preview

Dietary Supplements : Pros And Cons Article

Satisfactory Essays

Dietary Supplements: Pros and Cons Article

Over half of the adults in the U.S. use at least one type of dietary supplement, the most common being multivitamins, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The term “supplements” encompasses a variety of products such as vitamins and minerals, herbs and enzymes. Taking the right supplements can be beneficial to your health, but they are not without risk. Never take any type of supplement without first talking to your doctor (1). According to the 2010 Supplement Business Report published by the Nutrition Business Journal, dietary supplements are a 27 billion dollar industry. That is in the United States alone, a pretty impressive number. Botanicals, herbs, meal replacements, vitamins, and minerals fill the shelves of stores from local supermarkets to high-end nutrition shops. Like many other health products, dietary supplements have benefits and drawbacks. Knowing the pros and cons of dietary supplements is highly important so that you make an educated decision when it comes to buying or using them (2).
The problem is that not all of the supplements are not regulated by the FDA which means there are often problems with the purity, quality, and the strength of the supplements. Dietary supplements are not food replacements. They do not contain the complex constellation of vitamins and nutrients that foods contain, including phytochemicals. These are substances that can be acquired from food, and provide health

Get Access