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Inositol Supplement: Review of Benefits, Side Effects, and More

Inositol-SupplementsMost people have never heard of an inositol supplement before, and wouldn’t know what to do with one if they had. The inositol supplement is perhaps more familiar with its previous name: vitamin B8. It is no longer known as a B vitamin because it is made in the body and a deficiency won’t result in a disease. But even with the moniker of vitamin B8, most of us still have a fuzzy grasp, at best, of what use an inositol supplement might be. We’ll try to clear up some of this in the words to follow.

What is an Inositol Supplement?

Inositol or vitamin B8 is found in fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes. While the body creates inositol, whether or not additional supplementation is needed to support the body is still up for debate.

If you are concerned about your dieting habits, inositol supplements may be an ideal choice. Plus they usually come in one of two convenient forms: powder and pills/capsules. These supplements contain inositol from natural food sources or other sources. There are those who call into question the bio-availability of synthesized inositol, so natural food sources are considered preferable.

What Are the Potential Benefits of Inositol?

When understanding the role of inositol in the body, it is perhaps more helpful to describe what happens to the body without it than to describe what happens to the body with an adequate supply. In general, the body and mind deprived of inositol appear to go a bit haywire.

It is well understood that chemical deficiencies can cause physical and mental illnesses. In the case of inositol, these appear to be quite pronounced.

  • People low in inositol are potentially more likely to have greater trouble managing behavior and decision making than someone who does not receive enough of it through diet or supplementations.  
  • People low in inositol may potentially find it difficult to maintain a sense of wellbeing, causing them to seek pharmaceutical aid or counseling. When instead, getting more inositol through diet might help more than anything else.
  • Women of child-bearing age who are low in inositol may potentially have unwanted issues related to fertility and pregnancy. Supplementation of inositol appears to have potential benefits for desirable reproductive outcomes.
  • There is potential that inositol positively impacts the body’s able to metabolize sugars, which may also be of particular benefit to women of childbearing age.

How to Supplement Your Diet With Inositol

If any of the above issues ring true for you, it’s possible that inositol supplementation could have potential benefits for your body and mind. Fortunately, taking inositol does not appear to have discouraging side effects at normal levels.

For this reason, you can feel comfortable to try inositol on your own. It’s already part of many multivitamins, especially those made especially for women. If you find that your multivitamin doesn’t contain inositol, or simply don’t take one, inositol is widely available as a standalone supplement.

It is easy to take in pill form, every morning or as indicated. You can also choose to cook with the powdered form if you want to take more of it than could comfortably be swallowed in capsule form, or simply if you don’t enjoy taking pills.

You could also incorporate more fruits, grains, beans, and nuts into your diet. Nutrients from these foods are always recommended, but supplementation can be a good way to make sure that your diet includes enough of whatever your body needs but isn’t getting any from your regular diet.

Try to track how much you regularly consume, and consider supplementing inositol if you think you might be lacking.