Dietary Supplements And Nutraceuticals

Question 1

How must dietary supplements be administered?

Answer 1

A dietary supplement must also be intended for ingestion in the form of a tablet, capsule, powder, soft gel or gelcap, but is considered neither a drug nor a food

Question 2

What is a nutraceutical?

Answer 2

A product produced from foods but sold in pills, powders, and other medical forms not generally associated with food

Question 3

What is a functional food?

Answer 3

Foods that have component(s) incorporated to give a specific medical or physiological benefit, other than purely nutritional benefit
“..similar in appearance to conventional foods, but consumed as part of a usual diet”

Question 4

What is alternative medicine?

Answer 4

Alternative medicine includes all the approaches and techniques that until the past few years were not taught in medical schools and residencies

Question 5

How can dietary supplements be divided?

Answer 5

Vitamins
Minerals
Amino acids
Plant derivatives
Animal derivatives
Thyroid derivatives

Question 6

How can plant derivatives be further divided?

Answer 6

Botanicals

Herbs

Question 7

How can animal derivatives be further divided?

Answer 7

Animal parts and animal types

Question 8

What are the different dosage forms of dietary supplements and nutraceuticals?

Answer 8

Water extracts
Hydroalcoholic extracts
Glycerites
Solid dosage forms
Topical preparations
Injectables (not currently available in North America)

Question 9

How are water extracts prepared?

Answer 9

They are prepared from crude bulk botanical herbs

Question 10

How can water extracts be further divided?

Answer 10

Infusions

Decoctions

Question 11

How are infusions prepared?

Answer 11

Infusions, also known as teas, are prepared by pouring boiling water over the herb and letting it steep

Question 12

How are decoctions prepared?

Answer 12

Decoctions are normally prepared by boiling the herb directly in the water and letting it simmer, and then straining to remove the bulk plant material. These are good for plant roots and barks that need softening before the active ingredients can be released.

Question 13

Why are hydroalcoholic extracts made?

Answer 13

They are made when the active ingredients are water-insoluble or when a concentrated liquid dosage form is desired

Question 14

How are hydroalcoholic extracts made?

Answer 14

They use concentrated alcohol in varying proportions with water as solvents for extraction process

Question 15

How can hydroalcoholic extracts be subdivided?

Answer 15

Tinctures
Fluid extracts
If needed, these can be further condensed in volume to obtain pastes

Question 16

What are glycerites?

Answer 16

Glycerin-extracted preparations that are also alcohol free

Question 17

Why are glycerites made?

Answer 17

They are useful in pediatric preparations (due to sweet taste) and for those who require sugar-free products

Question 18

What are the advantages of solid dosage forms (tablets and capsules)?

Answer 18

Preparation stability
Large-scale manufacturing capability
Availability of versatile excipients and additives

Question 19

What are the roles of topical preparations?

Answer 19

Used for cosmetic purposes or topical skin conditions

Question 20

What is the main concern for quality control of dietary supplements and nutraceuticals?

Answer 20

Whether or not the correct ingredient is used

Question 21

What are the different factors that can affect the potency of various compounds?

Answer 21

Species variety
Growing conditions (geographical and soil differences, differences in sunlight, temperature, rainfall)
Harvest time
Drying/storage/handling/processing procedures

Question 22

What is standardization?

Answer 22

The process by which all batches of a dietary supplement produced by a single manufacturer contain the same amount of active ingredient(s)

Question 23

What information should a pharmacist collect from a patient?

Answer 23

Drug use history, including both prescription and OTC medications
Dietary use history, including vitamins, minerals, nutraceuticals and herbs
Drug allergy history
Reasons for taking supplements and nutraceuticals

Question 24

After evaluating the patient information and health conditions, what could pharmacists address patients about?

Answer 24

Inadequate regulations for quality, safety or efficacy of the supplements
Differences in preparations from various manufacturers
Insufficient reporting of adverse events

Question 25

When searching for information online regarding dietary supplements and nutraceuticals, what are some important aspects to observe?

Answer 25

The owner and funding sponsor of the website (Government? Manufacturer? Consumers?)
The date of the last updates
Supports and references to the information
Coverage completeness of the information (indication, MOA, contraindications, adverse effects, drug interactions an address for questions and comments)

Question 26

What are dietary supplements?

Answer 26

1. A product (other than tobacco) intended to supplement the diet that bears or contains one or more of the following dietary ingredients, including vitamins, minerals, amino acids, herbs, or other botanicals
2. A dietary substance for use to supplement the diet by increasing the total dietary intake
3. A concentrate, metabolite, constituent, extract or combination of any ingredient described above