Dietary supplements come in the form of pills, capsules, powders and drinks and do not fall under FDA regulation as pharmaceutical drugs would. Their intended use also isn’t to cure health conditions but simply improve them.
Dietary supplements can be taken for various reasons; pregnant women typically take folic acid supplements to decrease the risk of birth defects.
Vitamins
Vitamins are organic substances essential for overall good health and development of higher forms of animal life, but cannot be produced naturally within an organism’s system; therefore they must be obtained through food or supplements. Vitamin A, C and E all contain groups of related molecules known as vitamers that must be taken orally as supplement; for instance the latter two contain four tocotrienols and four tocopherols respectively.
Some vitamins are water-soluble while others can be stored in fat tissue or the liver. Vitamin intake comes mainly from food sources like leafy vegetables and dark fruits; dairy products like milk and butter; egg yolks; fatty fish; fortified cereal grains; as well as sunlight in some cases for vitamin D production.
Supplements that contain vitamins and minerals are generally safe, though they should not be used as a replacement for eating healthily. Studies have not established that multivitamins improve health or lower disease risks; in fact, some may interact with certain medications and cause side effects.
Minerals
Minerals are essential building blocks that support and form the structures of cells, proteins, bones, glands, muscles and organs in our bodies. They’re also crucial in many chemistry processes like cell signaling, metabolism and hormone regulation – in excess they may even become harmful; but an average, balanced diet provides enough minerals.
Minerals are homogeneous solid substances composed of one chemical composition and having an orderly internal atomic arrangement. Amorphous minerals display variable composition; those with distinct structures but no discernible atomic order are considered crystalline.
Outside color and luster, other characteristics that distinguish minerals include their reactions to acids or magnets as well as specific physical properties like hardness, brittleness or porosity. Plagioclase feldspar stands out by showing an unusual feature with straight lines called striations on its cleavage surface that can only be seen with magnification.
Herbal Extracts
Herbs have been used in traditional medicine for millennia. From capsules and tea bags, herbs can provide numerous benefits to the body.
Liquid tinctures are versatile extracts, used as either single ingredients or combined with other extracts to form herbal elixirs, syrups, salves, creams and essential oils. Also referred to as liquid herbs, liquid tinctures can serve as an attractive alternative to capsules or tea.
Extraction solvent type, concentration and quantity can all have an effect on the spectrum of components extracted from herbs. Although TGA doesn’t mandate sponsors to specify this information in product applications, it is still wise to determine whether an extract’s extraction profile is similar enough that another could be considered interchangeable – this may particularly apply when dealing with standardized herbal ingredients like Green Tea extract. A standardized herbal extract is designed to contain at least a certain level or percentage of active components.
Nutraceuticals
Nutraceuticals are a hybrid product comprised of food and medicine. As the name implies, these health supplements serve to bridge nutritional gaps when your diet doesn’t deliver on this front. Furthermore, nutraceuticals may also help combat chronic diseases, delay aging and enhance quality of life overall.
Nutraceuticals can help reduce oxidative stress in the body, and aid cognitive functioning. Furthermore, they may help alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety as well as supporting female reproduction through influencing hormones.
Studies have demonstrated the protective benefits of nutraceuticals against life-threatening illnesses like diabetes and cancer. Nutraceuticals may be obtained through supplements, foods or even pure compounds.
