nutritional supplements Flashcards
what are some types of dietary supplements?
- vitamins and minerals
- unofficial vitamins and minerals
- natural oils
- natural substances (getting around needing a licence)
- enzymes
- amino acids / derivatives
- food supplements
- slimming products
what are unofficial vitamins and minerals?
no evidence to show the body needs it, or the person needs more of it
why’re dietary supplements not needed to be controlled under the medicines act?
as they are classified as foods, so only the food law applies
what can’t you do if you do not have a MHRA license?
you cannot make medicinal claim or relate treatment to a disease.
vit A, C, E and selenium: is there evidence for a decrease in mortality?
although they have antioxidant effects, there is no evidence that it decreases mortality rate.
high doses of vitamin B6 can lead to what?
neuropathy (damage to nerves outside brain and spinal cord)
why do some supplements have an upper dose limit?
not enough research into levels of toxicity caused by doses
why can’t vitamin A be taken by pregnant women?
detrimental effects to the foetus:
teratogenic
vitamin A recommended dose?
not safe upper limit fro vitamin A.
acute toxicity with one dose, higher toxicity with higher doses.
vitamin A is taken for bone health, why s the ironic?
in post menopausal women, taking a dose of vitamin A can increase ht chance of hip fractures which is the opposite of what they take the vitamin for>
what does the Co-enzyme Q10 supplements and why is it put into skin creams?
it is an unofficial vitamin.
protects cells from ageing by preserving mitochondrial function.
this maintains ATP production. (the body’s spark plug’)
why does oral Co-enzyme Q10 not have an effect
no evidence that taking it orally will have any effect, as won’t get to the mitochondria.
what is Choline (CDP-choline) used to treat?
liver disease, dementia, pregnancy, body building as it is required for synthesis of acetylcholine.
why do some people need to take oral amino acid supplements?
people can be lacking in amino acids (amino acids of animal origin)
people can lack the enzyme to convert or absorb the amino acid.
why do you do the heel prink test on babies to see if they have PKU build up?
baby’s brain development is impaired.
specialised diet needed so need to reduce protein intake and take amino acids as a supplement.
why do vegetarians especially have to take amino acid supplements?
you need to have the some amino acids from the diet as we can’t make all the ones we need.
if you are vegetarian, you need to have a good mix of proteins in you r diet to get all the amino acids you are missing.
what is creatine and what is it used for?
it is a non essential Amino acid.
it is a short term energy supply in your skeletal muscle.
you can then maintain your energy for a longer time.
what is a potential negative effects of probiotics?
could improve colon growth but could increase colon cancer growth
probiotic, effect on your colon?
maintain a healthy level and growth of colonic bacteria. if you have pathogenic bacteria in your colon, if would cause an infection.
what is the role of Benecol, Flora proactive etc?
help reduced plasma cholesterol
absorbed actively from GI tract.
the stand ester prevent the cholesterol from being absorbed
however consumed cholesterol doesn’t really have a huge effect on the plasma cholesterol levels.
have to consume a lot of benevolent to have an effect.
what is the effect of taking fish oils?
can reduce risk of cardiovascular disease.includes omega 3.
good evidence for reduce of CVD.
who needs dietary supplements?
most at risk and people that can’t absorb due to disease. (could be due to drug interactions, age, diet or disease)
