Many health-conscious consumers rely on supplements to meet their nutritional needs. Some, like folic acid for pregnant women, are essential, yet should still be used alongside an overall healthy diet.
Dietitians typically advise eating foods to maximize your vitamin and mineral intake, particularly calcium from dairy products and dark leafy greens, and iron from lean meats, beans, and nuts.
Dietary Supplements
Dietary supplements consist of vitamins, minerals, herbs and other non-drug products that don’t fall under the category of drugs. You’ll often find them available as pills, powders, beverages or energy bars.
Most adults who consume dietary supplements report using them to enhance or maintain overall health. Other reasons given for supplement use included bone health, mental wellbeing and menopause-related symptoms like hot flashes.
Supplements may not be as closely monitored, and may make claims that are false, or interact with other medications you take. Therefore, it’s vitally important that you keep a record of any supplements or medicines you take so you and your healthcare professional can see whether you are receiving sufficient nutrients, as well as identify any potential issues.
Vitamins
Vitamins are organic substances necessary for human life and there are 13 known vitamins; deficiencies of certain can cause serious health problems.
Vitamins enter our bodies through food sources such as fruits and vegetables. Individuals may take supplements to ensure they’re getting enough specific vitamins.
Dietary supplements may be helpful to pregnant women or those on special diets; however, before trying any supplement including vitamins. Always check with a health care provider prior to taking supplements of any kind as too much of any one vitamin can be harmful and you must consume an appropriate amount both through food and supplements; micrograms measure these quantities.
Minerals
Minerals are naturally-occurring inorganic solids with a characteristic chemical composition and ordered atomic structure, comprising either one element or a combination of elements and compounds.
Minerals exhibit their crystalline structures through an internal arrangement of atoms that gives each mineral its unique external form. This distinguishes minerals from natural solids with no defined external form such as glass that are known as mineraloids.
Other physical characteristics used to identify minerals include colour, lustre and streak properties as well as hardness and cleavage. Lustre refers to how light is reflected off a mineral’s surface; mineralogists use terms like metallic, nonmetallic, dull, greasy and pearly when describing this aspect of its appearance.
Cleavage refers to the direction in which a mineral breaks. An ideal mineral has flat planes in different directions when breaking, such as micas or quartz.
Herbs
Herbs add flavor to meals while decreasing salt, sugar and fat consumption. Furthermore, herbs contain essential vitamins and minerals. Research indicates that eating herbs could provide protection from certain cancers, heart diseases and inflammatory conditions.
Herbs are non-woody plant leaves such as basil, parsley and rosemary that are used as culinary spices. A bouquet garni is often created out of these dried herbs tied together and used in food preparation.
Herbs can be consumed either fresh or dried. Dried herbs have stronger flavors than fresh varieties, so just a small amount is all it takes. However, some herbs such as Kava (Piper methysticum), St John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) and Ginseng may cause adverse side effects when taken in large doses, including interference with certain prescribed medicines.
Other Ingredients
People’s eyes tend to focus on the vitamins, herbs, minerals and amino acids promised on a supplement label – yet another section on its label called Other Ingredients can often go overlooked despite being equally as vital to overall success. These ingredients include binders, fillers, excipients, preservatives, colorants, sweeteners and flavorings. Preservatives provide protection from microbial growth and product degradation while binders help hold ingredients together; sweeteners and flavorings enhance taste and palatability. Thorne Pharmaceuticals Limited limits the use of “extras”, as these can impair dissolution and absorption in tablet or capsule formulations, leading to serious health risks when taken in high amounts. Magnesium stearate may get a bad reputation, but realistic doses actually help powders flow more smoothly through manufacturing equipment.
