A dietary supplement, also known as food supplement or nutritional supplement, is a preparation intended to provide nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, fiber, fatty acids or amino acids, that are
missing or are not consumed in sufficient quantity in a person's diet. Nutrient Supplement is a medicine that can (when taken in corrected doses and amounts), boost your overall health. It can contain several important vitamins and minerals that you would need to be healthier! Some countries define dietary supplements as foods, while in others they are defined as drugs.
Supplements containing vitamins or dietary minerals are included as a category of food in the Codex Alimentarius, a collection of internationally recognized standards, codes of practice, guidelines and other recommendations relating to foods, food production and food safety. These texts are drawn up by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, an organization that is sponsored by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
The Food Supplements Directive of 2002 requires that supplements be demonstrated to be safe, both in quantity and quality. By definition, vitamins and minerals are essential, i.e. the body cannot make them, so they must be obtained exogenously or from the diet, but excessive intakes can be harmful, notably Vitamin A. Consequently, only those supplements that have been proven to be safe may be sold without prescription. As a category of food, food supplements cannot be labeled with drug claims in the bloc but can bear health claims and nutrition claims.
Although dietary supplements are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as foods, they are regulated differently from other foods and from drugs. Whether a product is classified as a dietary supplement, conventional food, or drug is based on its intended use. Most often, classification as a dietary supplement is determined by the information that the manufacturer provides on the product label or in accompanying literature, although many food and dietary supplement product labels do not include this information.
What are the benefits that you can get from nutritional supplements?
First of all, supplements help you overcome nutritional deficiencies. We need all the nutrients in their proper amounts for optimum health. Since our diets most likely can not provide all of them, nutritional supplements can fill in those gaps.
Nutritional supplements also help boost our immune system. The stronger your immune system, the more resistant your body can be against disease. You probably know that popping a tablet or two of Vitamin C can help you avoid colds and related illnesses. This is exactly how useful supplementation is.
Nutritional supplements are also useful in getting rid of the toxins which we horrendously take in everyday. The environmental stresses we go through, chemicals we are in touch with, as well as our lifestyle - these all subject us to harmful toxins which can lead to serious health problems. Supplements, most especially anti-oxidants, can help our body keep toxins to a minimum.
There are much more benefits that nutritional supplements can provide. The main point is that these supplements help you have the optimum health you deserve and minimize the risk of diseases.
Disclaimer: This website is for information purposes only. By providing the information contained herein we are not diagnosing, treating, curing, mitigating, or preventing any type of disease or medical condition. Before beginning any type of natural, integrative or conventional treatment regime, it is advisible to seek the advice of a licensed healthcare professional.
