Dietary supplements are unregulated by the Food and Drug Administration, but that doesn’t mean they’re all harmless.
Registered dietitians suggest meeting your vitamin and mineral needs through food sources alone, rather than supplements that make claims to treat, cure, mitigate or prevent disease.
Ask your physician before beginning to take any dietary supplement. Understand its potential benefits and drawbacks.
Vitamins
Vitamins are organic molecules found in our bodies in small quantities that help facilitate metabolic processes. Unfortunately, most vitamins cannot be synthesized by our bodies and must therefore be obtained through food sources.
Vitamin C, for instance, is an essential nutrient with multiple important roles to fulfill such as immune health support, collagen formation and neurotransmitter synthesis. Because vitamin C dissolves easily in water without being stored by our bodies, people must consume daily doses.
Supplements may provide higher concentrations and different forms of vitamin intake than what one would get through diet alone, as well as not being subject to the same stringent safety requirements as medicines. It is therefore crucial that you inform your healthcare providers about any dietary supplements you take; then they can guide your decisions appropriately.
Minerals
Minerals are inorganic substances found throughout nature that have their own distinct chemical composition, often found in rocks, soil and water. Certain minerals are essential to human health and can be obtained through diet – examples being calcium, iodine, iron magnesium potassium phosphorus and sodium.
Minerals can be distinguished from one another based on physical characteristics like their crystalline structure, hardness, streakiness and cleavage. Furthermore, minerals are distinguished based on their chemical composition; for example the silicon-oxygen tetrahedron forms common silicate minerals and phosphates like Apatite.
Geologists typically refer to minerals as naturally-occurring solids with specific atomic composition and physical properties. Nutritionists use the word to refer to inorganic substances required by organisms for growth and development; these nutrients can be obtained via food sources or supplements. Carl Linnaeus popularized this classification system and divided natural things into animal, vegetable and mineral kingdoms – hence using mineral in this context is another use of the term mineral.
Herbs
Herbs are plants used to add flavor and nutrition to food; they can be enjoyed fresh, dried or frozen. Herbs contain many vital vitamins and minerals as well as other important nutrients; these nourishing plants have been used for millennia to treat many conditions ranging from immunity boosts, better complexion enhancement and weight loss assistance to heart conditions such as cinnamon helping stabilize high blood pressure and fenugreek increasing metabolism.
Be mindful that herbs are unregulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), may contain hidden pharmaceutical ingredients, and therefore may not work as effectively as prescribed medicines or over-the-counter medications. Furthermore, excessive doses or combined use with certain prescription drugs could prove hazardous.
Through the Safety Reporting Portal, you can anonymously report any health problems related to herbal supplements that you think could be connected. Your identity will remain completely anonymous. Always inform your healthcare provider of any herbs that you are taking.
Other Ingredients
Dietary supplements come in many different forms, from tablets and capsules to soft gels, liquids, and gummies. Dietary supplements may contain vitamins, minerals, herbs, amino acids or other substances and people often take them in order to lower disease risks, promote health or provide energy boost.
Dietary supplement regulations include requirements for product names and statements declaring them to be “dietary supplements;” nutrition labeling with a Supplement Facts panel (except some eligible small businesses); an “Other Ingredients” declaration list outside of Supplement Facts panels; and net quantity declaration.
This information should not be used as a replacement for medical advice. When inquiring about or making decisions about dietary supplements, always seek the guidance of your physician, registered dietician or pharmacist as they will be best equipped to advise you as they are experts on whether these products suit you and what dosage to take.
