Knowledge is Power: Get to Know More About Dietary Supplements

We get nutrients from the foods we eat daily. The nutrients help us in the nourishment of our bodies. Some of the nutrients that the body requires are essential, while others are not. Essential nutrients are those that must be provided in the diet because the body cannot synthesize them.

On the other hand, non-essential nutrients can be synthesized by the body so you can opt not to include them in the diet. When you lack some nutrients in your body (mostly are essential nutrients), the health professionals recommended for the intake of dietary supplements.

What are Dietary supplements?

Dietary supplements are products that are manufactured to provide nutrients for the body (they supplement the diet). The products can be taken through the mouth either as a tablet, liquid, a capsule, or a pill. Dietary supplements come in various types. Some of the types include amino acids, vitamins, proteins, minerals, essential fatty acids, bodybuilding supplements, probiotics, among many others.

Dietary supplements are beneficial to the body if they are consumed correctly, but if you over-consume them, they can have adverse effects on your health. It is because of this reason that the United States has a board known as FDA that controls such health products being sold to its citizens.

Factors to Consider Before Taking Supplements

Before you can start taking supplements, it is crucial to understand some factors that will help you in taking the correct supplement. Some of the factors include:

1. Effectiveness

As stated earlier, the nutrients that our body requires can be obtained from the foods we eat every day. It would be best if you first understand which essential nutrients you lack in your body before purchasing a supplement. A registered health practitioner can appropriately carry the assessment on which nutrient you are deficient.

If you consume a supplement that you do not need, it can cause some health risks to your body. Most of the supplements are designed to manage specific health conditions and deficiencies. Diagnosis and nutritional assessment are a prerequisite before intake of any supplement.

To get your expected outcome, it is also important to identify which supplement you need, based on what you want to achieve. For instance, using fat burners to lose weight. There truly is no shortcut to losing weight, but there definitely is a way to make the journey to your ideal weight a little quicker.

According to a review about the fat burner supplement Instant Knockout, which you can read more here, a product that can speed up your body’s process to use up your food as energy rather than storing the food as fat is worth buying. However, you shouldn’t treat any fat burners as miracle pills that’ll magically transform your body without you making some extra effort. Fat burners work more effectively if accompanied with regular exercise.

2. Safety and Risk

When supplements are manufactured, they have added some active ingredients in them. The active ingredients always have a substantial effect on the body. So before buying any of the supplements, it is essential to look at the ingredients used in its manufacturing.

Some patients could be allergic to some of the ingredients used in the preparation of the supplements. It would be best if you also understand the side effects that you may experience after consuming the supplements. Individuals who over-consume supplements experience side effects mostly.

3. Consumer’s Physiological State

The physiological state of your body is a vital factor to consider before taking any supplements. For example, pregnant mothers are not allowed to consume any medication or supplementation without the consent of a physician. Intake of supplements without the permission of a physician might compromise the health of the pregnant mother and the health of the unborn.

The supplementation of Iron and folic acids for expectant mothers is a common practice mainly in developing countries. However, supplementation should not be done over the counter, but it should be done under the supervision of a registered physician. If you are sick or you are under any other medication, seek advice from your doctor before taking any supplements; otherwise, you might risk your and your unborn child’s health.

4. Quality

What are quality dietary supplements? Before purchasing any supplement, you should look at the labels and confirm that the FDA legally approves the product. The FDA has put some measures in place to ensure manufacturers produce supplements that are of high quality.

Some of the factors FDA considers include purity, composition, identity, and strength of the supplements. FDA also visits the industries to make sure that there is no contamination and that the procedures used in manufacturing the products are safe.

Dietary supplements are of great benefit to the body and general health of human beings, but they should not be taken over the counter. Most of the dietary supplements are made from some chemicals that can be carcinogenic or may compromise the functioning of your kidney.

A registered dietician, nutritionist or physicians should be the one who will guide through getting the correct supplements that suits your nutritional status and general health. Also, having a better understanding of how you can improve your nutritional status is never going to hurt you.