Dietary supplements are substances containing essential vitamins and minerals that supplement regular dietary intake; they may help meet specific nutrient needs such as during gestation when more iron or folic acid may be necessary.
Supplements differ in their regulation from medications in that their safety must be demonstrated through clinical trials; while supplements generally become safe after being released on the market.
Vitamins
Vitamins are organic compounds produced in our bodies to aid various metabolic processes, and should ideally come from eating a well-rounded and balanced diet; however, some individuals may require supplementation of vitamins for pregnancy/breastfeeding women as well as those taking drugs that impede absorption.
There are 13 vitamins, which are often referred to by letters from the alphabet or chemical names, but also sometimes by other means. They fall into two main categories: water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins. Water-soluble vitamins enter bloodstream through lymph channels located on intestinal wall tissue and exit via urine as waste products; fat-soluble ones enter liver or fat tissue as reservoirs before being excreted through faeces as excess.
Minerals
Minerals are crystalline solids composed of highly ordered internal atomic structures that display various physical characteristics, including color, streak and hardness. Minerals may also exhibit specific crystal habits which allow for their identification; such as euhedral (round and unconstrained shape), cubic, dodecahedral, octahedral and massive.
Malachite and azurite both display specific hues which are indicative of their composition; for instance, green malachite and blue azurite have high copper concentrations and thus appear green and blue respectively. Unfortunately, color cannot always provide accurate data; other characteristics serve as better markers of mineral identity.
Most individuals consume enough minerals through healthy eating habits; however, pregnant women, older adults and people following a vegetarian or vegan diet are particularly at risk of mineral deficiency and could benefit from taking mineral supplements. This includes taking calcium, iron and zinc supplements.
Herbs
Herbs are leafy green plants, other than vegetables, which can be used to flavor food or provide medicinal relief. Examples include perennials like thyme, lavender and rosemary as well as biennials such as parsley or annuals such as basil. Herbs should not be confused with spices which consist of other parts of a plant such as cinnamon berries (cinnamon), seeds (cumin or coriander), roots or buds (cloves or saffron).
Some herbs provide numerous health benefits, including lowering cholesterol and blood pressure, relieving digestive conditions, fighting infections and combatting stress-induced ailments like menopausal symptoms. Others, like red clover and rhodiola extracts act as adaptogens that can help manage physical, chemical and environmental stressors while simultaneously relieving menopausal symptoms and increasing energy levels. Herbs may even serve as tasty replacements for salt and fat in recipes without compromising flavor or calories intake.
Omega-3 fatty acids
Omega-3 fatty acids are healthy fats found in food such as fish, walnuts and plant oils. Omega-3s offer multiple health advantages that include lowering triglycerides and improving heart disease risk factors.
A healthy diet should provide most of the essential nutrients, but supplements may be useful if your regular diet does not supply enough of certain vitamins or minerals. Speak with your physician about which dietary supplements would best fit into your lifestyle.
The American Heart Association recommends eating two 6-ounce servings of fish per week – ideally salmon – to benefit from omega-3s, or taking omega-3 supplement pills as recommended by your physician. Studies have demonstrated that high intakes and blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids can decrease cardiovascular mortality risk as well as help lower triglyceride levels, improve low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and even decrease inflammation caused by rheumatoid arthritis.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D helps facilitate calcium absorption in the gut and ensure sufficient levels of phosphate in serum to enable normal bone mineralization, and its deficiency can result in rickets in children or osteomalacia in adults. As vitamin D is fat soluble, serum 25(OH)D concentrations reflect total intake from both foods and supplements.
Certain medical conditions, such as liver and inflammatory bowel diseases, can impair absorption of dietary fat. Medication such as orlistat and some weight loss drugs reduce dietary fat consumption and lead to decreased serum 25(OH)D concentrations [4, 59]. Clinical trials on vitamin D supplementation have had mixed results on blood pressure; one trial demonstrated that taking more than 40 micrograms a day for one year reduced both systolic and diastolic blood pressure among participants with mild hypertension[60]. However, FNB committee that established DRIs did not find sufficient evidence in setting upper limit values [70
