Dietary supplements are any ingestible products intended to add nutritional value to the diet, such as vitamins, minerals, herbs, or extracts. Many people take these products in order to promote overall health and wellness.
Dietary supplements come in the form of pills, capsules, tablets, powder and liquid products; it’s important to remember that unlike medications they’re not strictly regulated and may lead to unexpected side effects.
Vitamins
Vitamins are organic compounds that play an integral part in our bodies, including strengthening bones, improving immunity and turning food into energy. Most people can obtain all their vitamin needs through diet alone; however, others may require additional dietary supplements.
Multivitamins or “multis,” an increasingly popular supplement, contain multiple vitamins and minerals as well as herbs, amino acids or enzymes – these may come in pill, gummy or liquid form.
Fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K) can remain stored within your liver and body fat for extended periods. Water-soluble vitamins (C and the B-complex), on the other hand, must be replenished daily through food sources such as fatty fish, egg yolks and leafy green vegetables as well as fortified milk or cereals.
Minerals
Minerals are naturally-occurring inorganic solids with specific chemical compositions and ordered internal structures that exhibit distinctive physical properties that distinguish them from other minerals (or organic substances like wood or pearls).
Crystal form of minerals is one of their key characteristics, with different shapes giving each mineral its distinctive appearance that allows geologists to identify it quickly.
Some minerals are essential for our wellbeing and are divided into categories based on how much we require them: major (macrominerals) and trace minerals. Major minerals (macrominerals) include calcium, potassium, sodium chloride and phosphorus which play an integral part in maintaining strong bones, teeth and fluid balance as well as nerve transmission and muscle contraction. Trace minerals help support muscle function as well as nerve transmission.
Herbs
Scientific research backs up what ancient cultures knew: herbs have many health-promoting properties. They can protect you against disease and help maintain long-term wellbeing even with small daily dosages, thanks to antioxidants like vitamin C as well as minerals such as calcium, magnesium and potassium found in these herbs.
herbs offer many health advantages beyond nutritional benefits; from relieving inflammation to improving symptoms of chronic conditions. Herbs may even help you lose weight when combined with whole food sources that are high in nutrients; adding herbs can make meals more flavorful, making it easier to reduce unhealthy intake such as sugar and sodium.
Supplements are not medicines
Though dietary supplements may have medical benefits, they should not be classified as medicines. Medicines undergo stringent testing and evaluation prior to being made available on the market while dietary supplements do not. Furthermore, unlike drugs, dietary supplements are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration or subject to inspections of supplement companies to ensure compliance with current good manufacturing practices.
Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 defines dietary supplements as products intended for ingestion that contain “dietary ingredients,” intended to enhance or supplement one’s diet, such as vitamins; minerals; herbs or other botanicals; amino acids; concentrates, metabolites constituents extracts or combinations thereof. Dietary supplements can come in the form of tablets, capsules, gummies soft gels or powder.
They are not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, supplements are classified as food rather than drugs by the Food and Drug Administration, meaning no evaluation for safety or effectiveness takes place prior to being sold commercially.
Manufacturers are required to report any serious adverse reactions associated with their products to the FDA. Consumers can also submit complaints through its Safety Reporting Portal.
FDA regulations stipulate that most food products, including dietary supplements, must bear a Nutrition Facts panel and other specific information on their labels. Furthermore, the Federal Trade Commission monitors claims made about supplements by their companies and can take legal action if needed against them; while the National Institutes of Health offers scientific knowledge about them.
