Dietary supplements are products containing vitamins, minerals, herbs or homeopathic ingredients designed to supplement or replace traditional medical therapies. They may be taken alone or in combination with prescribed drugs for additional support and support.
Health care professionals recommend eating real food first as it contains more diverse sources of nutrition than supplements do. But if taking supplements is necessary for whatever reason, do your homework.
Dietary Supplements
Supplements can help fill in any nutritional gaps your diet might not provide, from pills and capsules to powders, liquids and bars containing herbs, amino acids, enzymes and live microbials.
Dietary supplements are unregulated medications, meaning no valid prescription is required to purchase and take them. People typically select them to promote overall wellbeing or address specific medical conditions.
Supplements may cause side effects, so it’s wise to follow package directions and consult your healthcare professional before beginning a new regimen. Furthermore, it would be prudent to purchase only from companies adhering to FDA Good Manufacturing Practices regulations; third-party testing organizations often issue seals verifying compliance.
Vitamins
Vitamins are organic compounds we need in small doses for various metabolic processes and they can be found in many foods.
Most individuals can meet their vitamin and mineral requirements through eating healthily, with plenty of nutrient-rich foods like fruits and vegetables. Some may need vitamin supplements.
Dietary supplements were most frequently taken for vitamins C, calcium and B12.
Diet is the primary way of getting vitamins, but if you find difficulty in eating a variety of healthy foods or have specific health concerns, your doctor or dietitian may suggest vitamin and mineral supplements. Doing this under medical supervision is important, since large doses of certain vitamins such as Vitamin A or D could potentially cause adverse side effects; excessive Vitamin A intake could cause night blindness and keratomalacia while too much Vitamin D could result in weak bones.
Minerals
Minerals are naturally occurring solid substances with a repeating pattern of atoms or molecules. Their study is known as mineralogy, with mineralogists studying various physical characteristics to distinguish different varieties, including color, hardness, luster, solubility magnetism and fracture.
Some minerals occur naturally as gemstones or gold (as in coins), while others such as potassium, chloride, magnesium and sodium can be taken as dietary supplements. Other minerals are created through living organisms (mollusks create calcium carbonate shells) or chemical transformation of preexisting minerals under specific geological conditions.
Human bodies require both macrominerals and trace minerals in order to remain healthy. Macrominerals include calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and sodium; while trace minerals such as iron, zinc, iodine copper and selenium may be needed in lesser amounts.
Herbs
Herbs add great flavor to food and help balance low-fat, low-salt diets. Generally, herbs should be added at the end of cooking or shortly before serving for best results.
An herb is defined as any plant whose leaves, flowers or seeds are used for culinary or medicinal use. Herbs typically belong to perennial (meaning they die back after each growing season) shrubs such as rosemary, sage or lavender or annual plants like basil or parsley; though annual herbs exist as well.
Many herbs and spices provide multiple health benefits, including lowering blood sugar or increasing metabolism. Cinnamon (derived from tree bark), ginger (rhizome) and cardamom (from plant seeds) are just three such examples that offer these healthful advantages and are commonly added to foods or taken as teas.
Homeopathic Supplements
Homeopathic remedies abide by the principle that “like cures like.” Plant and mineral substances used in homeopathy such as red onion, arnica [mountain herb], poison ivy, belladonna (deadly nightshade), or stinging nettle undergo a process known as “proving.” Volunteers receive large doses before diluting until no molecules of their original substances remain. Once this process has taken place, these ingredients can then be turned into tablets, ointments, gels drops and creams.
Patients often look to dietary supplements and homeopathic preparations to help enhance their health and nutrition, however clinicians must be mindful that many of these products may have harmful characteristics, interfere with prescription or over-the-counter drugs, or be adulterated or even contaminated – all issues which could have serious repercussions for a patient’s wellbeing.
