Dietary supplements are nutrients that are designed to boost your daily intake of nutrients. There are mainly three types of dietary supplements – vitamins and minerals, herbal supplement and probiotic. Besides these, essential fatty acids, amino acids, oils and enzymes are also sold and labeled as dietary supplements and are available in various forms like pills, tablet, liquid or powder form.
Taking dietary supplements does not work as a substitute for poor and unhealthy diet. The nutrients you get from eating whole grains, fruits, vegetables are far more beneficial for your body. However, dietary supplements can work against some temporary shortfalls in your diet.
Benefits And Types Of Dietary Supplements
Vitamins And Minerals Supplement
Vitamins and minerals are micronutrients that our body needs to grow, repair, heal and maintain cells, organs and skeleton. Deficiencies of vitamin and minerals can result in fatigue, illness and diseases. For example, vitamin A supports bone growth and vision, while vitamin E helps to strengthen our immune system and repair DNA. B vitamins play a major role in metabolism and energy production. Vitamin A, C and E and beta carotene have antioxidant properties that can reduce inflammation.
These vitamins can be obtained from a diet rich in fruits and vegetable. But when a person is lacking these vitamins and is suffering from unhealthy cholesterol level or cardiovascular disease, doctors may prescribe these vitamins to improve cardiovascular health. Similarly, vitamins and minerals are equally important for maintaining and preventing bone diseases like osteoporosis and other bone diseases. Our bones are composed of minerals like calcium, phosphorus and magnesium. It is a known fact that vitamin D is required for absorbing calcium from food. So to prevent bone loss, doctors often prescribe these minerals to a patient suffering from osteoporosis.
Herbal Supplements
Herbal supplements, also called botanicals, are different from vitamins and minerals as they contain medicinal value. Herbs have been used for centuries for medicinal purpose and have been the basis of many modern medicines. But herbal supplements are not strictly regulated as medication and their makers don’t need to get approval from FDA before marketing their products.
So before taking any herbal supplement, consult with your physician about its potential health benefits and side effects. Some herbal supplement labeled as natural can interact with the medicines you are taking, especially when you have a chronic health problem, are pregnant or breastfeeding your baby.
Probiotics Supplements
Probiotics are dietary supplements that contain living microorganism and improve digestive health when ingested. Various researches have found that probiotics are particularly useful in treating gastrointestinal problems by warding off infection and also boosting the immune system.
For most people, taking probiotics is safe and hardly has any side effects. Many people throughout the world are eating cheese, yogurt and other foods containing live cultures or taking probiotics in the form of pills. Still probitics supplements can be dangerous for people with weakened immune system. So consult your physician before taking any supplement.
Whole Foods Vs Dietary Supplements
Whole foods provide greater nutrition than supplement because they contain a variety of micronutrients. For example, eating an orange will provide you vitamin C, calcium, beta-carotene and other nutrients while vitamin C supplements do not contain these other nutrients. Many whole foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains are also rich in dietary fibers essential for preventing heart disease, diabetes etc. which supplements can not provide.
Whole foods also contain many protective substances. Like many fruits and vegetables contain phytochemicals, a naturally occurring substance that provides protection against diabetes, blood pressure and heart disease. Some of them are also rich in antioxidants that provide protection against oxidation, which is a process responsible for damage of cell and tissue.
Who Needs Supplements?
If you eat a balance diet containing a wide variety of food from all food groups and you are generally healthy, you don’t need to take supplements. However, if you are pregnant or aged above 50, you can take dietary supplements or fortified foods only after consulting your physician.
