Do your research before choosing supplements

June 24--Your grandmother has been telling you to take your vitamins for years. Television commercials sing the benefits of pills engineered for different ages and body types. Maybe your doctor even recommended a supplement to cover any nutrients your diet might not be providing.

Then a few months ago, extensive new research emerged stating that most multivitamins don't have many proven health benefits and are more comparable to a placebo. Although the dreams of vitamin lovers might have been crushed that day, Jim Fly of A-Z Freshair Fare still thinks certain vitamin and mineral supplements can be beneficial. All it takes is a little research and choosing the right products.

While Fly thinks a healthy, well-rounded diet is the best way to get the nutrients you need, most Americans don't eat nearly enough nutritious foods to achieve optimal health.

"The truth is that most people in our fast-paced, multitasking society simply don't take the time to plan their meals and to shop so that they are getting all those things," he says.

Synthetic multivitamins usually don't contain high enough amounts of certain nutrients to do any good. Natural supplements can help because the body absorbs them much better. According to his customers' needs and his nearly 20 years experience in the business, he says there are three main nutrients in which we are most deficient, particularly in Missouri: omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D and magnesium.

"The importance of your omega-3s is that they're highly anti-inflammatory. Just Google inflammation and you'll see that it's pretty much the smoking gun behind every single chronic disease that we have today, from Alzheimer's to heart disease to cancer," Fly says.

Of the two essential fatty acids humans need to function, omega-6 is the easiest to find, as it's present in most cooking oils. Omega-3s come from fish and grass-fed beef, as well as walnuts and chia, flax and hemp seeds. The problem is that most grocery store fish comes from factory farms and most meat is grain-fed, so the beneficial fatty acids aren't present. Taking an omega-3 supplement can help reduce inflammation and strike a better balance between omega-3s and omega-6s in your body.

Vitamin D is another nutrient people never get enough of. It helps the body absorb calcium, which is especially beneficial to aging women. The best way to get vitamin D is through sunlight, but that poses a problem in itself.

"We live in a northern latitude. During the winter the sun doesn't shine at the right angles strong enough for our bodies to make vitamin D. ... In the summer it's so hot here that most of us stay in the air conditioning or we slather on sunscreen when we go out so the sun isn't able to do its job," Fly says.

In reality, 15 to 20 minutes of daily sun exposure is all a person needs for their body to manufacture the right amounts of vitamin D. If this isn't an option for some people, take a supplement or try to eat or drink vitamin D-fortified foods. However, keep in mind any medication that might hinder its absorption.

"Our bodies actually manufacture vitamin D from cholesterol in our skin. ... When you're taking a statin drug, it lowers your cholesterol to the point where your body isn't able to manufacture much D anymore ... so sometimes taking drugs can create artificial nutritional deficiencies," Fly says.

Also know that while vitamin D aids calcium absorption, vitamin K is what diverts that calcium to the bones instead of the arteries, where it can calcify and cause blockages. Fly carries products in his store containing both supplements so that they work in tandem.

Magnesium is said to affect at least 300 different actions in the body. Its main function is to work opposite of calcium -- calcium contracts the muscles and magnesium relaxes them. People who experience leg cramps at night often discover that magnesium deficiency is the culprit. Dark, leafy greens are the best foods to eat to increase magnesium levels.

Beyond these three main supplements, a multitude of other products exist to boost incomplete diets. Fly suggests getting a blood test from a doctor first to determine if you have any vitamin or mineral deficiencies. Then, read and research the different ways you can alter your diet, either through food or supplements.

"I think the most important part of healthcare reform is people taking personal responsibility for their own health ... and that requires reading and keeping up with things, because you've gotta start somewhere," he says.

Brooke Wilson can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter: @SJNPWilson.

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