Dietary supplements are vitamins, minerals, herbs and other substances you can take to enhance your health. They come in the form of pills, capsules, powders and beverages that you can easily take on-the-go.
Supplements aren’t medicines and therefore don’t undergo the same rigorous testing process, yet they could interfere with some prescription medicines and may have side effects.
Vitamins
Vitamins (and their closely related molecules, or “vitamers”) are organic molecules (or sets of closely related molecules, known as vitamers) essential to human body’s healthy metabolic functioning in small amounts. As our bodies cannot produce all the essential vitamins themselves, many must come from our food intake instead.
Many people take nutritional supplements that contain vitamins. This may include multivitamins and minerals, herbal products derived from plants or animals like fish oils or glucosamine, herbal teas or beverages that contain these elements. Dietary supplements do not undergo the same rigorous testing process as pharmaceutical drugs do but may still have side effects that require medical supervision.
Dieticians advise most individuals to obtain their vitamins through eating a well-rounded diet rather than supplementation, although multivitamin products might be useful if your eating habits are poor, you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have diseases or health conditions which restrict nutrient absorption. The Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) monitors adverse event reports to identify potentially hazardous products and work with companies voluntarily recall them if necessary.
Minerals
Minerals are naturally occurring inorganic substances with an identifiable chemical composition and orderly internal structure. Minerals may consist of just one element or, more frequently, of compounds (like table salt – which contains multiple elements) like sodium chloride.
Minerals tend to be hard, with different varieties having unique physical characteristics such as color, luster or cleavage. Some minerals have very durable uses; for instance hematite can be used as a material in making sandpaper; saw blades impregnated with garnet sand cut rock more efficiently. Others, like the mineral talc are extremely soft.
Minerals play an integral part in many bodily processes, from nerve impulse transmission and muscle contraction, to blood pressure regulation, pH balance maintenance and energy release from food. People need a range of minerals in their diets for good health – calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium magnesium sulfur zinc iron copper. Multivitamin/mineral supplements provide recommended amounts; however excessive supplementation could be harmful.
Herbs
Culinary herbs (such as basil, parsley and rosemary) can add flavor without increasing fats or salt levels in food products. Furthermore, these dietary supplements may support overall body health by contributing vitality-enhancing compounds into our bodies.
Herbs are green, leafy plants that range in form from perennials like thyme and oregano to shrubs like rosemary and laurel or biennials like parsley. Herbs differ from spices as their growing season spans only one or two seasons before their cycle is completed.
Herbs are often sold as dietary supplements and can be found in tea bags, syrups, oils, liquid extracts or tinctures. Herbal supplements may be highly concentrated; therefore it’s wise to conduct proper research prior to taking multiple herbal products at once or in those who are immunocompromised. USP provides monographs and general chapters which are used as guidelines in producing herbal health products and supplements, guaranteeing safety, potency, efficacy and quality standards in production processes.
Other Products
Dietary supplements typically contain vitamins, minerals, herbs or botanicals and amino acids (the building blocks of proteins), with either pill form, tablet form, capsule form, gummy form or liquid forms being available. Furthermore, supplements may contain whole food extracts and concentrates. While dietary supplements are regulated by FDA they don’t need to meet all their safety and effectiveness criteria as would medicines.
FDA oversees the safety, quality and labeling of dietary supplements. Furthermore, they regulate marketing of these products through infomercials as well as any promotional material from them. Furthermore, the Federal Trade Commission regulates any advertising for such supplements that appears in their advertising materials.
Dietary supplement laws in the US mandate that products must include Supplement Facts panels, an ingredients list, as well as manufacturer or distributor details and address information. Furthermore, supplements cannot be represented as conventional foods or used solely in dieting plans; rather they must contain at least one “dietary ingredient” intended to be taken alongside meals.
