Dietary supplements are consumable products such as vitamins, minerals, herbs or amino acids intended to supplement one’s daily nutrition. They come in the form of tablets, capsules, powders or liquids and can be found anywhere from stores to your kitchen table.
Dietary supplements don’t undergo rigorous clinical trial processes like medicines do; therefore it makes marketing them much simpler for companies.
Vitamins
Vitamins are organic substances your body requires daily in varying amounts for numerous bodily processes, including providing energy. You can get them through foods like eggs, kiwis and leafy greens; but you may also take supplements. Water-soluble vitamins include C and all the B’s (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid pyridoxine biotin and folic acid); fat-soluble ones include A D E found in food oils seeds and nuts.
Dietary supplements that contain vitamins can come in various forms such as tablets, capsules, gel caps, softgels, powders or bars. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, taking an folic acid supplement is highly recommended.
Although dietary supplements can provide essential nutrients, they shouldn’t replace a varied and balanced diet rich in nutrient-rich foods. Supplements may lead to unwanted side effects when taken in large doses over an extended period of time; also, certain medicines can interact negatively with supplements so it’s wise to let your physician know which ones you’re taking. Although FDA regulates some dietary supplement products before selling them commercially.
Minerals
Minerals are vital micronutrients that support essential body processes and functions. Key examples are calcium (which aids bone health), iron and potassium which all play key roles in supporting normal heart function, muscle movement regulation and cell water content regulation.
Minerals are natural inorganic solids with specific chemical composition and ordered internal structure, such as halite crystals that are mined for salt production and sold commercially as rock salt. Minerals may also be present in beverages like mineral water that comes from natural spring sources.
Some dietary supplements contain both vitamins and minerals; these multivitamin/mineral supplements may include other ingredients, such as herbs. People living with digestive conditions that limit nutrient absorption may not get all of the essential vitamins from diet alone, benefiting from taking multivitamin/mineral supplements instead.
Herbs
Herbs are fragrant or aromatic plants used to flavor food, medicine and religious rituals. Herbs come in the form of annuals like basil and parsley; perennials like thyme and rosemary; shrubs such as ginseng; or parts of plants like their roots, buds or bark.
Supplements that include herbs can come in the form of teas, extracts or tinctures; tablets; capsules or powder. Sometimes herbs are combined with vitamins and minerals in dietary supplements to form multi-herbal formulas.
Herbal remedies are not subject to FDA oversight, meaning they can have side effects when taken in large doses or over prolonged periods. Some herbs can even interact with certain prescription medicines. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center provides information about herbal remedies’ safety, side effects and interactions with prescription medicines through its database called About Herbs; consumers and health care professionals alike can access this resource.
Other Ingredients
Under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, Congress recognized dietary supplements as a distinct category of food with specific labeling, good manufacturing practices and adverse event reporting requirements. FDA regulates them as part of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.
Dietary supplements manufacturers must identify botanical ingredients on product labels using standard common names as specified in Herbs of Commerce (1992) and Tokyo Code (1994), in addition to including Latin binomial names when multiple sources have contributed a single botanical ingredient.
Supplements may contain ingredients not considered essential nutrients or herbs, such as fillers, binders, excipients, preservatives and sweeteners that enhance appearance or texture of finished product. These additional ingredients typically appear separately on the Supplement Facts panel in “Other Ingredients”.
