Dietary supplements are substances you take orally to enhance the nutrition in your diet, such as vitamins, minerals, herbs and botanicals, fatty acids, amino acids or more. Dietary supplements come in the form of tablets, capsules, powders drinks or even gummies for easy consumption.
As many supplements can cause side effects and interact with medications to negatively affect your health, reporting any problems can help us remove unsafe products from the market.
Vitamins
Vitamins are organic molecules produced in our bodies that play an essential role in many metabolic processes. Since our bodies cannot synthesize vitamins on their own, they must be consumed through food sources or supplementation. Vitamins can be divided into two groups based on fat solubility or water solubility – water-soluble vitamins include the B-complex and vitamin C while fat soluble ones include A, D, E and K – while they may be classified as essential or non-essential depending on how necessary they are for body functioning.
Dietary supplements are defined by Congress as nontobacco products taken orally that contain “dietary ingredients” intended to supplement one’s diet. Such ingredients include vitamins, minerals, herbs or botanicals, amino acids and other substances that provide essential nutrition and supplementation. Products typically take the form of pills, capsules, liquids powders energy bars etc and should be monitored closely so as to not exceed recommended daily allowance. A registered dietitian can assist you in selecting suitable dietary supplements tailored specifically for you; but be careful if taking too many! To maintain safe consumption it is recommended that daily allowance is followed and not exceeded.
Minerals
Minerals are naturally-occurring solid substances with an ordered chemical composition and internal structure, expressed through a well-defined chemical formula. Impurities that do not alter its structure or properties may exist in some minerals; for instance gold, diamonds and graphite used to make pencil lead. Minerals have various physical characteristics including color luster streak and hardness which distinguish them from each other.
Some minerals are transparent, allowing light to pass through them; others are opaque. Minerals also vary greatly in terms of how they fracture; from sharp edges or jagged corners, to smooth curved surfaces or even with characteristic cleavage planes along which certain minerals, like feldspar and quartz, split in two distinct pieces. The International Mineralogical Association has identified over 5,400 distinct minerals; four of these – iron, calcium, potassium and sodium – are essential human necessities; while magnesium, phosphorus sulfur zinc are only required at smaller amounts.
Herbs
Herbs are plants with various chemical compounds with health-promoting benefits that are used for culinary, medicinal, spiritual and other uses. Herbs typically comprise leafy green plants; however, other forms may include flowers, seeds, root bark resin and pericarp.
Herbal products come in many forms, from capsules and powders to tea bags and drinks. Herbs don’t undergo the same rigorous testing requirements as drugs do, yet may provide numerous health benefits in the body.
Clinicians need to know which herbs their patients are taking as some could interfere with medicines and alter their effectiveness. Since patients can often be reluctant to disclose this information to clinicians, interprofessional teams must foster trusting relationships with patients that encourage open disclosure – this will maximize therapeutic results while decreasing potential negative interactions.
Foods
Multivitamins, vitamin D and echinacea are among the many dietary supplements readily available on store shelves and online. While taking too much or in combination with certain medications may have beneficial results for some individuals, excessive doses or overuse could have detrimental outcomes on health. Speak to your healthcare professional regarding taking dietary supplements for possible advantages it could bring.
Dietary supplements may be beneficial, but always follow the guidance of your health care provider when using them. If you experience adverse side effects from any dietary supplement, contact the FDA through its website immediately to report it.
The FDA regulates dietary supplements differently from drugs. The agency requires manufacturers to create quality assurance programs to produce safe products and label them accurately, as well as conduct investigations of any tainted or dangerous supplements sold as dietary supplements, while the Federal Trade Commission monitors product advertising. For more information please see: the Consumer Safety Guide for Dietary Supplements or its online Consumer Reporting System.
