Dietary supplements come in many shapes and forms, including pills, gummies, powders, and liquids. They may contain vitamins, minerals, herbs, or other ingredients; unlike medicines however, their safety or effectiveness have never been proven.
Supplements may provide the needed nutrition, such as omega-3 fatty acids or folic acid during gestation.
Vitamins
Vitamins are organic substances necessary for maintaining optimal health and growth of higher forms of animal life, yet are incapable of being synthesized within the body and must instead be obtained via food sources or supplements.
Vitamin intake should ideally come from eating healthily; however, supplementation may also be useful. Supplements come in liquid, gummy or pill form and may be sold individually or as part of multivitamin products.
Some of the most widely consumed dietary supplements include folate (vitamin B9), vitamins C, D and E. Folic acid helps lower risk for neural tube defects in babies; vitamin C boost immune function while improving eye and cell health; while D works alongside calcium to support bone health while helping keep blood pressure within normal limits.
Minerals
Minerals are inorganic elements found in nature that can be consumed by plants and animals alike, with plants typically eating them more readily than animals. Minerals play an essential role in maintaining normal body functions and can be found in many plant-based foods like whole grains, beans, nuts/seeds/fruits as well as low-fat dairy products; many multivitamin/mineral supplements also contain minerals.
Minerals are materials with highly ordered atomic structures and characteristic chemical composition, with various external appearances including luster and color variations. Minerals also exhibit unique crystal habits which refer to how their atoms arrange themselves within their crystal structures; quartz has a cubic crystal habit while calcite has an elongated hexagonal one.
Minerals play many essential roles in our bodies, from nerve impulse transmission and muscle contraction to maintaining optimal body hydration and pH balance. Fluoride strengthens teeth and bones while others like zinc provide support to immune systems as well as helping blood clot.
Herbal Extracts
Herbal extracts contain numerous beneficial nutrients and phytonutrients that may promote overall health. Unfortunately, in their raw state they’re too potency for frequent ingestion; herbalists and alternative medicine practitioners developed standardized herbal extracts as an accessible way of taking advantage of this rich source.
Liquid solutions derived by soaking parts of an herb (leaves, flowers, bark roots seeds or fruit) in solutions of ethanol/water or glycerin/water can extract non-water-soluble components like resins and alkaloids from them.
Herbal extracts, commonly referred to as tinctures, are widely used in both dietary supplements and alternative medicine. Herbalists and medical professionals favor them because of their concentrated, powerful results compared to whole herbs; additionally they’re ideal for people allergic to components found within whole herbs.
Other Supplements
Dietary supplements come in many shapes and forms, from pills and capsules to gummies, powders, drinks, energy bars and energy drinks. Dietary supplements may contain vitamins, minerals, herbs or botanicals or amino acids – as well as concentrates, metabolites constituents extracts or combinations thereof – many have long histories as traditional remedies.
Dietary supplements in the US are overseen by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but don’t go through rigorous testing like drugs do. Instead, this agency works to make sure supplements do not have serious side effects or interfere with medications or lead to negative surgical reactions.
Supplements can play an essential part in maintaining overall wellness, from providing essential vitamin D and calcium for bone strength to helping prevent birth defects with herbs like comfrey. But supplements should never replace eating a variety of healthy foods as part of a balanced diet – for more advice regarding potential supplements, talk to your physician, nurse, registered dietitian or pharmacist about whether one might be beneficial.
