What Are Dietary Supplements

>> Saturday, October 10, 2009

What Are Dietary Supplements

Dietary products that are intended to enhance the diet; contain one or more dietary ingredients (including vitamins, minerals herbs or other botanicals; amino acids; and other substances) or their constituents; are intended to be taken by mouth as a pill, capsule, tablet, or liquid; and are labeled on the front panel as being a nutritional product.

Dietary Supplements play an important role in health. For example, pregnant women can take the vitamin folic acid to prevent certain birth defects in their babies. Taking nutritional products can also be a type of complementary or alternative medicine (CAM).

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Due to the nutrient depletion in commercially available foods most people are not able to meet their requirements for vitamins by just eating a varied diet, yet there are certain groups of the population who have higher than normal requirements, for example; the sick, those taking certain drugs and pregnant women.

In addition to eating a varied diet, such people need to ensure they eat foods rich in particular vitamins and take dietary products. Infants and young children are recommended to have nutritional products of vitamins A and D for at least 2 years. Some women many require additional iron if menstrual losses are high.

Dietary Products - Different From Foods And Drugs

Although nutritional products in the United States are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as foods, they are regulated differently from other foods and from drugs. Whether a product is classified as a nutritional product, conventional food, or drug is based on its intended use. Most often, classification as a nutritional product is determined by the information that the manufacturer provides on the product label or in accompanying literature, although some food and nutritional product labels do not include this information.

Evaluating Health Benefits And Safety

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Scientists use several approaches to evaluate dietary products for their potential health benefits and safety risks, including their history of use and laboratory studies using cell or animal studies.

Studies involving people (individual case reports, observational studies, and clinical trials) can provide information that is relevant to how dietary supplements are used. Researchers may conduct a systematic review to summarize and evaluate a group of clinical trials that meet certain criteria. A meta-analysis is a review that includes a statistical analysis of data combined from many studies.

To take a nutritional product as safely as possible:

  • Tell your doctor about any nutritional products you use
  • Do not take a bigger dose than the label recommends
  • Stop taking it if you have side effects
  • Read trustworthy information about the nutritional product

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