Effect of diets low and high in refined sugars on gut transit, bile acid metabolism, and bacterial fermentation. Gut. 1991;32:367-371.

7. Report of a Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation. Evaluation of Health and Nutritional Properties of Probiotics in Food Including Powder Milk with Live Lactic Acid Bacteria, October 2001.

8. Halpern GM, Prindiville T, Blankenburg M, et al. Treatment of irritable bowel syndrome with Lacteol Fort: a randomized, double-blind, cross-over trial. Am J Gastroenterol. 1996;91:1579-85.

9. Bouhnik Y, Vahedi K, Achour L, et al. Short-chain fructo-oligosaccharide administration dose-dependently increases fecal bifidobacteria in healthy humans. J Nutr. 1999;129:113-6.

10. Khalif IL, Quigley EM, Konovitch EA, Maximova ID. Alterations in the colonic flora and intestinal permeability and evidence of immune activation in chronic constipation. Dig Liver Dis. 2005;37(11):838-49.

11. Jacobs EJ, White E. Constipation, laxative use, and colon cancer among middle-aged adults. Epidemiology. 1998;9(4):385-91.

12. WebMD. Digestive Disorders Health Center: The Basics of Constipation. Retrieved October 21, 2011 from http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/digestive-diseases-constipation.

13. Yellowlees WW. Modern diseases, seen from a Highland practice. An ecological approach. Ecol Dis. 1983;2(1):81-91.

14. MacLennan WJ, Pooler AFWM. A comparison of sodium picosulphate (“Laxoberal”) with standardised senna (“Senokot”) in geriatric patients. Curr Med Res Opin. 1974;2:641-7.

15. Covington TR, et al. Handbook of Nonprescription Drugs. 11th ed. Washington, DC: American Pharmaceutical Association, 1996.

16. Bone K. Phytotherapy and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. British Journal of Phytotherapy. 1998;4(4):190-198.

17. Institute of Medicine. Dietary, Functional, and Total Fiber. Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids. Washington, D. C.: National Academies Press; 2002:265-334.

18. Chen HL, Lu YH, Lin JJ, Ko LY. Effects of fructooligosaccharide on bowel function and indicators of nutritional status in constipated elderly men. Nutr Res. 2000;20:1725-33.

19. Peuhkuri K, Vapaatalo H, Korpela R. Even low-grade inflammation impacts on small intestinal function. World J Gastroenterol. 2010;16(9):1057-62.

20. Payne GW. Effect of Inflammation on the Aging Microcirculation: Impact on Skeletal Muscle Blood Flow Control. Microcirculation. 2006;13(4):343–352.

21. Prucksunand C, Indrasukhsri B, Leethochawalit M, Hungspreugs K. Phase II clinical trial on effect of the long turmeric (Curcuma longa Linn) on healing of peptic ulcer. Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health. 2001;32:208-215.

22. Blain EJ, Ali AY, Duance VC. Boswellia frereana (frankincense) suppresses cytokine-induced matrix metalloproteinase expression and production of pro-inflammatory molecules in articular cartilage. Phytother Res. 2010;24(6):905-12.

23. Walsh NE, Ramamurthy S, Schoenfeld L, et al. Analgesic effectiveness of D-phenylalanine in chronic pain patients. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1986;67:436-9.

24. Urano T, Ihara H, Umemura K, et al. The profibrinolytic enzyme subtilisin NAT purified from Bacillus subtilis cleaves and inactivates plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1. J Biol Chem. 2001;276(27):24690-24696.