Dietary Supplements

Find the best dietary supplements for you

Dietary supplements provide you with essential minerals, vitamins, fiber, amino acids, electrolytes and other nutrients that you may be missing in your diet. In the United States, dietary food supplements are regulated by a piece of legislation known as the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, which was passed in 1994. It requires that any product being marketed as a dietary supplement contain vitamins, minerals, amino acids or one or more herbs or botanical ingredients as defined by the law.

Popular dietary supplements include antioxidants and digestive enzymes. However, there are many products out there that make many promises, so you need to be an informed consumer if you want to add supplements to your diet.

Do You Need Dietary Supplements?

The official assessment questionnaire provided by the United States National Institutes of Health poses the following questions to people who are wondering whether or not they need to take a dietary food supplement:

• Are you currently taking any dietary supplements?
• Do you eat two or fewer meals per day?
• Do you have any dietary restrictions? Do these restrictions affect your intake of meats, dairy products, or fruits and vegetables?
• Do you normally eat alone?
• Have you involuntarily gained or lost more than 10 pounds in the past six months?
• Do you ingest three or more alcoholic beverages per day?
• Do you take three or more over-the-counter or prescription medications per day?

If you answer “yes” to most of these questions, you may benefit from the use of dietary supplements. However, the choice should be made with the input of your doctor or other healthcare professional.

Choosing the Best Dietary Supplements

To get the most out of your dietary supplements, it’s important to know how they work. Some weight loss dietary supplements, for example, are designed to increase your energy expenditure or boost your metabolism, while others reduce your synthesis of fats or increase your feeling of satiety. Guarana and bitter orange help you spend more energy, while vitamin B supplements such as vitamin B5 are known to increase fat oxidation and reduce the synthesis of lipids.

Remember, too, that products that promote themselves as “natural dietary supplements” aren’t necessarily safer or superior. Some natural dietary supplements can interact with prescription medications or are toxic at high dosages. They can also pose risks to people with certain health conditions, so be sure to talk to your doctor before you start taking any dietary supplements, natural or otherwise.