Dietary supplements are concentrated forms of vitamins, minerals and herbs sold as tablets, capsules, powders or liquids and sold on the market without going through rigorous clinical testing procedures like drugs must.
Structure/function claims are allowed, while products cannot make medical claims that purport to treat or cure disease. The FDA monitors these products in order to ensure their safety but can only take action once they’ve been sold on the market.
Vitamins
Vitamins are vital nutrients, playing numerous functions in our bodies. Because deficiencies can harm health, many individuals supplement with various types of vitamins. Some types may even cause side effects ranging from nausea to liver damage.
Food contains complex sources of vitamins and minerals that work together for maximum benefit, while supplement ingredients often work independently of one another – making them more likely to have adverse side effects than their food equivalents.
Vitamins, minerals, herbs and dietary fiber are popularly included as ingredients in various supplement products. They come in the form of tablets, gummies, capsules, powders or drinks; some even feature enzymes, amino acids or other substances for increased nutritional benefit; however it should not be overdone because doing so could prove dangerous.
Minerals
About one-third of adults in the US take multivitamin/mineral (MV) supplements. These products provide more than three vitamins and minerals in amounts below the tolerable upper intake level and do not include herbs, hormones or drugs.[1]
Minerals are crystalline substances with regular structures and stable chemical compositions, but their specific compositions can vary widely; their name could refer to physical or chemical properties, locations, public figures or mineralogists; examples include albite, feldspar, goethite, hematite limonite sillimanite franklinite.
Humans require both major minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and sulfur in larger quantities as well as trace minerals in smaller amounts; such as iron, iodine, zinc copper and molybdenum are examples of trace minerals that we need. Some of these trace minerals become part of the structure of bones and teeth as well as acting in nerve impulse transmission and muscle contraction; most minerals come from magma (hot liquid inside earth’s core that cools over time to form rocks) where most minerals originate.
Herbal
Herbal medicines often consist of an assortment of plant materials such as roots, bark, seeds, berries or flowers from different species. This material may be dried and used to make tea or decoction; or it may be extracted into liquid form such as tinctures for use in capsules or tablets.
Since herbal supplements do not need to be tested prior to being sold, and may also be promoted in various ways, it’s essential that consumers read labels carefully and consult an informed health care provider when selecting herbal products.
Many herbs can interact with prescription medications, so patients taking them should inform both their physician and pharmacist of any herbal supplements they’re taking in order to avoid adverse effects or interference with desired effects of medicine prescriptions. Open communication among interprofessional teams improves therapeutic efficacy while further strengthening patient-physician relationships.
Whole food
Whole food supplements are made of concentrated and dehydrated food products such as vegetables, fruits and herbs. They differ from conventional vitamins in that their vitamin complexes do not consist solely of isolated vitamins; rather they include co-enzymes, antioxidants, trace elements activators lipids and phytochemicals which make the supplements highly bioavailable compared to synthetic forms and may provide therapeutic effects that go beyond their pharmacological potency.
Due to the SAD diet consumed by many Americans, it is imperative that supplement products offer a more natural and healthier approach to nutrient intake. This requires selecting high-quality ingredients with transparent ingredient lists from manufacturers who utilize sound manufacturing processes; whole food supplements are an effective way of doing this. Consumers have become increasingly concerned with safety when purchasing supplements and want assurances that these are produced with clean and healthy ingredients.
