But are supplements safe and effective? More than half of all American adults use supplements on the regular and the percentage soars as we age. Or will they just make your pee rainbow-colored and expensive? Worse, could dietary supplements be harmful to you? In a nutshell, there are countless dietary supplements that may yield benefits for an equally countless number of physical and mental health concerns.
Oh, wow, now this is a doozy of a topic. To put it mildly, effectiveness of dietary supplements is… inconclusive. This could render the findings a bit skewed. Controlled randomized studies often generate results that are totally different from those of observational studies.
Getting your nutrients from a healthful, well-balanced diet can be way more effective than getting them from supplements. Plus, it could be cheaper and tastier! Dietary restrictions may lead to nutrient deficiency in some people vegans, for example. An inability to fully absorb B12 from food as we age which might be due to low stomach acid levels or increased nutrient needs seen in hypermetabolic states like cancer might also be responsible.
Supplements can also be really helpful for correcting a vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D deficiency is much more common in people with obesity and people with certain health conditions. Common meds — including certain types of birth control , metformin , and statins — can also deplete nutrients in your body. This can make it hard to get optimal amounts through your diet alone. This may be due to:. That responsibility is left to the supplement maker.
Manufacturers are supposed to ensure that supplements are safe before bringing them to the marketplace. Another buuuuuuuut…. Excess iron causes nausea and vomiting and may damage the liver and other organs. Be cautious about taking dietary supplements if you are pregnant or nursing. Also, be careful about giving supplements to a child, unless recommended by their healthcare provider. Many supplements have not been well tested for safety in pregnant women, nursing mothers, or children.
If you think that you have had a bad reaction to a dietary supplement, let your healthcare provider know. He or she may report your experience to the FDA. You should also report your reaction to the manufacturer by using the contact information on the product label.
The FDA has established good manufacturing practices GMPs that companies must follow to help ensure the identity, purity, strength, and composition of their dietary supplements.
These GMPs can prevent adding the wrong ingredient or too much or too little of the correct ingredient and reduce the chance of contamination or improper packaging and labeling of a product. The FDA periodically inspects facilities that manufacture supplements. Several independent organizations offer quality testing and allow products that pass these tests to display a seal of quality assurance that indicates the product was properly manufactured, contains the ingredients listed on the label, and does not contain harmful levels of contaminants.
These seals do not guarantee that a product is safe or effective. They can help you determine which supplements, if any, might be valuable for you. Keep a complete record of any dietary supplements and medicines you take. For each product, note the name, the dose you take, how often you take it, and the reason for use.
Dietary supplements are products intended to supplement the diet. They are not medicines and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure diseases. The FDA is the federal agency that oversees both supplements and medicines, but the FDA regulations for dietary supplements are different from those for prescription or over-the-counter medicines.
Medicines must be approved by the FDA before they can be sold or marketed. Supplements do not require this approval. Supplement companies are responsible for having evidence that their products are safe, and the label claims are truthful and not misleading. Dietary supplement labels may include certain types of health-related claims. Manufacturers are permitted to say, for example, that a supplement promotes health or supports a body function like immunity or heart health.
In addition to the harmful effects of excess calcium intake from supplements, the researchers found that people with no sign of vitamin D deficiency who use vitamin D supplements may have an increased risk of all-cause mortality.
Zhang adds that it is important to understand the effect that the nutrient and source might play on health and mortality outcomes — especially if not beneficial. She also notes some limitations in the study, including the duration of dietary supplement use studied and the fact that dietary supplement use was subject to recall bias. The body produces vitamin D in response to sun exposure.
Vitamin D has a range of benefits. It protects the teeth and bones and defends against…. A calorie is an amount of energy that a particular food provides. Consuming more calories than needed will result in weight gain, consuming too few…. Celery is a member of the carrot family. It contains lots of essential nutrients, and many people believe that it has a range of health benefits. Fish oils and omega-3 oils may be good for health, but where can we find them, and what can they do for us?
Are there any risks? Learn more here. If you're wondering what foods you should be including in your diet, look no further. We cover an A to Z of popular healthy food items. Is it better to get nutrients from food or supplements? Share on Pinterest Research examines the effects of nutrients from food and supplements.
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