What is meant by dietary supplements?
Dietary supplements are the food ingredients that add nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and other food substances to your diet. They also help to reduces the risks of health problems. They may be in different forms such as pills, tablets, capsules, powders, gel, or liquid, etc. It can be buy from any medical store and supplementary store.
Benefits of dietary supplements
If no deficiency of nutrients occurs, then there is no need to intake dietary supplements. But if your doctor suggests you, then its appropriate use will be helpful to maintain good health. Some of the dietary supplements are described below.
Benefits of Multivitamin Dietary Supplements
Mostly, all the nutrients are taken through taking balanced food. But sometimes, in certain health conditions such as diabetes, cancer, etc., our body lack some essential ingredients, or these conditions automatically trigger the lack of some nutrients. Thus, to take them is necessary; otherwise, health can disturb badly.
- Some dietary supplements claim to provide essential food nutrients to the body. Doctors suggest you some specific multivitamin or mineral dietary supplements to intake in the body as they provide all micronutrients to the user body. These are considered as safe as they contain the measured value of each nutrient.
- The combination of Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Zinc, Lutein, Copper, and AREDS supplements are used to reduce further vision loss problems in people with AMD.
Benefits of Individual Dietary supplements
There are also individual dietary supplements, but they contain a larger amount of nutrients than multivitamin supplements. These supplements are used to reduce the risk of medical conditions, for example, hypertension, by treating nutrients deficiency such as deficiency of iron and other such conditions.
- Vitamin B3, known as niacin, is an individual supplement that is used to maintain good high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.
- The other individual dietary supplement, folic acid, is used to decreases the risk of a spina bifida or birth defect.
- Antioxidants supplements known as Vitamin C and Vitamin E are used to decrease the toxic effects, which may be caused by chemotherapy drugs.
- Vitamin D and calcium are helpful for the bones as they keep them strong and reduces the chances of bone loss.
Risks of taking dietary Supplements.
Remember one thing that nothing can replace food importance that is available in various varieties. If the proper guidelines associated with the supplements are not followed or by taking the larger dose, it can result in severe side effects. Some of the taking dietary supplements risks are described below.
- If the Vitamin K supplements are taken, then they can influence and reduce the effectiveness or working of Coumadin, known as warfarin, that is the blood thinners.
- The high amount of Vitamin E increases the activity of blood thinners that may result in bruising and nose bleeding.
- Similarly, Vitamin B6, which is also known as pyridoxine high doses or its use for a larger time, can result in nerve damage. It also decreases the efficiency of phenytoin and levodopa that are used for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.
- The increased amount of Vitamin A can result in Vitamin A toxicity.
- The high doses (extra amount) of iron and calcium reduces the potency of antibiotics up to 40% by interacting with them.
- The increased level of Selenium, boon, and iron due to taking a larger dose can be toxic for the user.
- Similarly, a high amount of Vitamin C can cause diarrhea.
EndNote
The deficiency and increased amount of nutrients both can cause health problems. Therefore, consult the doctor before taking dietary supplements. Dietary supplements can be harmful if their proper dose is not taken as suggested by the doctor.