The Need to Supplement Your

DietA Guide for Vitamins, Herbs, Minerals, and other Dietary

SupplementsBy David Terrill

• This information is not intended for medical purposes. Please consult a physician or registered dietitian for more information.

Key Points• What dietary supplements are• Why you might need to supplement your

diet• When you wouldn't need to supplement

your diet • Where to get supplements • Where to learn more about supplements• Resources

What are Dietary Supplements?

Dietary supplements are products that are intended to supplement the

diet, contain one or more dietary ingredients (including vitamins,

minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, and other substances), are intended to be taken by mouth

(a pill, capsule, tablet, or liquid), and are labeled on the front as being dietary supplements (NIH, 2011).

When You Would Need to Supplement Your Diet

There are many reasons a person would supplement their diet. These reasons may include:

• deficiency due to illness

• inability to receive adequate amounts of nutrients from diet

• loss of nutrients due to excretion of fluids (i.e.,sweat or urine)

When You Don't Need to Supplement Your Diet

There are a few reasons people would not want to supplement their diet. Most of these seem obvious but they should still be pointed out. These are:

• A known toxicity or allergy to them

• You already receive more than adequate amounts and you may reach a toxic threshold

• A mixture could become toxic (check warning labels)

Where to Get Your Supplements

Nutritional supplements are becoming easier to find every day. Here is a list of a few ways to find supplements:

• Specialty stores (i.e., Vitamin Shoppe, GNC, etc.)

• Grocery stores

• Pharmacies

• Online merchants

• ...even gas stations will sell supplements

Where to Learn More About Supplements Dietary supplements are more popular than ever. This also means

that there is also a lot of information out there which, at times, can be confusing or even contradicting. Before taking anything you are unsure about, it is important that you find credible information. If you are unable to consult a physician or nutritionalist, you can find information on credible websites such as:

• The National Center for Complimentary and Integrative Health (formerly National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine) is s the Federal Government's lead agency for scientific research on the diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not generally considered part of conventional medicine (NCCIH, 2015) https://nccih.nih.gov/#

• The Office of Dietary Supplements is another department of the NIH that offers specific information about specific dietary supplements, maintaining up to date health and warning information. https://ods.od.nih.gov

Summary• Remember that dietary supplements and designed to

supplement your diet with what you are deficient of. • Dietary supplements can be toxic or become toxic if

taken in excess• Dietary supplements are readily available from many

places.• There are many places to find information about dietary

supplements but be sure it comes from reputable sources.

• This information is not intended for medical purposes. Please consult a physician or registered dietitian for more information.

Photo Credits• Slide 1: top.me. 2015. Retrieved from

http://www.top.me/strength/best-strength-boosting-and-muscle-building-supplements-195.html

• Slide 4: Passionate About Food. May 28, 2014. Retrieved from http://www.passionateaboutfood.net/7-dangerous-dietary-supplements-that-could-jeopardize-your-health/

• Slide 5: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. April 10, 2013. Retrieved from http://effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/index.cfm/search-for-guides-reviews-and-reports/?productid=1455&pageaction=displayproduct

• Slide 6: CNBC. September 2, 2014. Retrieved from http://www.cnbc.com/2014/09/02/cramer-should-gnc-acquire-vitamin-shoppe.html

HNGN. August 11, 2014. Retrieved from http://www.hngn.com/articles/38732/20140811/amazon-blocks-disney-movie-dvd-preorders.htm

Staffers of Kissel Hill. Retrieved from http://www.skh.com/supermarket/pharmacy/