Currently, consumers do not experience a shortage of products on store shelves. On the one hand, this is good, but less and less balanced in composition can be found. Due to the use of food additives, our diet has been enriched with various taste sensations, but the content of vitamins, minerals and essential trace elements has sharply decreased.
Now in pharmacy chains you can find a huge number of dietary supplements that are recognized as solving the problem. In this article we will try to figure out what dietary supplements it is.
What are dietary supplements
If you look at it from a medical point of view, they are not mandatory components of nutrition. They are not needed for full life. If a person’s diet is balanced, then he gets everything he needs from the foods he eats.
If there is a deficiency, it is quite possible to change the situation for the better by taking multivitamins, since there are a huge number of them in pharmacies. Then the question arises: dietary supplement - what is it?
Such additives are obtained by extracting from various organic and inorganic complexes. This process is quite lengthy and complex, which requires manufacturers to comply with all production technologies. Since private companies are more often involved in this, it is sometimes not at all profitable for them to comply with all the rules.
Because of this, situations occur when poorly purified substances get into the tablet or they are not there at all. For complete assimilation, it is necessary to observe a combination of components with each other, and this is often not done. As a result, most doctors confidently claim that dietary supplements are practically useless for the body; it is quite possible to live without them.
It’s good if, instead of a useful tablet, the package contains ordinary chalk or a neutral substance, but there are cases when you even come across combinations that are dangerous to health. So think about it after this, BAD - what is it, benefit or harm to the body.
Composition of dietary supplements
All supplements contain various food components and biologically active substances. Among them are the following:
- Squirrels.
- Fats and fat-like substances.
- Vegetable oils.
- Polyunsaturated fatty acids.
- Triglycerides.
- Carbohydrates.
- Vitamins and microelements.
- Enzymes of plant origin.
- Probiotics.
- Bee products and many others.
Despite the fact that dietary supplements can be purchased at any pharmacy completely freely, without a doctor’s prescription, you should think twice before using them. It is better to consult a doctor to weigh the pros and cons, calculate the dosage and need for use.
Classification of dietary supplements
Since they are most often prescribed for medicinal purposes, their classification is based on this use. There are two classes of dietary supplements:
- Nutraceuticals.
- Parapharmaceuticals.
The first group of drugs is intended to eliminate nutritional deficiencies. This includes all synthetic vitamin preparations, amino acids, and polyunsaturated fatty acids. By taking them, you can normalize the diet of both adults and children.
Parapharmaceuticals, or they are also called bioregulators, affect the body differently. They affect the functioning of organs, increase the body’s resistance to various unfavorable factors of the external and internal environment.
Bioregulators have a more powerful and targeted effect. They are usually prescribed for the prevention of various diseases. But very often it is quite difficult to separate these two classes from each other, since the same drugs can belong to two groups at once.
Historical reference
Traditional medicine has always played a major role in the search for remedies and methods of treating various diseases. At the dawn of human existence, this was a common need, since official medicine did not have such development.
Almost until the mid-19th century, medicine relied on the experience and knowledge of folk recipes that had accumulated over centuries. Information was collected and recorded by famous scientists of antiquity, for example, Hippocrates, Avicenna, Galen and many others.
Despite the widespread use of plant objects for treatment, with the development of the chemical industry, they learned to isolate active substances and produce medicines based on them. Gradually they began to displace folk recipes. Currently, we continue to observe this process, with a huge number of new drugs being synthesized every year.
It was assumed that it would gradually cease to be used, but the opposite is true. Modern synthetic drugs result in a large number of side effects.
Again, more and more often, we are trying to get rid of our ailments using folk remedies in order to do less harm to our body. Medicine did not wait long and decided to use it. This is how a new generation medicine appeared - dietary supplements. What is it, briefly, it is the official successor of traditional medicine, only in a slightly different guise.
There are many supporters of the idea that it is dietary supplements that can finally cure a person, and not traditional medicine.
Despite the fact that we have not yet fully figured out whether dietary supplements are good or bad, in medicine they are usually recommended to be used in the following cases:
- To quickly fill the deficit of missing substances, for example, vitamins, microelements.
- To reduce caloric intake in order to reduce body weight.
- To satisfy the needs of a sick body for certain substances.
- To increase resistance to adverse environmental factors.
- For preventive purposes to prevent metabolic disorders.
- In order to change metabolism, for example, to speed up the elimination of toxic substances.
- To restore immunity.
- To normalize intestinal microflora.
- To regulate the functioning of the body.
- Many dietary supplements are excellent antioxidants.
Based on this, we can conclude that biological supplements can be prescribed to almost every person; the reason and justification for taking them can always be found.
