About Supplements
Also known as food supplements, dietary supplements and nutritional supplements, “supplements” are over-the-counter medicines that provide nutrients that may be lacking in your diet. They can be vitamins, minerals, herbs, fatty acids or amino acids. This article will address safety concerns regarding the use of supplements.
Features
As of 1994, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) instated the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) as a means to define what dietary supplements are and how they are to be sold.
It states that supplements are regulated according to food guidelines, as opposed to drug guidelines.
Since then, requirements have been put in place to ensure a certain degree of safety in the manufacturing and marketing of supplement products.
Currently, supplement manufactures are required to report any incidence of adverse effects caused by their products.
Identification
The FDA’s classification of supplements as “food” allows manufacturers more leeway than what is afforded the drug manufacturers. The quality of a supplement capsule isn’t regulated, which means the dosage listed on a bottle does not have to match what’s actually in the capsule.
Currently, there are no standardization guidelines applied in the manufacturing of supplements. However, the FDA is set to pass new rules governing the manufacturing and packaging of supplement products in 2010. The new rules will require accurate package labeling, meaning the dosage on the bottle will have to be in the capsule too.
Benefits
Natural supplements pose the least risk in terms of side effects and drug interactions, partly because they don’t remain in the body for long periods of time. A doctor’s prescription is not required, which makes them cheaper than prescription drugs.
Many natural supplements are used as preventive measures to ward off sickness. Researching the different types of herbs on the market will give you an idea of which ones to work into a preventive dietary plan.
Types
There are seemingly as many different types of supplements as there are physical ailments. In most cases, a certain amount of research is needed to determine which supplement is best for you. Some of the more common supplement types include:
*Multivitamin formulas for men, women, seniors, and prenatal women
*Bone and joint formulas
*Circulatory enhancing formulas
*Mood enhancement formulas
*PMS and menopausal formulas
*Digestive system formulas
*Cholesterol reducing formulas
FDA regulations prohibit manufacturers from making claims that a supplement can cure or treat a condition. Any label descriptions you find can only state how the product benefits a particular body function. Continue reading
Vitamins and Minerals in Sports Supplementation
In the sports world is very habitual consumption of dietary supplements, either in the form of amino acids, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, etc.. The choice of this or other products are often based on the last article we read in magazines, or the seller of the store supplements that we recommend something, or even in our personal trainer. But are we really taking something that will lead to improved athletic performance, or are we simply throwing money and we noticed the well-known “placebo effect”? We refer to the placebo effect when discussing the benefits experienced by athletes (in this case in particular) when they are waiting for positive change in their athletic performance. It appears that the reaction to “be observed or treated” in a special way by their coaches (or even themselves) that are waiting to see an improvement after administration of a supplement, is in itself sufficient to perceive such an improvement or to the athlete go further in their effort and performance.
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