Health supplements can be an invaluable addition to your diet, but for maximum effect they must be chosen and consumed appropriately.
Medication must list every ingredient and their composition on its Drug Facts label and be tested by quality control analysts at FDA for quality assurance, but supplements often enter the market without these prerequisites.
Dietary supplements
Dietary supplements are substances taken orally for nutritional and health-related reasons. These substances include vitamins, minerals, amino acids, herbs and plant extracts. While drugs must be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), supplements can be sold without needing a valid prescription; thus allowing companies to make claims regarding health benefits without providing scientific proof to back them up. Furthermore, allergic reactions or interactions can occur as risks.
Before taking supplements, consult with a health care professional (doctor, registered dietitian or pharmacist) to understand its potential benefits and side effects. Purchase from reliable brands who follow good manufacturing practices and labeling regulations. Some nutrients come in forms easier for your body to absorb than others; choose one that meets your specific needs best and be wary not to exceed the recommended daily amount – too much can be harmful!
Medications
Medication are substances used to diagnose, prevent or relieve symptoms associated with disease or abnormal conditions. They may be taken orally or injected directly into the body. Other uses for medication may include patches and drops. Medications are overseen by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), who requires rigorous clinical studies that demonstrate efficacy as well as safety testing with clear warning labels for each product sold by licensed providers.
The FDA’s primary mission is to assess whether medicine will bring enough health benefits for its risks to be justified. They do this by comparing the health outcomes for people taking supplements with those who do not and then conduct randomised clinical trials with volunteers randomly assigned either the supplement or an inactive pill and researchers monitoring their health status throughout.
Be wary of promises that seem too good to be true. Any medication, even those marketed as natural, may cause adverse side effects. Inform your physician of any supplements taken without being advised by them, even if these were purchased over-the-counter.
Adverse reactions
All medications, even those approved by the FDA as safe, may cause side effects ranging from mild to severe and potentially life threatening. Always consult your healthcare provider if any symptoms appear that seem unusual to you.
Though the government doesn’t regulate supplements the same way it regulates drugs, they do have a post-market surveillance programme in place to track products on the market and identify trends or signal possible adverse reactions from the public. It conducts market sampling as well as gathers public feedback to track products on market shelves.
Consumers must remain wary when purchasing supplements off of recommendations or advertisements, since these may not fall under the same reporting system as drugs are. Consumers must remain alert for street peddlers selling counterfeit or unsafe products and should remain skeptical when results seem too good to be true.
Full disclosure
Health supplements can be highly beneficial to your wellbeing by providing your body with additional nutrition. They may reduce your risk of hypertension and birth defects such as spina bifida; in addition, they may assist if you’re lacking key vitamins or minerals such as calcium or magnesium.
Labeling supplements as organic, natural or herbal does not guarantee safety for everyone; for optimal safety reasons it’s best to only take supplements which have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration or have earned their US Pharmacopeial Convention seal of approval.
If you experience health issues that you believe may be linked to dietary supplements, be sure to notify the FDA through their Safety Reporting Portal. It would also be a good idea to speak to a healthcare professional regarding them so they can advise on appropriate dosages for each supplement and how it interacts with any medications that you’re currently taking.
