Supplements in practice Flashcards
What are the three classifications of supplements and who are they regulated by
- licensed medicines:
the Medicines and healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) licenses medicines used in the UK.
Food supplements are covered by food laws.
DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS ARE CONSIDERED SAFE UNTIL PROVEN OTHERWISE
- Unlicensed preparations
The DoH has responsibility for national and EU legislation of food supps in England. Local trading standards monitors and enforces. Anything pharmacologically active sent to MHRA for assessment - Herbal products.
Regulated by the Traditional Herbal Medicines (THM) directive, administered by the MHRA.
What are you not allowed to claim on a supplement label
No claims that it can prevent, treat or cure human disease
No reference to rate or amount of weight loss
no recommendations of dr or health professional
No health claims on alcohol
Can’t claim that health could be affected by NOT consuming the food.
Animal based supplements - what body must approve them
The European Commission
What checks are carried out on animal based supplements
where the animal was caught, farmed, manufactured, handled, extracted and packaged.
Contaminants (heavy metals etc) must be within acceptable EU levels.
What are the regulations on GM food in supplements
Ingredients from GM organisms are only permitted in supplements if authorised under a Regulation on GM food and feed. - Must declare the presence of GM materials on teh label
What is the name of the minimum standard that a medicines manufacturer must meet in its production processes
Good Manufacturing Process (GMP)
To meet “Good Manufacturing Practice”, what standards must medicines meet
- be of consistent high quality
- appropriate to their intended use
- meet the requirements of teh marketing authorisation (MA) or product spec
Unlike Australian or American companies, supplement companies in the UK do not have to be GMP approved (Good manufacturing practice). What does it mean to be GMP compliant
companies are required to manufacture with ‘due dilligence’ and can be GMP compliant
How can manufacturing processes affect the quality of supplements and provide 2 examples
Fish and omega plant oils need to be COLD pressed to minimise oxidation.
Whey protein needs to be specially filtered to remove lactose, hormones etc
What is “overage”
extra ingredients added to the supplements so the amount left at the end of its shelf life still meets the label claim
Name 4 different types of supplement forms and why that type might be preferable, and any drawbacks
tablets - cheap, easy to produce in large quantities. Generally contain more excipients
capsules - fewer excipients but not efficient for large dose
powders - good fo bigger doses, eg glutamine
liquids - excellent absorption but more expensive and less stable. Fish oils need antioxidant such as vit E added to prevent odxidation
enteric - Excipient (eg shellac or cellulose) used to ensure tablets surive stomach acid and don’t release until the SI.
spore form - enables Probiotics to survive the stomach and reactivate in the SI
chewable
slow release - cheaper slow release tables contain hydrogenated fats to to hold the tablet together for longe
Liposomal - protective phospholipid bilayer protects the active ingredients - high bioavailability and absorption, increased uptake into target cells, easier to take, suitable for water and fat soluble nutrients.
Why are liposomal supplements so effective
they have a protective phospholipid bilayer protecting the active ingredients.
high bioavailability and absorption, increased uptake into target cells, easier to take, suitable for water and fat soluble nutrients
Liposomal vit C is significantly higher absorption rate.
Provide examples of why excipients are used in supplements
The therapeutically active component of a supp can be as low as 2% of the total content.
- Excipients and fillers are the glue which bind and stabilise and keep nutrients active
Provide examples of what excipients might be
- capsule shells - made from gelatine or plant cellulose
- Flow agents - help formulation flow through machinery. Avoid Mg Stearate
- Binding agents - bind to make tablet
Fillers - esp when only small amount of nutrient needed
natural fillers
Emulsifiers - to mix oily and watery ingredients
Flavours - avoid MSG
Colours - beetroot
Sweeteners - glycerine
Preservatives - Vit E
Provide examples of which nutrients are absorbed in the :
Duodenum
Jejunum
Ileum
Duodenum: Ca, Se, Mg, Ch, Fe, Mn, Zn
Jejunum: Bs, biotoin, Vit C, Choine, Ca, Mg
Ileum: B12
How should water soluble vitamins be taken (b/c)
with food.
Why should Bs not be taken in the evening and with what exception
B6 can be taken in the evening as it stimulates melatonin synthesis
Bs can trigger insomnia
How should fat soluble nutrients be taken (adek and CoQ10) and what guidance should be given for EFAs
with food containing fat
EFAs - don’t take with high amounts of opposing fat.
How should amino acids be taken, specifically protein shakes
Ideally with Carb food/drink or on empty stomach
Protein shakes - any time of day. Good fo post surgery or after extreme exercise. Takes 30 mins to reach muscle after ingestion.
What does the absorption of amino acids depend upon
transit time through gut
stomach acid
proteolytic enzymes
etc
How should minerals be taken
When should Mg and Ca be taken
with food as adequate stomach acid is needed
Mg and Ca - in evening to aid sleep
When working out dosage of supplements, what factors should be taken into consideration
age of client (higher dose with increasing age)
Digestive capability (constipated?)
