Nutritional Products Weight Loss Diet Nutrition Tips Guide

Nutritional Products And Managing Your Diet

By Tracy Kerr-Walshe

Nutritional products come in many forms and varieties and include vitamins, minerals, amino acids, some steroids, the pineal hormone melatonin as well as herbal supplements. They are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, which means the supplement manufacturer is responsible for ensuring that a dietary supplement is safe before it is marketed.

The FDA is responsible for taking action against unsafe nutritional supplements after they reach the market. The Food and Drug Administration regulates dietary supplements as foods, and not as drugs, so they are treated differently than prescription drugs.

Nutritional Products Supplement The Diet

Nutritional supplements are any product that is intended to supplement the diet and contain any of the following dietary ingredients:

A vitamin
A mineral
An herb or other botanical (excluding tobacco)
An amino acid
A dietary substance for use by people to supplement the diet by increasing the total dietary intake, or
A concentrate, metabolite, constituent, extract, or combination of any of the above

Furthermore, it must also conform to the following criteria:

It is intended for ingestion in pill, capsule, tablet, powder or liquid form.
It is not to be represented for use as a conventional food or as the sole item of a meal or diet.
It is labeled as a dietary supplement.
While hormones are not included in the above list, some hormones are labeled as "dietary supplements".

Dangers Of Supplement-Drug Interactions

Be aware that possible dangerous supplement-drug interactions can occur. Nutritional products may be derivatives of a "herbal" or "natural" source, but that information alone does not ensure the product’s safety. Many of these products can produce pharmacological side effects when combined with other drugs.

Investigating potential reactions before using a new medication or nutritional supplement will enable you to review your options and safely benefit from the best of both traditional and alternative remedies. The best way to do that is to seek medical advice from your physician regarding possible interactions.

Dietary supplements are permitted to make structure and/or functional nutritional value claims. These are broad claims that the product can support the structure or function of the body, as in "glucosamine helps support healthy joints", "the hormone melatonin helps establish normal sleep patterns". The FDA must be notified of these claims within 30 days of their first use, and there is a requirement that these claims be substantiated.

Natural Consumption Of Nutritious Food Is Better Than Taking Only Supplements

Before considering taking nutritional products, review your options and keep in mind you may be getting the recommended daily allowances of most vitamins, minerals and herbal supplements through your daily dietary intake already. Consuming a diet that is healthy and nutritious is favorable over supplementation.

Upon further review, if you feel you are not getting the proper nutrition, talk to your doctor or nutritionist about the right nutritional supplements for you. It is highly recommended you thoroughly investigate any type of dietary supplement for its safety, effectiveness and nutritional value before you start a daily regimen.

This Article was about Nutritional Products.

Please Note: All information given on this site is for general information purposes and is not to replace any medical opinion or medical diagnosis given by a qualified medical doctor, a dietitian/nutritional expert or any other medical expert, as individual circumstances may vary. Please see your medical doctor, before any action is taken to alleviate symptoms.

About the Author:
Tracy Kerr-Walshe is an author of articles on nutrition, healthy food, diet and weight loss including Protein Diets, Organic Foods, Healthy Snacks, Effective Weight Loss, Full Body Detox, Juice Fasting.
Keep a lookout for more of her articles coming soon.