Dietary supplements, or nutraceuticals, are nutritionally-rich substances such as vitamins, minerals, and herbs that people take in order to meet recommended daily dietary allowances or prevent disease.
Only a minority of supplements have been properly evaluated for efficacy or safety; some could even be hazardous. Yet the FDA regulates them as food instead of drugs under its 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act.
Vitamins
Dietary supplements contain vitamins, minerals, herbs and other botanicals in liquid, gummy or pill form for those unable to meet their vitamin needs through food alone, certain medical conditions or during pregnancy. These dietary supplements may help those who can’t meet all their vitamin needs through food alone and during gestation.
There are 13 known vitamins, and our bodies require them in small amounts in order to operate effectively. Vitamin A, C and E as well as folate and the B-complex are essential elements. Most people can get enough through diet alone while others may require supplementation – the Institute of Medicine sets tolerable upper intake levels on many vitamins which could potentially be harmful in excess amounts.
Minerals
Fluoride helps strengthen bones and prevent tooth decay; calcium helps build strong teeth and bones; magnesium lowers blood pressure; copper promotes healthy skin and hair; iron transports oxygen throughout the body and forms hemoglobin; zinc provides immune function and taste enhancement; while iodine supports thyroid functioning – these minerals are typically found in meat, fish, dairy foods, whole grains vegetables and fruits.
Minerals are naturally-occurring inorganic solids with a specific chemical composition and ordered atomic structure, such as table salt or the crystals of quartz or stishovite (silicon dioxide). Coal falls into this category despite being an organic product composed of carbon from living organisms; different minerals may exhibit different structures depending on how atoms bond together – for instance graphite can be soft and fragile while diamonds are hard and sturdy.
Herbs
Herbs contain natural complex chemicals which have many health benefits for our bodies. Herbs can serve as carminatives (for treating gastric issues), diaphoretics (to reduce water retention), lipolytics (help weight loss), anti-spasmodics, analgesics and aphrodisiacs when taken at appropriate dosage. Furthermore, herbs help heal wounds, stop bleeding, ease cough and indigestion symptoms as well as boost immunity levels while simultaneously lowering blood pressure.
As an added flavor enhancer in foods without adding fats, salts or sugars, herbs can also serve to increase food flavor without increasing calorie or sodium consumption. They should be added late into cooking to preserve their health-promoting benefits; herbs like oldenlandia, yarrow, bladderwrack and scutellaria have been proven to destroy cancerous cells while providing antioxidant protection and treating various skin diseases through volatile oil extracts derived from them.
Omega-3 fatty acids
Omega-3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fats essential to proper brain and bodily functioning. Found naturally in fish and flaxseed foods as well as available as supplements, they’re essential components of normal brain and overall bodily function. Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are among three omega-3s to consume regularly for their beneficial qualities.
In the AREDS clinical trial, supplementation of intermediate or late AMD individuals with intermediate to late AMD who took EPA and DHA supplements reduced the risk of advanced AMD by 30% [160].
Increased consumption of EPA and DHA may help lower triglycerides while raising HDL cholesterol levels; however, results of recent studies are mixed; for instance, The New England Journal of Medicine in November 2018 published that omega-3 fatty acid supplements did not significantly decrease incidences of heart attacks, strokes or deaths related to cardiovascular causes in those without known risk factors for these events.
Other supplements
As well as vitamins, minerals and herbs, supplements often include other substances like botanicals, amino acids and live microbes. While some of these supplements may provide health benefits, many do not possess sufficient scientific evidence supporting their claims of doing so. Since supplements are unregulated like foods or drugs do before being sold – leaving room for contamination with toxins and metals; incorrect claims regarding health benefits; as well as discrepancies between what the label claims and what actually exists within. This can result in wide variances between active ingredient claims made against what actually exists within each supplement product.
If you experience a negative reaction to a supplement, we encourage both you and your healthcare provider to report it immediately. An adverse event report could help us detect an unsafe product from being sold on the market and remove it quickly from its shelves.
