A vast number of products are sold as nutritional supplements. Some, like vitamins and minerals, have well-established roles in human nutrition. Other supplements may contain substances whose claims have not been scientifically validated. Thoroughly research supplements on your own instead of relying solely on advertising, and consult a qualified health care professional before adding any supplement to your daily regimen.
Vitamins
Vitamins are organic compounds that are necessary in small quantities for maintaining health. With few exceptions, they must be obtained through dietary means. If you do not consume adequate amounts of any vitamin, symptoms of a vitamin deficiency result. Symptoms of vitamin deficiencies include night blindness, caused by lack of vitamin A; scurvy, caused by a lack of vitamin C; pellagra, a potentially fatal disease caused by a lack of niacin; and others. An varied diet containing protein, fruits, vegetables, whole grains and healthy fats contains all of the vitamins necessary for human health, according to the American Dietetic Association. However, those who cannot or will not eat a nutritious diet may benefit from vitamin supplements. Use vitamin supplements under the supervision of a qualified health care professional.
Minerals
Dietary minerals are chemical elements found in the earth that are necessary for human health. People consume minerals indirectly, by eating plants that absorb minerals from the soil, by drinking mineral-containing water, and by eating animals that have obtained minerals from plants or from other animals in turn. Minerals are as necessary as vitamins. Minerals can be obtained by eating a varied, nutritious diet or by taking a good multivitamin with minerals. Common dietary minerals include calcium, magnesium, zinc and iron.
Other Nutritional Supplements
Nutritional supplements, also called dietary supplements, are substances intended to be taken by mouth that are made with certain dietary ingredients intended to supplement the diet, according to the Food and Drug Administration. "Dietary ingredients" include not only vitamins and minerals, but herbs, amino acids and substances such as enzymes and organ tissues. Herbal supplements, which are derived from plants and plant components, are used either as single ingredients or in combination. Classified as foods, not drugs, supplements should be used in addition to a healthy diet, not as curatives for disease. Do not substitute supplements for advice and treatment from a qualified medical professional.
Supplements to Avoid
Certain products sold as dietary supplements may not be legitimate supplements at all. In 2010, the Food and Drug Administration issued a warning about products marketed as dietary supplements whose ingredients include undeclared or deceptively-labeled substances. The ingredients in question are not the herbs, vitamins and other natural ingredients allowed by the FDA, but steroids or other chemical substances used in pharmaceutical drugs. Most of the questionable supplements are in the weight loss, sexual enhancement and body-building categories, areas in which consumers are often hoping for quick and dramatic results. The FDA suggests that shoppers avoid supplements that claim to be alternatives to prescription drugs.
References
- Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center: Vitamins
- Food and Drug Administration: Dietary Supplements
- Food and Drug Administration; Tainted Products Marketed as Dietary Supplements Potentially Dangerous; Siobhan DeLancey; Dec. 15, 2010
- Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center: Minerals
- American Dietetic Association: Vitamins and Nutrients
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