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Fitango EducationHealth Topics

Nutritional Supplements

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Overview

As defined by Congress in the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, which became

law in 1994, adietary supplement is a product (other than tobacco) that

-- is intended to supplement the diet;

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Overview

-- contains one or more dietary ingredients

(including vitamins; minerals; herbs or

other botanicals; amino

acids; and other substances) or their constituents;

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Overview

-- is intended to be taken by mouth as a pill, capsule,

tablet, or liquid; and

-- is labeled on

the front panel as being a dietary supplement.

http://ods.od.nih.gov/

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Supplements

Because many products are marketed as

dietary supplements, it is important to remember that supplements include

vitamins and minerals, as well as herbs, botanicals and other substances.

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Supplements

Some supplements may help ensure that you

get adequate amounts of essential nutrients or help promote optimal health and

performance if you do not consume a variety of foods, as recommended in the MyPlate and Dietary

Guidelines for Americans.

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Supplements

However, dietary supplements are not

intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure disease. In some cases,

dietary supplements may have unwanted effects, especially if taken before

surgery or with other dietary supplements or medicines, or if you have certain

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Supplements

health conditions.

Do not self diagnose any health condition.

Work with your health care provider to determine how best to achieve optimal

health and always check with your health care provider before taking a

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Supplements

supplement, especially when combining or substituting them with other foods or

medicine.

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Scientific evidence supporting the benefits

of some dietary supplements (e.g., vitamins and minerals) is well established

for certain health conditions, but others need further study. This is partly

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due to the way dietary supplements are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug

Administration (FDA).

Research studies in people to prove that a

dietary supplement is safe are not required before the

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supplement is marketed, unlike for drugs. It is the responsibility of dietary

supplement manufacturers/distributors to ensure that their products are safe

and that their label claims are accurate and truthful. If the FDA finds a

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supplement to be unsafe once it is on the market, only then can it take action

against the manufacturer and/or distributor, such as by issuing a warning or

requiring the product to be removed from the marketplace.

The manufacturer does not have to

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prove that the supplement is effective, unlike for drugs. The manufacturer

can say that the product addresses a nutrient deficiency, supports health, or

reduces the risk of developing a health problem, if that is true. If the

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manufacturer does make a claim, it must be followed by the statement "This

statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This

product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease."

Dietary supplements are not intended to

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treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure disease. In some cases, dietary

supplements may have unwanted effects, especially if taken before surgery or

with other dietary supplements or medicines, or if you have certain health

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conditions. Whatever your choice, supplements should not replace prescribed

medications or the variety of foods important to a healthful diet.

Do not self diagnose any health condition.

Work with your health care provider to determine how best to achieve optimal

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health and always check with your health care provider before taking a

supplement, especially when combining or substituting them with other foods or

medicine.

In addition to talking with your health

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care provider about dietary supplements, you can search on-line for information

about a particular dietary supplement. It is important to ensure that you

obtain information fromreliable sources such as:

Fact

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sheets on dietary supplements from the National Institutes of Health

Nutrient

Recommendations: Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) and Recommended Dietary

Allowances (RDA)

PubMed

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Dietary Supplement Subset

Dietary supplement warnings and safety information from the

U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Consumer

information from the Federal Trade Commission

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For tips on evaluating sources of

healthcare information on the Internet, please see the following document:How

to Evaluate Health Information on the Internet: Questions and Answers.

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Before You Purchase

Dietary supplements are available without a

prescription through a number of retail outlets including grocery stores, drug

stores, general merchandise retailers, natural food stores and specialty health

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Before You Purchase

and nutrition stores. Many dietary supplements can also be purchased online

through the Internet.

There are a number of

factors including price, quality and availability that may influence your

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Before You Purchase

buying decision. The Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) does not test, analyze

or rate dietary supplements, nor can we recommend certain brands. You may wish

to ask your health care provider to make a recommendation.

If you have questions about a specific

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Before You Purchase

brand of dietary supplements, you can contact the manufacturer for more

information. Ask to speak to someone who can address your questions, some of

which may include:

What information does the firm have to

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Before You Purchase

substantiate the claims made for the product? Be aware that sometimes firms

supply so-called "proof" of their claims by citing undocumented reports

from satisfied consumers, or graphs and charts that could be mistaken for well

conducted scientific research.

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Before You Purchase

Does the firm have information to share

about tests it has conducted on the safety or efficacy of the ingredients in

the product?

Does the firm follow good manufacturing

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practices and have a quality control system in place to determine if the

product actually contains what is stated on the label and is free of

contaminants?

Has the firm received any adverse events

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Before You Purchase

reports from consumers using their products?

In addition, there are a few independent

organizations that offer "seals of approval" that may be displayed on

certain dietary supplement products. These indicate that the product has passed

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Before You Purchase

the organization's quality tests for things such as potency and contaminants.

These "seals of approval" do not mean that the product is safe or

effective; they provide assurance that the product was properly manufactured,

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that it contains the ingredients listed on the label and that it does not

contain harmful levels of contaminants.

The following is a list of several

organizations offering these programs:

Consumerlab.com

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Before You Purchase

approved quality product seal

NSF International dietary supplement certification

U.S.

Pharmacopeia dietary supplement verification program