Vitamins and minerals have long been documented as essential for human health, and herbs have been used for healing throughout history. Though often touted as natural healing agents, vitamins, minerals and herbs are not without risk or potential side effects. Use them under the supervision of a qualified health care professional.
Dietary Supplements
Vitamins, minerals and herbs are all sold as dietary supplements, defined by the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 as products "taken by mouth that contains a 'dietary ingredient' intended to supplement the diet." Vitamins, minerals and herbs are considered to be dietary ingredients, as are amino acids, enzymes, organ tissues, glandulars, and metabolites. Manufacturers are not allowed to market vitamins, minerals, herbs or other dietary supplements as treatments or cures for specific diseases or conditions.
Vitamins
Crucial for normal metabolic processes, vitamins are necessary nutrients required in tiny amounts for normal development and health. With few exceptions, they cannot be synthesized in the body. Vitamins are classified into two groups: water-soluble and fat-soluble. The vitamin B-complex and vitamin C are water-soluble. They are not stored in the body and must be replaced regularly. Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat-soluble. The body does not need to replenish them daily, according to Colorado State University Extension. Fat-soluble vitamins are stored in the liver and fatty tissues and are eliminated slowly from the body. For those reasons, it is possible to overdose on fat-soluble vitamins. Most people can get adequate amounts of vitamins by eating a varied, well-balanced diet based on lean proteins, low-fat milk products, vegetables, fruits, unrefined grains and healthy fats. Consult a qualified health care professional before adding vitamin supplements to your regimen.
Minerals
Like vitamins, minerals are required by the body in small amounts. Unlike vitamins, which are carbon-based, minerals are inorganic elements found in the earth. We obtain dietary minerals from plants that have absorbed these elements from the earth as they grow, from eating animals that have obtained minerals from plants and from eating other animals in turn, and from drinking mineral-containing water. Inadequate intakes of calcium, the most abundant mineral in the body, can lead to bone loss and osteoporosis. According to the textbook "Introduction to Human Nutrition" by Michael J. Gibney, suboptimal levels of minerals may be a factor in other age-related degenerative disease such as cancer and heart disease.
Herbs
Though herbs are popularly associated with complementary and alternative medicine, pharmaceutical companies continue to use plants and plant parts as the basis of powerful medicines such as taxol, a chemotherapy drug derived from yew tree bark. Pharmaceutical companies isolate chemical components from plants to use in their formulations, while supplement companies typically sell herbs in a more natural, less refined form. More natural does not necessarily mean harmless, however. Some herbs can be toxic or interfere with prescribed medicines. Use herbs under the supervision of a qualified health care provider.
References
- "Introduction to Human Nutrition"; Michael J. Gibney et al; 2009
- "Nature's Pharmacy"; Lynn Paige Walker and Ellen Hodgson Brown; 1998
- Colorado State University Extension: Fat-Soluble Vitamins
- Food and Drug Administration: Dietary Supplements
Member Comments