The term “health supplement” refers to any commercial product designed to augment one’s daily diet with a medicinal ingredient. It may contain any number of substances designed to promote wellness and health. An individual can take supplements for a variety of reasons. Some people may be interested in trying new products to improve health, lose weight or even to reduce or eliminate certain symptoms they have. Others are concerned about the effects of some foods and beverages and want to know if there are alternative health solutions they can use instead.
DescriptionA health supplement is generally a commercially manufactured product meant to augment one’s daily diet by including a pill, liquid, capsule or powder to replace an existing product. Health supplements may provide essential nutrients both extracted from plant sources or which are synthetic so as to increase the amount of consumption. Health supplements may also be used as nutritional therapy to treat, prevent or cure diseases. Some health supplements are used in place of or in addition to medication. Health supplement products may also be sold in separate containers to be used individually or with a food or health program.
Product Classification There are basically two product categories for health supplements. They are dietary supplements, or preparations that are used to replace or enhance the nutritional intake of individuals. The other category is complementary health supplements, or preparations that are used to promote wellness or to address other health concerns, such as allergies or chronic conditions. Generally, dietary health supplement and complementary health supplements do not contain medicinal ingredients but may contain vitamins, minerals, botanicals, herbs, or herbal extracts.
Types and Content Most health supplement lines will offer multivitamins. Multivitamins are available in liquid, solid and tablet forms. Each type of supplement is usually broken down into its primary nutrient source (like vitamins), secondary nutrients (like amino acids and probiotics), and additional vitamins and herbs. Liquid multivitamins tend to be more easily absorbed by body tissue than solids, which absorb faster but give a stomachless feeling after swallowing. Tablets are easy to take and digest.
Healthy Habits You can’t achieve optimal health without having a balanced diet, and this includes the kinds of food you eat. Most health supplements contain vitamins, minerals, amino acids, herbal extracts, and other nutrients. Therefore, healthy habits in other areas like tobacco, alcohol, obesity, exercise, and healthy diet are all essential for a healthy lifestyle. Health supplement users need to stop smoking, avoid unhealthy alcohol intake, and get enough exercise to reap the health benefits of supplements.
Formulas A wide range of health supplements are available in tablet, capsule, or gel form. There are many options on the market to choose from: basic multivitamin formulas, vitamin formulations with one or more additional vitamins, HGH products, immune system support formulas, and antioxidant formulas with different forms of folic acid, such as 10 mg, 50 mg, or 100 mg. Some of the most popular ingredients include antioxidants like coenzyme Q10, vitamin C, L-glutathione, and alpha lipoic acid. Some manufacturers add extra carotenoids, prebiotics, and probiotics as well.
Formulas may also contain components that work synergistically with the vitamins and other nutrients to improve their activity. The formulation has to be taken in conjunction with a healthy lifestyle and diet to provide maximum health benefits. As an example, a health supplements formula that contains 500mg of l-glutathione needs to be taken along with a low-fat diet and a regular source of vitamins. A yeast product has to be used along with an appropriate diet, low in sugar, carbohydrates, and yeast products.
Formulas and company claim Health supplement products may be classified according to their ingredients if they meet certain quality standards. Formulas can be divided into four categories, including dietary supplements, therapeutic supplements, preventive, and hospital grade. Dietary supplements are designed to improve general health by improving absorption of nutrients and increasing body resistance to disease. These products can be classified according to their ingredients if they contain one or more ingredients that have been proven effective. If a company wants to market a health supplement that contains one or more known toxins, it is important that it change the ingredients prior to labeling. Otherwise, the company could be held liable for violating Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, or TCE (tical Activated Tar Contaminants).