Food or Supplements? - A question of debate
EmPower Research
April 14, 2008
By Laveena Mathias
Supplements were meant basically for patients who do not eat enough and for people who do not include certain nutrients in their diet. But as time moved on, there are hundreds and thousands of supplements in the market today, each with its own boasts and claims. Certainly they cannot do "magic" in moments, but, can be considered with certain basic precautions.
There are supplements for weight loss, body building, to look younger, to obtain a glowing skin etc. The claims made by the manufacturers may be true to some extent and for some products, which may also depend on the quality and concentration of the ingredients used, and on the requirements of the consumers.
Moreover, it should be remembered that the supplements are categorized as food and they are not as strictly regulated as drugs. Only recently the FDA has passed the Good Manufacturing Practices rules, where the ingredients used for manufacturing the supplements will have to be tested and GMP certified.
Most of the health experts do suggest a multi-vitamin product, which has a formulation of several vitamins required for a general nutrition and health. These days the multi-vitamin products have been categorized based on the specific consumers they target. For example: a multi-vitamin product can be targeted based on an individual´s conditions like age, sex etc. However, these products may also involve a manufacturer´s hype for the quick movement of products in the market assuring that the product is bought by a wider age group. Here again, there is a need to read the labels as well as consult a physician before deciding on following the regimen. It is generally because a product may contain a surplus of some ingredient, which may not be well absorbed by the body.
A better knowledge about each of these ingredients, how they work, what exactly our body is lacking and in what quantity it should be supplemented, would enable us to investigate the products better.
Given below is a list of conditions from National Institute of Health, which indicates the need for extra nutrients.
Calcium
Post-menopausal women, amenorrheic women and the female athlete triad, lactose intolerant individuals and vegetarians may need extra calcium to prevent a deficiency.
Folate
Medical conditions that increase the need for folate or result in increased excretion of folate include pregnancy and lactation, alcohol abuse, malabsorption, kidney dialysis, liver disease and certain anemias.
Iron
The individuals who need extra iron include pregnant women, preterm and low birth weight infants, older infants and toddlers, teenage girls, women of childbearing age, people with renal failure and people with gastrointestinal disorders.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A deficiency rarely occurs in the United States, but the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund recommend vitamin A administration for all children diagnosed with measles in communities where vitamin A deficiency is a serious problem and where death from measles is greater than 1%.
Vitamin D
Infants who are exclusively breastfed, older adults, persons with limited sun exposure, persons with greater skin melanin content and persons with fat malabsorption may need extra vitamin D.
Vitamin E
Individuals who cannot absorb fat require a vitamin E supplement because some dietary fat is needed for the absorption of vitamin E from the gastrointestinal tract.
This shows that there is obviously a need for supplement use, but it depends on various factors.
So, "Food and Supplements" can make good health possible.
Supplements were meant basically for patients who do not eat enough and for people who do not include certain nutrients in their diet. But as time moved on, there are hundreds and thousands of supplements in the market today, each with its own boasts and claims. Certainly they cannot do "magic" in moments, but, can be considered with certain basic precautions.
There are supplements for weight loss, body building, to look younger, to obtain a glowing skin etc. The claims made by the manufacturers may be true to some extent and for some products, which may also depend on the quality and concentration of the ingredients used, and on the requirements of the consumers.
Moreover, it should be remembered that the supplements are categorized as food and they are not as strictly regulated as drugs. Only recently the FDA has passed the Good Manufacturing Practices rules, where the ingredients used for manufacturing the supplements will have to be tested and GMP certified.
Most of the health experts do suggest a multi-vitamin product, which has a formulation of several vitamins required for a general nutrition and health. These days the multi-vitamin products have been categorized based on the specific consumers they target. For example: a multi-vitamin product can be targeted based on an individual´s conditions like age, sex etc. However, these products may also involve a manufacturer´s hype for the quick movement of products in the market assuring that the product is bought by a wider age group. Here again, there is a need to read the labels as well as consult a physician before deciding on following the regimen. It is generally because a product may contain a surplus of some ingredient, which may not be well absorbed by the body.
A better knowledge about each of these ingredients, how they work, what exactly our body is lacking and in what quantity it should be supplemented, would enable us to investigate the products better.
Given below is a list of conditions from National Institute of Health, which indicates the need for extra nutrients.
Calcium
Post-menopausal women, amenorrheic women and the female athlete triad, lactose intolerant individuals and vegetarians may need extra calcium to prevent a deficiency.
Folate
Medical conditions that increase the need for folate or result in increased excretion of folate include pregnancy and lactation, alcohol abuse, malabsorption, kidney dialysis, liver disease and certain anemias.
Iron
The individuals who need extra iron include pregnant women, preterm and low birth weight infants, older infants and toddlers, teenage girls, women of childbearing age, people with renal failure and people with gastrointestinal disorders.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A deficiency rarely occurs in the United States, but the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund recommend vitamin A administration for all children diagnosed with measles in communities where vitamin A deficiency is a serious problem and where death from measles is greater than 1%.
Vitamin D
Infants who are exclusively breastfed, older adults, persons with limited sun exposure, persons with greater skin melanin content and persons with fat malabsorption may need extra vitamin D.
Vitamin E
Individuals who cannot absorb fat require a vitamin E supplement because some dietary fat is needed for the absorption of vitamin E from the gastrointestinal tract.
This shows that there is obviously a need for supplement use, but it depends on various factors.
So, "Food and Supplements" can make good health possible.
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