Premium Insurance Caps – why diet alone isn’t enough

By Steve Born

If only diet were enough…

It would be so much simpler if you could get every vitamin and mineral your body needs from food alone. I’d like that too. The reality, however, is that the nutrient content and quality of food have declined over recent decades, so even careful eating isn’t always enough. Now, in autumn – as the race season ends, the days get shorter, there’s less sunshine and winter base training slowly begins – it’s especially worth checking whether your daily micronutrient intake is really where it should be.

Why diet alone isn’t enough

• There is no “official” proof of the perfect diet. No clinical study has precisely defined what a balanced diet is, nor shown that everyone can meet their basic nutrient needs from whole foods alone.
• Research shows food alone often falls short. The work of Professor Bruce Ames [1] showed that a chronically inadequate micronutrient intake can affect how cells function over the long term. A large 2010 US survey [2] found that nearly the entire population studied failed to meet dietary recommendations.
• Not everyone has access to fresh, local food. Produce shipped from far away, picked unripe and stored for a long time may contain fewer nutrients than freshly picked produce.
• Let’s face it: nobody eats perfectly every day. Training, work, family – for most of us, our diet is far from ideal most of the week.

Supplementation is a necessity, not a luxury

It’s important to stress that a food supplement supplements – it does not replace – a varied, whole-food diet. Food always comes first. But as an athlete and an active person, you need more vitamins and minerals than the average sedentary person, and you also lose some of them through sweat. That’s why, in my view, daily supplementation is not a luxury for athletes but a necessity.

Where to start? With your daily foundation

The best starting point is a comprehensive, high-quality multivitamin and mineral formula such as Premium Insurance Caps. Hammer didn’t base the amounts on the official nutrient reference values (NRV) – which mark the minimum needed to avoid deficiency – but on the optimal daily intake of an active, training body (Optimum Daily Intake, ODI).

• 12 vitamins in well-absorbed forms (such as 5-MTHF folate, vitamin B12 as methylcobalamin, vitamin B6 as P-5-P),
• amino acid chelate minerals that are gentle on the stomach,
• bioflavonoids, quercetin and digestive enzymes,
• capsules, not tablets – and iron-free.

What science says – and what the nutrients do

Immune system. In a study published in August 2020 [3], healthy adults aged 55–75 took a daily multivitamin/mineral supplement or a placebo for 12 weeks. According to the results, those taking the multivitamin spent an average of 2.29 days sick, compared with 6.43 days in the placebo group – more than 60% fewer – and participants in the multivitamin group reported milder symptoms. Review papers on the topic [4][5][6] also emphasise that an adequate combined intake of several vitamins and minerals matters for the immune system. What we can state with certainty based on EU-approved claims: vitamin C, vitamin D, zinc and selenium contribute to the normal function of the immune system, and vitamin C contributes to maintaining the normal function of the immune system during and after intense physical exercise. With the colder months approaching in autumn, this is particularly relevant. And remember: enough sleep and reducing stress are just as important.

Mental sharpness. In a sub-study of a large, multi-year US trial (COSMOS) [7] – which also tested a cocoa extract – researchers looked at how older participants’ cognitive function developed. Among those taking a daily multivitamin, the researchers measured 60% slower cognitive aging, which lead researcher Dr. Laura D. Baker equated to roughly 1.8 years; the cocoa extract, by contrast, did not differ from placebo. According to approved claims, zinc contributes to normal cognitive function, and vitamins B1, B6, B12 and niacin contribute to the normal function of the nervous system.

Energy and fatigue. Vitamins B1, B2, B6 and B12, niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin C and magnesium contribute to normal energy-yielding metabolism, and vitamins B2, B6 and B12, niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin C and magnesium contribute to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue – which also matters during the long, monotonous sessions of winter base training.

A comprehensive review from 2026

In January this year, the journal Ageing Research Reviews published an umbrella review [8] led by Dr. Weilan Wang, summarising 19 meta-analyses – a total of 214 studies and data from more than 5.5 million participants – on multivitamin use. According to the review, multivitamin use was associated with better cognitive function and fewer infections in some randomised trials, and with a lower risk of cataracts, coronary heart disease, colorectal cancer and hip fracture in observational studies. However, because a large share of the studies were observational – such studies show associations and do not prove cause and effect – the authors call for more well-designed randomised trials and a more personalised approach. In my view, this is a step in the right direction: more and more data support what we at Hammer have been saying for more than a quarter of a century.

Summary

Your daily foundation is always your diet: eat plenty of vegetables and fruit, ideally locally grown (even organic) – not so much for the vitamins as for the other plant compounds they contain, the phytonutrients –, eat healthy fats, little salt and sugar, and avoid processed foods. On top of that, Premium Insurance Caps is a kind of “insurance” that your body gets the vitamins and minerals it needs for performance and recovery every day.

Dosage: 1–7 capsules daily with meals, depending on training volume. For most adults training less than 8–10 hours a week: 3–4 capsules daily; for more than 10 hours of training a week: 7 capsules daily, split between two meals. Allow 2–3 hours between taking them and the start of training. Do not exceed the recommended daily dose.

The transition period is the best time to get your foundation in order. Start now, take it every day – on training and rest days alike – and in spring you’ll head into the next season from a solid base!

Food supplements should not be used as a substitute for a varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. If you take medication, have a known medical condition, or are pregnant or breastfeeding, consult your doctor before use.

References

1. Ames, B. N. (2006). PNAS, 103(47), 17589–17594. PubMed
2. Krebs-Smith, S. M. et al. (2010). The Journal of Nutrition, 140(10), 1832–1838. PubMed
3. Nutrients (2020), 12(8), 2447. MDPI
4. Maggini, S.; Pierre, A.; Calder, P. C. (2018). Nutrients, 10, 1531.
5. Gombart, A. F.; Pierre, A.; Maggini, S. (2020). Nutrients, 12, 236.
6. Calder, P. C. et al. (2020). Nutrients, 12, 1181.
7. ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03035201. ClinicalTrials.gov
8. Wang, W. et al. (2026). Ageing Research Reviews. ScienceDirect