According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, drugs are substances designed to treat, cure, diagnose, ease or prevent various forms of disease. They differ from both vitamins and minerals, which are naturally occurring substances known collectively as nutrients. Nutrients help sustain your body's systems and maintain general well-being.
Understanding Drugs
Drugs come in both prescription and nonprescription forms. Prescription drugs must contain specific formulations of substances that have gone through animal and human testing and analysis. The FDA reviews the results of this testing and analysis, then determines whether or not any given drug is effective and safe for consumers. Nonprescription drugs must contain ingredient formulas and dosages approved by the FDA, but the FDA does not need to review these products individually. As long as manufacturers conform to established guidelines, they can release nonprescription drugs directly to the market.
Understanding Vitamins
Vitamins are nutrients made organically by plants or animals. They play a wide variety of roles inside your body, including helping you process the foods in your diet, supporting your immune system, making your red blood cells, maintaining your skin and bones, and helping your blood clot when you bleed. Some vitamins, called water-soluble vitamins, stay in your body briefly, then flow out in your urine; other vitamins, called fat-soluble vitamins, are stored in your fat cells for as long as six months. While vitamins occur naturally in various types of food, you can also purchase them as man-made supplements.
Understanding Minerals
Minerals are inorganic nutrient substances that come from water or soil. They typically enter the human food chain after being absorbed by plant species or eaten by animals. Like vitamins, minerals support vital processes in your body, including normal growth and development, and maintenance of your bone health. You need relatively large amounts of minerals such as calcium, potassium and magnesium to sustain your everyday well-being. However, you only need trace amounts of other minerals, including iron, zinc, chromium and copper. As with vitamins, you can get minerals from either food or supplement sources.
Considerations
The FDA's definition of drugs specifically excludes food items. If you eat a diet that contains dairy, whole grains, fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, eggs and seeds, you probably get enough vitamins and minerals to properly maintain your health, the Nemours Foundation's TeensHealth website reports. However, you might lack specific vitamins or minerals if you exclude certain foods from your diet, skip meals or follow certain diet plans. If you eat a limited diet for any reason, ask your doctor and/or a registered dietitian if you need to use any type of supplements to meet your dietary needs.
References
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Prescription Drugs and Over-the-Counter (OTC) Drugs -- Questions and Answers
- Nemours Foundation: TeensHealth -- Vitamins and Minerals
- Biology Online: Nutrient Defined
- KidsHealth: Vitamins
- TeensHealth: Minerals
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Is It a Cosmetic, a Drug or Both? (Or Is It Soap?)
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