Dietary Supplements: Vendors need to get their facts right!

The majority of adults in the United States take one or more dietary supplements either every day or occasionally. Today’s dietary supplements include vitamins, minerals, herbals and botanicals, amino acids, enzymes, and many other products. Dietary supplements come in a variety of forms: traditional tablets, capsules, and powders as well as drinks and energy bars. Popular supplements includes vitamins D and E; minerals like calcium, and powders, as well as drinks and energy bars. Popular supplements include vitamins D and E, minerals like calcium and iron; herbs such as Echinacea and garlic; and specialty products like glucosamine, probiotics, and fish oils.

The Dietary Supplement Label

All products labeled as a dietary supplement carry a Supplement Facts panel that lists the contents, amount of active ingredients per serving, and other added ingredients. The manufacturer suggests the serving size, but you or your health care provider decide that different amount is more appropriate for you.

Effectiveness

Scientific evidences shows that some red dietary supplements are beneficial for overall health and for managing some health conditions. For instance, calcium and vitamin D are important for keeping bones strong and reducing bone loss, folic acid decreases the risk of certain birth defects.

Quality

Dietary supplements are complex products. The FDA has established good manufacturing practices (GMPs) for dietary supplements to help ensure their identity, purity, strength, and composition. In addition, several independant organizations offer quality testing and allow products that pass these tests to display their seals of approval. These seals of approval provide assurance that the product was properly maufactured, contains the ingredients listed on the label, and does not contain harmful levels of contaminants. These seals of approval do not guarantee that a product is safe or effective.

Keep in Mind

Don’t decide to take dietary supplements to treat a health condition that you have diagnosed yourself, without consulting a health care provider. Don’t take Reds Powder Supplement in place of, or in combination with, prescribed medications without your health care provider’s approval. Check with your health care provider about the supplements you take if you are scheduled to have any type of surgical procedure. The term “natural” doesn’t always mean safe. A supplement’s safety depends on many things, such as its chemical makeup, how it works in the body, how it is prepared, and the dose used. Certain herbs (for example, comfrey and kava) can harm the liver.

Federal Regulation of Dietary Supplements

Manufacturers must follow certain good manufacturing practices to ensure the identity, purity, strength, and composition of their products. If the FDA finds a product to be unsafe or otherwise unfit for human consumption, it may take enforcement action to remove the product from the marketplace or work with the manufacturer to voluntarily recall the product.