What You Need to Know about Food Supplements

In the United States, most adults consume one or more dietary supplements every day or occasionally. Vitamins, minerals, botanicals and herbals, amino acids, enzymes and many other products are today included in our dietary supplements. Diät supplements are offered in a number of different forms, including traditional tablets, capsules and powders, drinks and power bars. Vitamins D and E, calcium and iron, herbs, such as echinacea and garlic and particular products such as glucosamine, probiotics and fish oils are a popular supplement.

The Food Supplement Label

A Supplement Facts Panel listing the ingredients, amount of active ingredients, and other ingredients (such as fillers, bonders and aromatic ingredients) in all products marked as a dietary supplement. The producer recommends the serving size, but you or the healthcare professional may choose another quantity to suit you.

Effectiveness

Some supplements might help you to achieve adequate levels of the necessary nutrients if you don’t eat a nutritious variety of foods. However, the variety of foods important to a healthy diet can’t take the place of supplements. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPlate provide good food sources.

If you do not eat a nutritive variety of foods, some supplements might help you achieve sufficient nutrient content. However, supplements can not replace the variety of foods which are important in a healthy diet. The Americans and MyPlate Dietary Guidelines are good sources of food.

Safety and Risk

Many supplements have active substances that can have a strong body effect. Be aware, especially when taking a new product, of the possible unexpected side effects.

Supplements are likely to cause side effects or harm when people use or take many supplements together rather than prescribed medicines. Some supplements can increase the risk of bleeding or they can affect your response to anesthesia if a person takes them before or after surgery. Dietary supplements may also interact in ways that could cause problems with certain prescription drugs. A couple of examples are here:

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The St. John wort can accelerate the breakdown and reduce the efficacy of many medicines (including antidepressants and birth control pills).

The efficacy of certain types of cancer chemotherapeutic supplements, like vitamins C and E, may be diminished.

Please note that a growing number of foods, including breakfast cereals and drinks are supplemented by certain ingredients in dietary supplements. As a consequence, these ingredients may be greater than you think, and not better. It is always more costly to take than you need and can also increase your risk of side effect. Too much vitamin A, for example, can cause headaches and heart damage, decrease bone strength, and cause birth defects. Excess iron can cause nausea and vibration and cause liver and other organ damage

Be careful if you are pregnant or breastfeeding with dietary supplements. Please also be careful to give them to a child (over and above the basic MMP). In pregnant women, nursing mothers or children, most dietetic supplements have not been well tested for safety

If you suspect that a dietary supplement has been a serious reaction, inform your doctor. He or she can inform the FDA of your experience. You may also submit an online report or a form to the FDA at 800-FDA-1088. Also, report your reaction by using the contact information on the product label to the dietary supplement company.

Quality

Nutritional supplements are difficult products. In order to ensure their identity, purity, strength and composition, the FDA has established good manufacturing practices (GMPs). The goal of these GMPs is to prevent the inclusion of the incorrect ingredient, the addition of an ingredient too much or too little, the possibility of contamination and improper packaging and labeling of a product. The FDA regularly inspects dietary supplement facilities.

Furthermore, several independent organizations offer quality tests and enable the products to exhibit their approval scales. These approval seals provide insurance that the product has been properly produced and does not contain any contaminants of the ingredients listed on the label. These approval scales do not guarantee the safety or effectiveness of a product. Organizations offering this test of quality include:

-U.S. Pharmacopeia
-ConsumerLab.com
-NSF International

Reminders

Do not choose to take dietary supplements without consulting a health care provider to treat a health condition you have diagnosed.

-Don’t take supplements without your health care practitioner’s approval in place or in combination with prescribed medications.
-Check the supplements you are taking with your healthcare professional if you are scheduled for surgery.
-This is not always the word “natural.” The safety of a supplement depends on a great deal, such as its chemical maquillage, how the body works, how it is prepared and the dose used. Some herbs (commfrey and kava, for example) can cause heptic damage.

-Ask yourself these questions before you take a dietary supplement:
*How is this dietary supplement beneficial to the health?
*What are its potential advantages?
*Is there a safety risk in this product?
*What is the right dose?
*How long should I take it, when or for how long?

Use the information sources listed in this brochure and contact your health providers if you do not know the answers to these questions. The FDA offers a useful “My Medical Record” form for recording the medicines and dietary supplements you take that you may share with your health workers.

Consultation

Know what food supplements you are taking so that you can discuss the best for your overall health with your healthcare providers (including doctors, pharmacists and food users). Your doctor can help you determine which additional products may be of benefit to you if any.

Keep a record of supplements, as you should do for all medicines, in a single place. Note the product name, the dose you take, the number of times you take it and why you each use it. If you see your health care provider, you may also bring the products that you use with you. The FDA provides a useful form for recording the medicines and dietary supplements you take, called “My Medicine Record.” Share your medical provider with this form to discuss what is best for your overall health.