Dietetic enhancement involves adding foods or food components to one’s regular diet with the aim of improving performance or health. Examples include soaking or sprouting grains and legumes to reduce phytic acid content that inhibits iron absorption; including fat-soluble vitamins (eg olive oil); and increasing micronutrient consumption.
Dietary supplements
Dietary supplements are typically sold as ways to enhance overall body health and performance, with ingredients like vitamins, minerals, herbs, amino acids and plant extracts made up of natural products that can enhance their efficacy. Unfortunately, however, these dietary supplements are not regulated as pharmaceutical drugs and should never be sold with claims to treat or cure diseases.
Historically, supplements were often taken to address specific organ health concerns such as heart, joint and colon and bowel health; however, today most adults who consume dietary supplements use them to enhance or maintain overall health; adults also reported using them to increase energy and decrease stress while increasing sexual performance and weight loss.
According to the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), supplements may be sold so long as they do not claim to prevent, diagnose, treat, or cure diseases. Furthermore, the DSHEA requires all dietary supplements be labeled with “This product has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration; nor is it intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease”.
Supplements may contain additional substances, including chemicals. Any such added components must be clearly indicated on the product label and manufactured, packaged and stored without compromise to identity, strength or quality.
As part of its efforts to ensure supplement safety, the FDA actively monitors dietary supplement manufacturers and distributors for potential safety issues. If any company makes false or misleading claims about its products or uses prohibited ingredients, legal action could ensue against that business. Consumers can learn more about dietary supplements by visiting their manufacturer’s website or consulting reputable sources of health information like National Institutes of Health; additionally they can find health and wellness information as well as report adverse events related to supplements through FDA’s website; the latter also houses scientific data regarding ingredients as well as benefits that help make up supplements’ ingredients that provide health benefits that consumers should know more about; while NIH PubMed database provides scientific research about ingredients in combination with their health benefits for further exploration by researchers.
Over-the-counter products marketed for sexual enhancement or weight loss
Dietary supplements are frequently advertised to increase libido and treat medical conditions like erectile dysfunction (ED) or low sperm count. Available over-the-counter and available in pills, capsules, powders and liquid forms – many fail to live up to their claims when taken at high dosage levels; additionally some supplements contain unwittingly undeclared drugs which could be dangerous if taken incorrectly.
Even though many products claiming to improve sexual function may not be FDA-approved, dietary supplements do not undergo the same stringent testing and approval process as prescription medicines do. Furthermore, these supplements are often sold online and difficult to return or exchange – thus it is crucial that any time these products are purchased it is done with due consideration and in consultation with your physician first.
Many over-the-counter supplements marketed as aphrodisiacs include ingredients like horny goat weed and ginseng; however, there is no scientific evidence proving these ingredients increase libido or sexual performance. Furthermore, certain of these products may even be potentially dangerous if mixed with certain medications like nitrates.
Other products, like l-arginine and ashwagandha, may help increase libido by supporting smooth blood flow. Although their effects have yet to be proven conclusively, low doses of these supplements should prove safe.
Are You Wanting to Enhance your Sexual Experience? Before looking to enhance their sexual experience, those looking to boost it should focus on improving their diet by eating heart-healthy foods, getting enough vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids as well as consulting their physician about which products may interact with medications or dietary supplements taken; also it would be advisable to discuss any underlying conditions that could hinder sexual desire or performance (for instance a person suffering from high blood pressure or diabetes may wish to see if changing medications could help);