Principles of using dietary supplements
The use of additives is based on some principles:
- The principle of functionality and consistency. That is, the impact must be complex, since the functioning of organs in the body is directly related to nutrition.
- The principle of phasing. At different stages of the disease, it is advisable to select different supplements. For example, in the first stages it is necessary to urgently eliminate the symptoms of the disease, and at the end of treatment, eliminate the toxic effect of taking medications.
- The principle of adequacy. It is necessary to prescribe dietary supplements, taking into account the nature of the disease and the characteristics of its course.
- Syndromic principle. The prescription of biological additives should be made taking into account those symptoms that are pronounced.
- The principle of optimality. When treating or preventing diseases, the dosage must be selected individually.
- The principle of combination. Dietary supplements can be combined with food and other medications.
Analyzing all the principles, we can say about dietary supplements that this is a substance that must be used in combination with other therapy during illness. It is impossible to cure with supplements alone.
Even though supplements are not a drug, there are some rules for taking them.
- You should start taking it with a small dosage to see how the body reacts, and then you can increase it to the one recommended by your doctor.
- For more effective absorption, biological supplements are best taken with food.
- If a dietary supplement contains calcium, it is better to consume it half an hour before or after meals, so as not to affect the acidity of gastric juice.
- If a dietary supplement is prescribed, it is advisable to take it in the first half of the day so as not to disturb night sleep.
- Dietary supplements containing live microorganisms must be stored in the refrigerator and used between meals.
- You should not take more than the dose prescribed by the doctor or the one recommended on the package.
- You cannot take several types of dietary supplements at the same time.
- Biological additives are stored in a dark and dry place. Do not refrigerate unless otherwise specified in the storage instructions.
We considered the question: “Dietary supplement - what is it and how to use it?” Now it is necessary to study the pitfalls of taking such drugs.
Danger and harm of dietary supplements
It is already known that dietary supplements are obtained through a complex technological process; one tablet can contain a whole orange, but its cost will be several times more expensive than fresh fruit. Trying to help their body, some take supplements in large dosages, but all the excess is still excreted, which means our money goes down the toilet.
Here are just some of the dangers that lie in wait when using dietary supplements:
The benefits of dietary supplements
Dietary supplements cannot be taken as medicine; they are a common food additive. Although using it with natural ingredients that our body needs can be beneficial. Taking this into account, it can be noted that dietary supplements can prevent the development of many diseases or assist in their complex treatment.
- For the prevention of certain diseases.
- Replenishment of vitamins and minerals.
- Strengthening the immune system.
- In the complex treatment of chronic diseases.
Differences between dietary supplements and medications
If you ask a pharmacist: “Dietary supplement, what does this mean?”, then most likely he will answer you that these are substances of plant and animal origin, that is, completely natural. There are some features of supplements that distinguish them from medications:
- The active substance is contained in small doses.
- Milder effect on the body.
- Non-toxic.
- The body tolerates them more easily.
- Very rarely cause complications or give side effects.
- Can relieve the toxic effects of drugs.
- Do not accumulate in the body.
After studying this information, you already doubt that dietary supplements are harmful.
You shouldn’t believe everything that is shown and advertised on television, everyone’s body is different, and the reaction to taking dietary supplements can be unpredictable. Take care of your health, lead a healthy lifestyle, and then you definitely won’t need biological supplements.
There is a lot of talk about the miraculous results of treatment with dietary supplements or so-called dietary supplements. But there are many other opinions when the habit of drinking dietary supplements does not bring any benefit. Some people rely on supplements as a miracle cure, but when they don't get the results they want, they are often disappointed. So is it possible to take dietary supplements? Are there any benefits from dietary supplements or only harm?
We all know the dependence of our well-being on the food entering the body, on the water we drink, on the beneficial substances that enter our body, nourish us with strength, and increase our vitality. Unfortunately, food cannot provide all the beneficial substances and vitamins the body requires; we do not always eat right, so many try to fill the missing amount with vitamins and dietary supplements (dietary supplements).
Is it possible to take dietary supplements?
Dietary supplements help the human body cope with minor ailments without medications, slow down the aging process of the body, reduce the risk of developing colds, increase performance, increase the physical endurance of the body, and activate the body’s protective functions from the negative influence of the external environment. At the same time, their positive, neutral and negative effects on the body of each person are difficult to determine independently, which is why many disputes arise about the benefits and harms of dietary supplements.
When did dietary supplements appear?
In the very form in which we are accustomed to drinking them (in tablets), dietary supplements appeared at the end of the last century, when many nations began to develop health programs for the residents of their countries. Working on programs to improve the nation's health, scientists became convinced that even residents of economically developed countries, who receive a varied diet and a large amount of vitamins and minerals, suffer from a deficiency of the same vitamins and minerals.
