Why Do Dietary Supplements

Dietary supplements are becoming more and more widely used. Whether it be for sport performance, herbal, or just a vitamin, many are being used and misused. People do not understand how dietary supplements are regulated and what the pros and cons are.

The ingredients are extracted from the natural source with no history of serious side effects

Many people use dietary supplements to boost their health and prevent disease. It is reported that up to 40% of adults use at least one over-the-counter dietary supplement daily and most of these people do not ask or inform their doctors about taking these supplements. Herbal and nonherbal health supplements are popular because some people believe it is easier to take these than to buy and prepare healthy meals, especially when they are busy with work or if quality foods are not easily available. To others, taking specific food supplements is a means to increase immunity to certain diseases, support bodybuilding, or achieve weight loss. Some health care providers recommend taking dietary supplements to replace nutritional deficiencies but most experts advise consuming a healthy, balance diet that provides most of the nutrients one needs to maintain health.

An increasing number of people are using products to enhance their diets. A recent estimate indicates, “Americans are spending some $6 billion annually on nutritional supplements, and the market is growing by 20% every year” (Zahn, 1997). Of these supplements, the increase in herbal remedy use is most dramatic. Zahn holds that the increase can be attributed to the widely held belief that herbal substances are healthy and harmless because of their natural origins (1997). Unfortunately, research on these supplements, herbal or otherwise, has not transmitted to the public as quickly as the diet enhancers themselves. The phenomenon leaves many consumers misguided by skewed advertising and

It is important to tell your healthcare provider about natural products you are taking because they can still have a interaction with other medications you are taking. Sometimes people think since something is natural it won’t effect a medication you are taking like a blood thinner, but some herbs also thin your blood. If you didn’t tell your healthcare provider you are taking a natural supplement that also has this effect it could lead to devastating results.

In Couzin-Frankel’s article “The Supplement Sleuth”, she talks about a man named Pieter Cohen who is trying to expose the hazards of supplements. She explains that the FDA is too limited on what they can and cannot do with supplements. They even say that the FDA says “show us the bodies” before the FDA will look at it. Our system is not the most efficient when it comes to drugs of any sorts. We need a better control over what is let into our shopping-marts, and labeling to improve our intake of medications.

You may also say that the FDA requires all the ingredients to be listed.Often additives are not specific enough, making it hard for buyers to know for sure what they are eating.For instance, before an example is (MSG) a product which causes headaches and nausea "The terms “natural flavor” and “hydrolyzed yeast extract” are often forms of MSG."(http://www.sustainabletable.org/385/additives).Food companies put their ingredients in disguise, so the buyer wouldn't

Throughout the years we have been prescribed with regular medications for whatever illness we have and also in using supplements for our weight loss program. We at times neglect or willfully forget the side effects and risks we are faced off with regular medications. This is the reason why a lot of herbal supplement companies are increasing in popularity because of the supplements they are recommending in exchange of the regular medications. There are more and more people being aware of these supplements performance. They prevent the onset of a possible health problem and also increase performance with considering very little complications or side effects.

In other words, it is like “sell whatever you want, but don’t get yourself caught”. These seems to be so irresponsible especially for profit-driven manufacturers. Furthermore, even though the FDA (in cooperation with the FTC) have already regulate product advertisement, there are still so many false advertising claiming that their product somehow could be used for diagnosis and curing certain diseases. In this matter, we could not give the consumer full responsibility to determine on their own which ones are safe as most of the people lack the related knowledge. In other examples, even though the advertising is ‘properly-written’ and acceptable under FTC regulations, they still provide us with some scientific facts that the products showed indication of diagnostic and curing effects, but even the source-reliability could still be questioned. Nevertheless, most people will still get fooled easily by these claims, especially from products sold online that also provide pictures of random celebrities as if they are consuming these products (in fact they are not!) and/or some un-reliable testimonial photos. Robert Longley from about.com reported that in 2014, the FDA have sent warning letters to 16 dietary supplement distributors that made false and

Diabetes is a common health condition among many Americans today. As of 2014, 29.1 million people or 9.3 percent of the American population have diabetes and 86 million, or one out of three, Americans have pre-diabetes which increases one's risk for developing diabetes1. Since diabetes is a top health concern for a great number of Americans, many are open to integrative practices including dietary supplementation. With half of the American population using at least one dietary supplement and as an increasing number of Americans look to integrative medicine2, it is no surprise many opt for dietary supplements to aid in diabetes management. Cinnamon is a common household spice used in many culinary preparations and can be found as a dietary

14. Dietary supplements do not require government approval before entering the market, and manufacturers alone decide whether their products are safe and effective.

Magnesium in normal does of ~350mg per day (MAGNESIUM.n.d.) is considered safe with only minor reported side effects such as:

As prescription drug is becoming more and more common and widespread among the American society, it is obvious that drugs should have high quality in order to protect the consumers from any substantial danger that the drug could pose. Not just prescription drugs but dietary supplements as well. There has been an 80 percent increase in dietary supplement consumptions. But sadly the The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (1994) has helped manufacturers from facing FDA regulations. Furthermore, dietary supplements are being labeled as food and I don’t believe that they should be because people are less educated when it comes to medication and drugs, so if they happen to take in contaminated drugs, they would not know how to deal with

Testing done by, Consumer Lab, have shown that many of the Garcina Cambogia supplements that are on the market contain a significant amount less Garcina Cambogia than is listed on their label. The FDA does not regulate vitamins and supplements in the same way as prescription medication. The FDA only monitors the labeling; not the dosage and contents in the supplement.

I completely agree with your opinions. Supplements should not be the one that people depend on to lose weight or simply to stay healthy. It is important to consider the process of weight-loss as you mentioned because losing weight unnaturally can affect one’s health negatively. Moreover, the product seems dishonest because the medical establishment does not want to reveal the formula. I hope that Food and Drug Administration will find a way to remove those kinds of unethical products from the marketplace in the near future.