Dietary_Supplements

Dietary Supplements Report Laura S. Carlton SCI/241 05/11/2013 Carlene Graham PhD. Summary Dietary Supplements come in different forms and have been used for years for a variety of reasons, from just wanting to fill in what you were lacking in your diet to trying to cure an ailment. Some may have benefits to taking them when taken properly, but there is risk in taking them if you are not careful. You should only take supplements under the supervision of your physician. They are to use with your diet to help you attain the amount of nutrition you desire. There are steps that you can take to make sure that the supplement is safe for you to take. Dietary Supplements Dietary supplements are minerals, vitamins, herbs, enzymes, amino acids, or other plants that you eat or drink to supplement your dietary nutritional needs. They come in different forms such as pills, capsule, tablets, liquids, and powders. Whether they come in pill form or any other form they can have a strong effect on the body. They are meant to be taken in addition to a well- balanced diet so that you can make sure that you are not lacking in any of the nutrients that your body needs to maintain good health. Dietary supplements are not to be taken as a meal or in place of a meal. They are widely available in the United States, in just about any grocery store, some convenience stores, online, mail order, dollar stores and nutrition stores (Nelson, 2010). The Use of Supplements Dietary supplements have been used for many years to prevent illnesses, cure infections, heal wounds, relieve constipation, or reduce fever. There are some herbal medicines that even help for inflammation and pain. People will often use them to cure a disease or to help with the symptoms of a disease ("Medline: Vitamin Supplements", 2013). There are vitamins such as D, vitamin C, and vitamin E. Some of the minerals include calcium, zinc, and iron. Herbs are substances such as Echinacea and garlic. There are also specialty products like glucosamine, probiotics, and fish oils. They all contain a supplement facts panel that lists contents, amount of active ingredients per serving, and other additives such as flavoring and fillers. The manufacture lists the suggested amount to be taken but the actual amount you need is up to you and your doctor to determine. Benefits Scientific evidence shows that some dietary supplements are beneficial for overall health and for managing some health conditions. For example, omega-3 fatty acids from fish oils might help some people with heart disease, folic acid decreases the risk of certain birth defects, calcium and vitamin D are good for making your bones strong; these are only a few examples where supplements are beneficial to one’s health. Supplementing your diet with B vitamins is said to help prevent the numerous effects of vitamin deficiencies, including skin disorders, joint pain, nerve damage and anemia (Tremblay, 2011). Your body also needs the vitamins and minerals so that it can break down the food you eat into energy. Risks There are risks that are involved in taking dietary supplements that you must be aware of and one of these risks is that they are not regulated by the government. They are not required to show proof that they work like they claim before they are marketed. Another huge risk that you must take note of is that many of the supplements can interact with prescription medication that you are already taking, and that can lead to potentially dangerous reactions. Some supplements can increase the risk of bleeding and if a person is already taking a blood thinner then that could cause a major problem. Another example of a potentially dangerous situation is if a supplement is taken before or after a surgery it could possibly affect the person’s response to anesthesia (Dietary Supplements:” What You Need to Know”. 2010). Most dietary supplements have not been tested for safety in pregnant women, nursing mothers or children. Government Regulations on Supplements There may be some benefit to taking supplements but they should never take the place of the medication given to you by your doctor and should not be used in substitution of nutrition that you get from well balanced meals. Supplements are not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, which are organizations that were created to make sure that what is marketed to the public is safe. Instead in 1994 the FDA formed the United States Pharmacopeia and National Formulary which provides guidelines, and specifications for dietary supplements; however, manufactures of dietary supplements are not legally obligated to follow these guidelines (Marks, 2011).There is no agency monitoring the supplements, the only monitoring is done voluntary by individuals that had adverse effects reporting to the manufacture. The problem with that is that the manufactures are not legally required to report to the FDA, this is the system used to monitor dietary supplements. Relying on the manufacturer to report problems and safety concerns is not a very effective method of monitoring. Using Dietary Supplements for Psoriasis Psoriasis is a skin disorder that is caused by the over production of skin cells, the rate at which skin cells divide in psoriasis is roughly one thousand times greater than normal skin. Psoriasis is a skin condition that is hereditary but there are nutritional factors that contribute to the condition. There are a number of things that can cause psoriasis to flare up; stress and diet. Sugars should be limited and fiber intake should be increased (legumes, whole grains). One should also limit the amount of meat and animal fats that they consume and instead replace them with cold water fish such as salmon, herring, and halibut. The nutritional supplements that should be taken for relieving psoriasis are the Rx-omega-3 factors. The Rx omega-3 factors are a pharmaceutical grade fish oil supplement. The dosage is stated as two to three capsules twice daily. The fish oils rich in eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosohexanoic acid (DHA) have been shown to be extremely helpful in improving psoriasis. The dosages used in the double blind studies was 1.8g EPA and 1.2g DHA (Murray, 2013). I did not really find any risk that was associated with treating the psoriasis with this supplement. Supplements can be used for many different reasons and they can be very beneficial if taken under the supervision of a physician. Taking dietary supplements also have risks involved; it can interfere with prescription medications and over use will cause toxicity and other health problems. Dietary supplements are not regulated by any government agencies so you should take caution when taking them. There are many health conditions that can benefit also from the use of nutritional supplements but you should only do so under the supervision of a physician. If you are unable to fulfill your nutritional needs through your diet then they can be used as a supplement to make your nutritional intake complete. References Dietary Supplements: What You Need To Know. (2010). Retrieved from http://ods.od.nih.gov/pubs/DS_WhatYouNeedToKnow.pdf Marks, S. (2011). Government Regulations for Dietary Supplements. Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/469833-government-regulations-for-dietary-supplements/ Medline: Vitamin Supplements. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/dietarysupplements.html Murray, Dr. (2013). Your Natural Medicine Resource: Psoriasis. Retrieved from http://doctormurray.com/health-conditions/psoriasis/ Nelson, J. (2010). Nutrition and Healthy Eating: dietary supplements not without risks. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/dietary-supplements/MY01408 Tremblay, L. (2011). The Health Benefits of Dietary Supplements. Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/370194-the-health-benefits-of-dietary-supplements/