Dietary Supplements And Nutraceuticals Flashcards
How must dietary supplements be administered?
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
What is a nutraceutical?
A product produced from foods but sold in pills, powders, and other medical forms not generally associated with food
What is a functional food?
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”
What is alternative medicine?
Alternative medicine includes all the approaches and techniques that until the past few years were not taught in medical schools and residencies
How can dietary supplements be divided?
Vitamins Minerals Amino acids Plant derivatives Animal derivatives Thyroid derivatives
How can plant derivatives be further divided?
Botanicals
Herbs
How can animal derivatives be further divided?
Animal parts and animal types
What are the different dosage forms of dietary supplements and nutraceuticals?
Water extracts Hydroalcoholic extracts Glycerites Solid dosage forms Topical preparations Injectables (not currently available in North America)
How are water extracts prepared?
They are prepared from crude bulk botanical herbs
How can water extracts be further divided?
Infusions
Decoctions
How are infusions prepared?
Infusions, also known as teas, are prepared by pouring boiling water over the herb and letting it steep
How are decoctions prepared?
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.
Why are hydroalcoholic extracts made?
They are made when the active ingredients are water-insoluble or when a concentrated liquid dosage form is desired
How are hydroalcoholic extracts made?
They use concentrated alcohol in varying proportions with water as solvents for extraction process
How can hydroalcoholic extracts be subdivided?
Tinctures
Fluid extracts
If needed, these can be further condensed in volume to obtain pastes
What are glycerites?
Glycerin-extracted preparations that are also alcohol free
Why are glycerites made?
They are useful in pediatric preparations (due to sweet taste) and for those who require sugar-free products
What are the advantages of solid dosage forms (tablets and capsules)?
Preparation stability
Large-scale manufacturing capability
Availability of versatile excipients and additives
What are the roles of topical preparations?
Used for cosmetic purposes or topical skin conditions
What is the main concern for quality control of dietary supplements and nutraceuticals?
Whether or not the correct ingredient is used
What are the different factors that can affect the potency of various compounds?
Species variety
Growing conditions (geographical and soil differences, differences in sunlight, temperature, rainfall)
Harvest time
Drying/storage/handling/processing procedures
What is standardization?
The process by which all batches of a dietary supplement produced by a single manufacturer contain the same amount of active ingredient(s)
What information should a pharmacist collect from a patient?
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
After evaluating the patient information and health conditions, what could pharmacists address patients about?
Inadequate regulations for quality, safety or efficacy of the supplements
Differences in preparations from various manufacturers
Insufficient reporting of adverse events
When searching for information online regarding dietary supplements and nutraceuticals, what are some important aspects to observe?
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)
What are dietary supplements?
- 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
- A dietary substance for use to supplement the diet by increasing the total dietary intake
- A concentrate, metabolite, constituent, extract or combination of any ingredient described above
