Many individuals use nutritional products to meet their dietary needs, whether for quick fixes or specific health conditions.
These products come in the form of pills, capsules, liquids, powders and bars and contain vitamins and herbs in concentrated form that can replace poor diet choices.
Pre-workout supplements
Pre-workout supplements typically come in powder form to be mixed with water or other liquids and taken 30 minutes prior to exercise to enhance performance. They typically contain ingredients that boost stamina such as amino acids, beta-alanine, creatine and caffeine which could potentially boost stamina levels during your workout session.
Caffeine is one of the most widely used ingredients and studies have demonstrated its beneficial effects, but high doses may cause nausea and dizziness in certain cases. Therefore, it’s important to read labels carefully when purchasing products with higher caffeine dosage or search out alternative solutions that do not contain this ingredient.
Pre-workout ingredients have not been thoroughly evaluated on humans, so it can be hard to tell whether or not they help or harm. Some pre-workout supplements claim they use a pH buffer that makes your muscles less fatigued during a workout; however, there is no evidence to support this claim; safer and cheaper solutions like bananas and coffee may achieve similar effects.
Multivitamins
Though dietitians generally recommend getting most vitamins and minerals through food sources, taking a multivitamin may fill in any nutritional gaps. When choosing one with the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) seal to ensure accuracy in listing of ingredients and amounts listed as nutrients; aim for one with 100% of your daily value provided.
Nutritional products can also be found in food products that have been fortified with specific nutrients to increase nutritive value or prevent deficiency diseases, such as flour or bread products fortified with iron; citrus-fruit beverages fortified with vitamin C; salt fortified with iodine; milk and some other foods supplemented with vitamin D for decreased risk of rickets; etc.
Multivitamins cannot take the place of eating healthy and varied diet. Furthermore, research has yet to demonstrate that large doses of individual vitamins and minerals will prevent disease or promote health.
Energy drinks
Energy drinks contain high amounts of caffeine and other substances advertised to increase alertness and performance; typically targeting adolescents.
An energy drink typically contains 40-plus grams of sugar (composed of sucrose and/or glucose), 160 mg or more caffeine, an artificial sweetener, as well as various ingredients linked to mental alertness or performance, yet without definitive scientific proof from controlled trials – such as taurine, panax ginseng root extract, L-carnitine, guarana seed extract and vitamins.
These ingredients have been linked with increased heart palpitations, headaches and anxiety in some individuals. Most health experts advise against drinking energy drinks; parents, school nutrition staff and coaches can encourage healthy drinking choices by not providing energy drinks in schools or vending machines/snack bars/vending machines/vending machines/ snack bars etc. Water is best chosen to hydrate for physical activities while caffeine acts as a diuretic, pulling fluid out of your system potentially dehydrating it further.
Weight loss supplements
Dietary supplements come in many different forms, from tablets and capsules to gummies, tinctures and powders. Their active ingredients may include herbs, minerals, vitamins or amino acids – claims about weight loss may not always be supported by research; the National Institutes of Health warns that some supplement manufacturers may mislead consumers about the efficacy and safety of their products.
Dietary supplement companies operate unregulated businesses, which allows them to sell supplements without being held accountable for proving that they work or are safe, leading to supplements which fail or cause harmful side effects. This lack of regulation has the potential for disastrous consequences: companies selling harmful supplements that don’t work effectively or even worse cause harmful side effects can sell these items with little oversight or regulation.
Healthcare professionals may discuss supplement use with patients seeking weight loss. Clinicians should guide patients towards taking an holistic approach to health that includes balanced nutrition, physical activity and adequate rest; additionally they must address social and cultural beliefs which impede effective weight loss.
