Vitamins and minerals can play an important role in improving health; however, they must only be consumed as part of a healthy eating pattern and under the guidance of your physician or dietitian. Also be wary of any false claims made for their marketing purposes.
Keep a record of all medications and supplements you take, reporting any severe reactions to FDA.
Vitamins
Dietary supplements, or “dietary supplements,” include vitamins, minerals and herbs intended to promote wellness. While they don’t undergo rigorous testing like prescription drugs do, it may be more difficult to ascertain their benefits and risks.
Vitamins are organic molecules essential to our bodies in small amounts for normal functioning. Since our bodies cannot make them themselves, they must come from food sources. There are 13 recognized vitamins including the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K which may remain stored in liver and fat tissues for days or even months.
Vitamins B6, C and D help the body convert food into energy while folic acid helps prevent anemia. Sources include fish, milk and fortified grains. Supplements may also be beneficial, especially pregnant women taking folic acid to avoid birth defects; however consuming a balanced diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins is likely sufficient.
Minerals
Minerals are essential inorganic micronutrients needed by our bodies for many different functions, from providing electrolytes and enzyme cofactors, materials for healthy bones and teeth to hormone synthesis, muscle contraction regulation and haemoglobin synthesis. They play an integral part in immune function regulation as well as pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory balance regulation.
Mineral species can be distinguished by their chemical composition, crystal form and physical properties such as cleavage and specific gravity. Carl Linnaeus pioneered a system for classifying minerals according to where they occur in nature: phylum, class, order, family division genus species.
Certain crystalline substances with no definitive atomic structure are called minerals (for instance opal and obsidian). Some minerals with similar chemical composition to others with crystalline forms but different formation processes are considered distinct minerals; an example being Mackinawite which shares similar composition with iron sulfide but forms differently to form its crystal shape; therefore considered distinct.
Herbs
Herbs are plants cultivated for their unique flavors and health-promoting properties. Herbs differ from vegetables and fruits in several ways, including how they grow, whether their stems are hard or soft and culinary uses.
Herbal supplements come in many forms, from dried herbs and liquid extracts to pills, tablets and tea bags. Sometimes known as botanical products or phytomedicines.
Research on herbal supplements is limited and its medicinal effects difficult to ascertain. More evidence must be presented proving their safety as well as any interactions they might have with cancer medications. Memorial Sloan Kettering recommends patients discuss any dietary supplement, including herbal products, with their physician to maximize therapeutic effects while mitigating risks. Many herbs may interact with certain medications, including St. John’s Wort which can boost levels of the enzymes CYP3A4 and P-gp and decrease effectiveness of certain drugs such as irinotecan, tacrolimus, and cyclosporine. Other herbs like Kava (Piper methysticum) or Ginger can cause nausea while others can act as anti-nausea treatments.
Other Products
Dietary supplements (also referred to as food or nutritional supplements) provide your body with vitamins, minerals, herbs or botanicals, amino acids or whole food sources it may be lacking from its diet. Available as tablets, capsules, gummies, powders or even flavored drinks they can offer relief when an element is missing from its regular intake.
Dietary supplements do not need FDA approval before being sold; however, manufacturers must follow certain regulations in order to ensure their safety and the FDA monitors adverse event reports from health care professionals and consumers.
Cahoon suggests searching for supplements that have been third-party tested and bear the seal from an accredited testing organization, such as USP or NSF International, to ensure identity, purity, strength and composition are correctly represented in any supplement you purchase. You could also select supplements made by companies with good manufacturing practices to reduce risks such as contaminants and improperly labeled or formulated products.
