Are supplements necessary?
What is Dietary supplement?
A dietary supplement is a manufactured product intended to supplement the diet when taken by mouth as a pill, capsule, tablet, or liquid. A supplement can provide nutrients either extracted from food sources or synthetic, individually or in combination, in order to increase the quantity of their consumption. The class of nutrient compounds includes vitamins, minerals, fiber, fatty acids and amino acids. In the United States and Canada, dietary supplements are considered a subset of foods, and are regulated accordingly. The European Commission has also established harmonized rules to help insure that food supplements are safe and properly labeled.
Why supplements are necessary?
Dietary supplements are products designed to augment your daily intake of nutrients, including vitamins and minerals. People take these supplements to make sure they get enough essential nutrients and to maintain or improve their health. Normally, you should be able to get all the nutrients you need from a balanced diet. However, supplements can provide you with extra nutrients when your diet is lacking or certain health conditions (such as cancer, diabetes, or chronic diarrhea) trigger a deficiency. In most cases, a multivitamin/mineral supplement will provide all the micro nutrients your body needs. They are generally safe because they contain only small amounts of each nutrient (as measured by the daily value, or DV).
Individual nutrients are available as supplements, usually in doses larger than your typical multivitamin. They can be used to treat a deficiency, such as an iron deficiency, or reduce the risk of a medical condition, such as hypertension. But they are not medicines and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure diseases.
Evidence does suggest that some supplements can enhance health in different ways. The most popular nutrient supplements are multivitamins, calcium and vitamins B, C and D. Calcium supports bone health, and vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium. Vitamins C and E are antioxidants—molecules that prevent cell damage and help to maintain health.
Women need iron during pregnancy, and breastfed infants need vitamin D. Folic acid—400 micro grams daily, whether from supplements or fortified food—is important for all women of childbearing age.
Vitamin B12 keeps nerve and blood cells healthy. “Vitamin B12 mostly comes from meat, fish and dairy foods, so vegans may consider taking a supplement to be sure to get enough of it.
Because supplements are regulated as foods, not as drugs, the FDA doesn’t evaluate the quality of supplements or assess their effects on the body. If a product is found to be unsafe after it reaches the market, the FDA can restrict or ban its use.
Manufacturers are also responsible for the product’s purity, and they must accurately list ingredients and their amounts.
Effectiveness
Some dietary supplements can help you get adequate amounts of essential nutrients if you don’t eat a nutritious variety of foods. Some dietary supplements can improve overall health and help manage some health conditions. For example
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Calcium and vitamin D help keep bones strong and reduce bone loss.
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Folic acid decreases the risk of certain birth defects.
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Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oils might help some people with heart disease.
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A combination of vitamins C and E, zinc, copper, lute in, and zeaxanthin (known as AREDS) may slow down further vision loss in people with age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
The Dietary Supplement Label
Products sold as dietary supplements come with a Supplement Facts label that lists most have active ingredients, the amount per serving (dose), as well as other ingredients, such as fillers, binders, and flavorings. The manufacturer suggests the serving size based on guidelines of “Indian council of medical research” recommended daily allowance values