State of health (for optimum health or disease)
Therapeutic dose
Dietary deficiency or insufficiency
Lab test results
Safe therapeutic range (age group of client)
What does the “elemental” amount of a mineral mean when stated on a supplement label
the amount of mineral available for absorption when it has been freed from its carrier molecule. This is the amount USED by the body.
Just how “natural” are supposed natural supplements
10%+ must be natural
May contain synthetic nutrients
can involve synthetic nutrients being biochemically incorporated into yeast or algae
what is drawback of creating a supplement from a natural source
although they may have better efficacy, they are generally not available in higher doses
What is a food cultured supplement
Nutrient supplements that are often grown in yeast or algae.
culturing makes nutrients that are more bioavailable.
Natural vs synthetic supplementation - which is best. Use vit C as example
It depends on the client and the reason for supplementing.
Natural have better bowel tolerance and retained longer in the body. With VIt C it’s good to build collagen. But if using it for detox, then ascorbic acid will be rapidly excreted taking free rads with it.
When are high quality clean synthetic supplements recommended
Food-state supplements may not be enough to supply the optimal dosage for someone with high nutritional requirements - eg chronic health condition/poor diet/lifestyle
Sensitivities to foods or fillers
As a naturopath - what is our philosophy on using supplements
Use formuations that have a scientific but holisitic approach
Use phytonutrient rich food combined with vits, minerals, enzymes, co enzymes or amino acids
Avoid preservatives, colourants, fillers, binding agents, GMO and irridated products
Mineral supplement - what dose of macro minerals is required and what might cause a mineral imbalance in the body
macro minerals require an intake of over 100mg/day
Imbalances are usually caused by overloads from supps, not food sources
Mineral carriers:
organic acid salts
- where are they found
- are they more or less effectively absorbed than inorganic salts
- name 3
found in living organisms
The bond between a mineral and organic acid is generally weak - therefore more effectively absorbed than inorganic salts.
Citrate
malate
ascorbate
gluconate
picolinate
aspartate
succinate
orotate
fumarate
Mineral carriers:
inorganic salts
- what are they important for the balancing of
- are they more or less effectively absorbed than inorganic salts
- what adverse effects are they likely to have
- name 3
Important for the balancing of electrolytes
less effectively absorbed than organic acid salts
Adverse effects on the GIT
Oxide
sulphates
chloride
phosphates
nitrates
carbonates
What are the best form of mineral carriers for absorption
amino acid chelates - specific minerals chelate best with specific amino acids
What minerals are picolinate carriers best for
superior carrier for chromium, zinc, manganese
High absorption in gut giving high serum levels
What three mineral carriers are used in the krebs cycle so can be used by the body
citrates
malates
fumarate
Why are citrates recommended as a mineral carrier
more bioavailable - the positive acidic form requires less stomach acid to break bonds and free the mineral for absorption
Why are citrate mineral carriers helpful for post-menopausal women/elserly/stressed
Low stomach acid is often present in these groups resulting in absorption problems if a strong inorganic supp is used.
Ca Citrate is 2.5 times better than calcium carbonate with doses of 500mg in post menopausal women.
Name three minerals bound to citric acid/citrates
Ca2+, Mg2+, Zn2+
What is a chelator
a substance that binds tightly to mineral atoms and forces the mineral to go wherever the chelator goes.
Makes it more readily absorbed by the body
What is a mineral acid chelate
chelator + mineral atom = chelate
What are the advantages of using amino acid chelates
bypass competitive absorption that can occur between different minerals (amino acids disguise) - absorbed as a protein instead of a mineral.
Body treats it as a peptide and is efficient at absorbing amino acids
Extends length of absorption sites to large portion of SI
Most minerals are available in chelated form - what chelates do they typically use and provide examples of minerals that are available in chelated form
amino acid or organic acid chelates
Mg, Ca, Zn, Cu, K,
Provide 3 examples of minerals bound to amino acid chelates
Aspartic acid - zinc aspartate, Mg aspartate
Methionine - Cu methionine, Zn…
Lysine - Ca lysinate
Glycine - Mg glycinate
Provide 3 examples of minerals bound to organic acids
Acetic acid - Zn acetate, Ca acetate
Citric acid - Mg citrate
Orotic acid - Mg orotate
Gluconic acid - Fe gluconate
Fumaric acid - Fe fumarate
Picolinic acid - Chromium picolinate
What are the possible drawbacks of amino acid chelates
the complexes might be too tightly bonded and minerals may not be released if cellular energy is poor, eg chronic fatigue
Amino acid chelate complexes often too large for capsules so dosage can be too low - it’s beneficial to combine with other forms of minerals
Quality and price limitations as expensive
What does “dl” in front of a supplement mean
it’s synthetic
why should orotates be used with caution
they bypass the normal regulatory controls and therefore may be easy to absorb too much
Who are citrates good for
those with low levels of stomach acid - eg post menopausal, the elderly, high stress
It requires less stomach acid