Dietary supplements are products intended to complement your food intake. They may come in pill, capsule, tablet, powder, liquid or energy bar form and contain nutrients extracted either directly from food sources or synthesized artificially.
Supplements aren’t regulated like drugs but must still be sold to prevent or treat specific health conditions, like vitamin deficiency or digestive disorders. A Certificate of Analysis (CoA) will ensure your supplements don’t contain harmful contaminants that could compromise their efficacy.
Vitamins
Vitamins are organic compounds your body requires in small doses to stay healthy and function correctly, and to maintain good overall health. While most vitamin needs can be met through eating a varied and balanced diet, vitamin supplements may be needed if your dietary options are restricted or you have health conditions which interfere with absorption of nutrients (such as celiac disease or lactose intolerance).
Vitamin pills come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, from tiny gummies to gel caps to liquid drops, all packed full of essential vitamins, minerals, or herbs. You may find multivitamins packaged together but you can also buy single vitamin pills separately.
Dietary supplements in the US aren’t subject to as rigorous regulation as drugs; however, the Food and Drug Administration mandates they be safe with accurate labeling. Furthermore, this agency monitors products to make sure companies follow good manufacturing practices without adding ingredients not listed on their labels – helping reduce contamination risks while guaranteeing you receive your intended dosage.
Minerals
Minerals are solid inorganic substances found naturally on Earth. Each mineral has its own chemical composition and crystal structure that determines their physical properties such as hardness, luster, streaking, cleavage fracture solubility magnetism & specific gravity (weight per volume) or density.
Some minerals form through metamorphism, or changes in temperature and pressure that alter existing substances; this results in new minerals like quartz and stishovite being created. Other minerals are created as part of biological functions by living organisms – for instance calcium carbonate skeletons created by mollusks and corals to provide protection or structural support are examples of such production.
Minerals often exhibit distinct tastes, odors or fluorescence. They may conduct heat and electricity or generate an electric charge when subjected to pressure; some also have elastic properties which determine how quickly their original shape returns after being bent or stretched; they can absorb or transmit ultraviolet radiation; some even contain radioactive elements.
Herbs
Herbs are parts of plants used for flavor and fragrance in food and medicine, respectively. People have used herbs for centuries as part of traditional health care regimens; indeed, today’s medicines often derive their effectiveness from ancient herbal treatments like willow bark tea for fever relief; pharmaceutical companies later recognized this chemical and used it to develop aspirin.
In order to be legally sold as a dietary supplement in the USA, it must contain at least one “dietary ingredient”. These may include vitamins; minerals; herbs or botanical extracts; amino acids; concentrates, metabolites, constituents or extracts derived from these substances or combinations thereof.
USP stands ready to assist manufacturers during this critical juncture of time by providing them with support they need to continue producing quality dietary supplements consumers require. We provide manufacturers with tools, such as our one-stop shop – the USP Dietary Supplements Compendium – that enable them to meet cGMP regulations and ensure the products they create are safe.
Other Ingredients
Food and supplements manufacturers produce an array of dietary supplement products. These may take the form of tablets, capsules, gummies, powders and even beverages such as energy bars or smoothies; and can contain vitamins, minerals, botanical extracts, amino acids and other ingredients.
Dietary supplement manufacturers must also include the Supplement Facts panel on their product labels. The information in this section must adhere to stringent formatting and content elements that must be mentioned, including listing each ingredient used as well as net amount of contents, directions for use, warning statements if applicable and warning statements when applicable.
People with allergies should also exercise caution when selecting dietary supplements, as many are produced in facilities which also process common allergens such as peanuts. People seeking certified gluten-free options might also want to keep this in mind if they suffer from wheat-related allergies; otherwise if any health problems appear that could possibly be related to a supplement they should contact the FDA directly.
