Nutritional supplements in optimal human nutrition

Abstract

The basic requirements for human health and life quality improvement are wholeness, variety and moderation in food choices. In industrial countries the numbers of adipose inhabitants is constantly growing. People consume insufficiently vegetables, fruits and fish. The missing nutrients must be augmented with the help of functional foodstuffs. The objective of the study was to compare the impact of food supplements and local products rich in fibre and polyunsaturated fatty acids on the human body. The research was conducted at the Rīga Heart Consulting Room in 2010. For two months, 60 volunteers in three groups: using the food supplement "Wellness" in their diet (Wellness group), or Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) and linseeds (Linum usitatissimum L.) (Nature group) and Control group were monitored. The participants' weight, girth, amount of glucose and level of cholesterol were measured by standard methods. Data acquired were analysed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS (level of significance P < 0.05). The cholesterol level was reduced by 14% in the Nature Group. Glucose normalised to 5.8 mmol/l. Weight of participants was reduced by 2 to 7 kg. The results show that by enriching the daily diet with food supplements, both as natural products and as a special complex, it is possible to reduce body weight, reduce cholesterol and glucose levels in the blood, and reduce the risks of obesity and coronary heart disease.