Do Health Supplements Work?
Whether they’re spilling out of your medicine cabinet or filling up your bathroom
countertop, vitamins and supplements are everywhere. People take them to combat
vitamin deficiencies, reduce their risk of disease and enhance health fgscroseville. They also take
them to help manage weight and improve sleep, boost energy and increase
cognitive function. But do they work?
The answer is mixed. While some supplements do indeed help, others are ineffective
or even harmful, and many are based on misleading claims that may not always be
valid.
Dietary supplements are ingested and come in a variety of forms, including tablets,
capsules, gel caps, gummies fgscroseville.com, softgels, bars, powders, liquids and more. They contain
a wide range of ingredients, such as vitamins (like multivitamins or individual
vitamins like vitamin C and B), minerals (including calcium, magnesium and iron),
herbs or botanicals, amino acids and live microbials (such as probiotics). They can
be found in multivitamins or sold as standalone products.
Most dietary supplements aren’t reviewed by the FDA before they’re sold in the US,
so it can be hard to know what you’re getting when buying a new product. That’s
why it’s important to do your research. Read labels and look for organizations that
test supplements, such as the U.S. Pharmacopeia, ConsumerLab and NSF
International. These groups are dedicated to ensuring that the quality of ingredients
is high, and they can tell you if a product contains more or less of an ingredient than
stated on its label, as well as whether it has any prescription drugs or other
substances in it.
A key thing to keep in mind is that supplements should be used to support, not
replace, a healthy diet and lifestyle. Getting vitamins and minerals from whole foods
is generally best, since a diet rich in varied fruits and vegetables can provide all of
the nutrients that you need to stay healthy, and it can prevent the development of
chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer.
The same goes for herbal supplements. If you’re taking an herb, make sure it’s
approved by the Food and Drug Administration, and consult a doctor before starting
any new supplements, especially if you have any underlying health conditions.
It’s also a good idea to write down how much of each supplement you’re taking,
what time of day and the effects you notice, so that you can share this information
with your doctor at your next visit. That way, your doctor can help you decide if you
should continue or change your routine. And remember that if something doesn’t
feel right, it probably isn’t. Overblown claims, such as that a particular product will
be “totally natural,” or a miracle cure for whatever ailment you have, are usually not
true.
