Dietary supplements

Question 1

What is a dietary supplement?

Answer 1

Product, natural or artificial, intended to supplement the diet by providing additional nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes, herbs and other substances that may be missing/insuffcient in a person’s diet

Question 2

Advantages of dietary supplement

Answer 2

1. Offers added insurance that individuals are meeting the daily recommended vitamins and minerals needed by the body, especially for those who have specific dietary restrictions or deficiencies like vitamin D, calcium, iron
2. Useful for use in underdeveloped countries where children and babies don’t receive sufficient nourishment from food
3. Improved muscular strength, endurance, and overall physical performance –> commonly taken by athletes to improve their performance
4. Some used in combination with drugs for complementary or alternative treatment for health conditions
5. Prevent a variety of diseases and health conditions:
   * Pregnant women: folic acid to prevent birth defects. 400microgram/day to prevent spina bifida in babies

• Teens and young women: daily vitamin D supplement of 10 micrograms –> regulates amount of calcium in body which helps keep bones and teeth strong and healthy

Question 3

Disadvantages of dietary supplement

Answer 3

1. Expensive: planning and preparing healthy, nutritious meals is usually less costly than purchasing a quality supplement
2. Adverse side effects: excess vitamin A can cause liver damage, reduced bone strength, headaches and birth defects
3. Increase the risk of mega dosing
4. Mixing certain vitamins and minerals together can interfere with absorption: interact with medications or other supplements, leading to adverse effects. E.g. vitamin K can interfere with blood thinning medications
5. Less healthy than food, e.g. while B-complex supplements provide many nutrients present in whole grains and legumes, they do not provide valuable amounts of protein and fibre present in these foods

Question 4

Certain vitamins and minerals side effects when over consumed

Answer 4

• Fat soluble vitamins can accumulate in fat tissue
• Excess iron, magnesium, selenium, or zinc –> cause digestive problems
• too much calcium –> kidney stone formation
• high manganese intake –> neurotoxicity