The Ins and Outs of Supplements

Supplements have become a massive industry with many enthusiastic promoters. But despite all the research that tells us how certain vitamins and nutrients affect our bodies, taking supplements it may not always deliver the results we can expect and hope for.

“In my clinical experience, the benefit of supplements is most successful when tailored to an individual’s unique nutritional needs,” he said. Dr. Tamara Darragha naturopathic physician licensed by the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice.

Darragh says that given the variety of benefits and needs, getting the advice of an expert provider can be important in any supplement regimen.

Such an expert may take into account a wide variety of factors, including age, gender, genetics, family history, disease, lifestyle factors, and more. It may also be wise to test for any nutrient deficiencies.

value per dollar

With so many different types of supplements available, and new ones coming out every day, beyond expert advice, how can you be sure you’re choosing a safe, high-quality product that could actually do you some good?

One way to verify product quality is to look for products that have been tested by an independent third party, such as ConsumerLab, NSF, or the Banned Substances Control Group (BSCG). Third-party testing is not required by law, but some manufacturers still choose to have their products third-party tested as a sign of their commitment to quality and transparency.

These independent groups test for illegal substances, validate that the ingredients listed on the label are actually what is in the bottle, test the potency of the product, and provide a Certificate of Analysis (COA) that lists the results. Some manufacturers, like nutrigoldmake the COA of your products available to consumers for easy access on your website or through a QR code on the product label.

Unlike prescription drugs, the Food and Drug Administration The FDA does not regulate the safety or quality of dietary supplements before they go on the market. Instead, it is the responsibility of each manufacturer to ensure that safety standards are met and that the supplement actually contains the ingredients and potency listed on the label.

Unfortunately, this is not always the case. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, a 2012 government study found that 20 percent of supplements marketed for weight loss or immune system support included illegal claims on the label. The FDA has also found prescription drugs in thousands of products being sold as dietary supplements.

The FDA plays some roles. May inspect supplement manufacturing facilities and monitor adverse event reports submitted by companies, health professionals or consumers. The agency also prohibits supplement manufacturers from making false claims or exaggerating the effectiveness of their products.

But because the human body is so complex and people are so different from each other, sometimes the science itself is uncertain.

Study results on the safety and effectiveness of many supplements are mixed and often conflicting, and certain nutrients can pose serious health risks or be toxic in large doses. That’s why it’s important to consult with a trusted health care provider about your individual nutritional needs and purchase supplements from a reputable manufacturer. Take any exaggerated health claims with a healthy dose of skepticism, and don’t assume that words like “natural,” “standardized,” “clean,” or “verified” are a guarantee of quality.

strictly supplementary

According to Darragh, the quality of a supplement depends on a variety of factors, including the quality and purity of the raw materials, the formulas used, the inclusion or exclusion of unnecessary fillers and colors, and quality control during the manufacturing process.

An important point to keep in mind is that dietary supplements, by definition, are intended to “supplement,” not replace, nutrients provided through the diet. Many health experts believe that it should be possible for most healthy people to obtain all the nutrients necessary for good health through a varied and nutrient-rich diet.

According to the FDA, a supplement is a product that is taken by mouth and contains one or more “dietary ingredients”. It is technically neither a food nor a drug, but it could include vitamins, minerals, amino acids, botanicals (derived from plants), or live microbes (such as probiotics). Supplements may also contain some combination of these ingredients.

Dietary supplements can be a powerful health and wellness tool for those who need to fill nutritional gaps. And when chosen and used carefully, they can play an important role in promoting the health and well-being of many people. But they are not the panacea that some promoters, marketers and so-called experts promote them to be.

There are conditions where it may be necessary to obtain additional nutritional support through supplementation. Those with nutritional deficiencies or medical conditions that result in poor absorption of nutrients may require supplementation to meet all of their nutritional needs.

Vegans can benefit from supplementation, especially with vitamin B12, which is found primarily in animal products. Additionally, women who are pregnant or lactating, who have higher nutritional needs, and those with limited access to healthy foods may benefit.

the backstory

It’s important to note that although dietary supplements may be “natural” in the sense that they are taken from leaves, roots, or another substance found in nature, that does not mean they are risk-free. The same happens with those that are synthesized in more industrial processes.

And while herbs and other botanicals have been used medicinally for thousands of years around the world, it’s only in the last century that the dietary supplement as we know it today has come into prominence.

It was not until 1912 that scientists began to discover that the world of nutrients contained more than just the macronutrients of protein, carbohydrates, and fat. The decades that followed led to the gradual discovery of an increasing number of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients, which were soon after isolated, extracted, and synthesized in laboratories. In the years since, they have been commercialized.

Progression over the decades has brought the dietary supplement industry from obscurity to ubiquity. The Council for Responsible Nutrition, which runs a Consumer survey on dietary supplementsreported that its latest results, from 2021, showed a new high in supplement use, with 4 in 5 Americans using some type of dietary supplement.

And that change is not without risk.

Issues and Problems

Because supplements are concentrated forms of specific compounds, it is possible to overdose by taking too much, either in a short period of time or long term.

For example, a study published on December 22, 2016, in Advanced Pharmaceutical Bulletin showed that excessive amounts of vitamin A harm bone health, increasing the risk of fractures and osteoporosis.

And beyond the tremendous variation in the quality of supplements, the simple fact is that sometimes the body cannot use certain vitamins or minerals effectively in supplement form. They may need to be taken with other nutrients, dietary fiber, or when certain biological conditions are met. That means you can spend a lot of money on supplements and get little to no results.

Many other studies found that taking various supplements, including folic acid, retinol, and multivitamins, had no effect on disease prevention or actually had harmful effects. And, according to the FDA, some supplements can negatively interfere with prescription medications; others can interfere with laboratory tests and have dangerous effects during surgery.

One of the most popular forms of supplementation is the multivitamin. And while taking a daily multivitamin may not cause any harm, there’s not much evidence that it’s any good either. As the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health at the National Institutes of Health states on its website: “Most research shows that taking multivitamins does not result in longer life, slower cognitive decline, or a reduced chance of getting cancer, heart disease, or diabetes.”

“I wish there was a magical supplemental ‘insurance policy,’ but the reality is that health is too complex,” Darragh said.

“Nutritional supplements can be part of this quest to prevent disease and health problems, but I think they are given too much importance. They work best when taken as part of a holistic plan consisting of daily habits including, but not limited to, a nutrient-rich diet, movement, sleep, stress resilience, balance, joy, and community.”

Zrinka Peters has been writing professionally for over a decade. She has a BA in English Literature from Simon Fraser University and has been featured in a wide variety of print and online publications, including Health Digest, Parent.com, Today’s Catholic Teacher, and Education.com.