Nutrients are partners of active longevity.

In the first half of the 20th century, wars and revolutions exhausted the health of millions of people. By the 1950s, they learned to synthesize vitamins chemically and studied the role of individual vitamins and trace elements in detail. Countries with high economic development modernized agriculture and took a course to improve the health of the population. Instead, obesity, diabetes, and various chronic diseases related to poor nutrition continued to claim new victims.

Today, the Japanese are considered a long-lived nation, but 50 years ago, the average life expectancy in this country was 54 and 56 years for men and women, respectively. Terrific atomic explosions have reduced birth rates and increased mortality. Since the 1980s, the Japanese government has subsidized research into the need for macro- and micronutrients for sustainable human development. Thus, a program to preserve the health of the nation was created.

Choice for health

The global wellness trend and a conscious attitude to one's health stimulate people to adjust their diet. Maintaining physical and mental health is the highest value for the Japanese. 90% of modern Japanese take biologically active complexes. They constantly monitor the balance of the diet, and as a result, the life expectancy of the nation has increased to an average of 83 years.

75% of the US adult population uses nutrients to maintain overall health. Multivitamin complexes are the most popular food supplement. The US government controls nutrient labeling and quality standards. 43% of the population of Germany and 59% of the population of Denmark consume nutrients. Europeans are focusing on immunomodulators and probiotics that improve overall physical health.

Consumption of dietary supplements in various countries:

• Japan - 90%
• USA - 75%
• Denmark - 59%
• Germany - 43%
• Ukraine - 5-8%

Natural and geochemical conditions and poor nutrition affect the amount of micronutrient consumption by the population. If the diet can be made more balanced, it is impossible to influence the low content of microelements in soils of the country.

Iodine and selenium - world experience

Selenium is an important micronutrient necessary for the normal functioning of the thyroid gland. The World Health Organization recommends using a trace element in a daily rate of 50–70 mcg (micrograms). During pregnancy, the need for selenium increases to 250 mcg in order to ensure normal intrauterine development and protect the body from oxidative stress. In Europe, about 40 mcg of selenium is consumed per day, and in the USA, it is twice as much: 93 and 134 mcg for women and men, respectively.

World experience shows that the additional use of nutrients has a positive effect on the health of the nation. In the Chinese city of Qidong, 20000 people received selenium-enriched salt for 8 years. Dietary adjustments resulted in a 35% reduction in liver cancer.

Selenium is a synergist of iodine - with a deficiency of the former, the latter is not absorbed. According to the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, you and I consume from 40 to 80 mcg of iodine per day, which is below the norm. Today in Japan, where in the postwar year’s high levels of radiation provoked iodine deficiency in the population, daily consumption reaches 20,000 mcg. The main sources of the trace element are seafood and edible algae, typical dishes for the country.

Culture of nutrient consumption in Ukraine

In Ukraine, the culture of consumption of biologically active complexes is at a low level, and there are no government programs to enrich certain products with nutrients. In the past, the health of mankind has deteriorated due to long wars and malnutrition. Currently, the cause of illness and feeling of constant fatigue is mostly a busy schedule of life and consumption of empty calories. The products give a feeling of satiety, but do not saturate the cells with beneficial macro- and micronutrients.

Ukrainians are still skeptical about the use of nutrients. Only 5-8% of the population supplement the diet with biologically active complexes. The world example of economically developed countries shows that longevity and general physical and mental health directly depend on a balanced diet.