The main task and benefit of dietary supplements was the need to fortify and mineralize food and increase its nutritional value for humans.
What kinds of dietary supplements are there?
Pharmacies offer dietary supplements in various forms. These are tablets, capsules, powders, tinctures, balms, syrups, gels... Natural or identical to natural substances in small volumes (dietary supplements) can be drunk, added to food, creams, balms, etc. Dietary supplements may include extracts of plants, herbs, minerals, dietary fiber, bee products, seafood, algae, probiotics, yeast and other substances.
In Russia, all dietary supplements are divided into 2 large types:
- Nutraceuticals- serve as an additional source of nutrients and vitamins, acids, minerals and similar substances beneficial to the body.
- Parapharmaceuticals- serve to prevent certain diseases. They can be taken along with medications for the complex treatment of various diseases. These substances can lower blood cholesterol levels, stabilize the human nervous system, etc.
Dietary supplements are not a cure, but a disease prevention!
When using dietary supplements, be aware that they are not medicines and do not require special certification; they have not undergone special tests like medicines, although they can be purchased in pharmacies. They do not cure, they are a means of preventing diseases! They can compensate for the lack of nutrients and minerals that the human body receives through food, which is very important during increased nervous and physical stress, as well as when you are recovering from an illness.
Before taking dietary supplements, you must consult a doctor
Be sure to see your doctor before taking an advertised dietary supplement! This needs to be done so that you can be sure that the supplement is really high quality and worth taking, and also to make sure that “in your case” there will be no harm to the body after taking the supplement.
By watching the following video by Vladimir Dadali, professor of the St. Petersburg Medical Academy, you will learn the scientific opinion of biochemist specialists regarding dietary supplements and mineral complexes.
How to take dietary supplements?
Doctors usually prescribe supplements in courses of 3 months, after which they take a break for a month, then take the course again. But each drug has its own course of administration, so before use you need to carefully read the instructions and follow the average daily dose.
If after taking dietary supplements you feel worse, stop taking it immediately and visit your doctor again.
How not to make a mistake when choosing dietary supplements?
In order to purchase and profitably use a truly useful dietary supplement, and not a fake, you should follow the following rules:
- You should only buy dietary supplements in pharmacies or specialized stores!
- If you still decide to purchase dietary supplements from online distributors, show the drug and information about it to your doctor before you start taking them.
- Find out the name of the manufacturer of the drug you need, try to find out as much information about it as possible.
- Never buy dietary supplements that are said to cure all diseases. It is not true!
- If you have chronic diseases, dietary supplements will not cure them.
- Try not to buy supplements that contain a lot of ingredients and contain exotic plants.
- Do not chase expensive dietary supplements - you can buy them at the pharmacy for 80 rubles.
- Do not forget that dietary supplements have contraindications, so be sure to carefully read the instructions before use!
Expert opinion on the use of dietary supplements. Why did I decide to write this article? Ordinary people have very different opinions on this issue.
I recently watched a morning television program in which a well-known nutritionist warned everyone about the dangers that lie in the use of dietary supplements (dietary supplements). Since I have many years of experience in receiving dietary supplement courses, I decided to look on the Internet for reviews on the use of dietary supplements, not only of those who are “deceived,” as this nutritionist says, but also of people who can confirm or deny the usefulness of using food additives for the body, since they are specialists in medicine.
On the pages of medical forums on the Internet, there are different opinions about taking natural dietary supplements of vitamins and minerals. These are mainly reviews of the use of dietary supplements by networkers from various companies with laudatory speeches about their products and those for whom the dietary supplements actually helped. Negative reviews often say not that such food additives did not help or caused harm, but that many are bothered by the importunity of distributors of various companies promoting their products.
“What are dietary supplements? "and how they affect the body. We discussed this in detail in one of the previous articles on the site. Now, if you are interested in the opinion of medical specialists about the real impact of dietary supplements on the body and whether you should take them, I suggest reading excerpts from interviews taken from various media sources.
Expert opinion on the use of dietary supplements
I often listen to webinars and read articles by a gastroenterologist O. Bazyleva . She is a member of the National Association of Nutritionists and Dietetics of Russia. I found her opinion on dietary supplements very convincing:
“Our body is a unique self-healing, self-regulating system. And there are many examples of this when a person recovers completely after surgery or after an injury in a fairly short period of time. But the human body is affected by a number of harmful factors. This is the environment, and stress, and unhealthy unhealthy diet - they wound our body like a knife.
There is a unique system for using biologically active food additives. And thanks to the properties of these substances, we can cleanse the body, provide the necessary nutrition and protect it. Thanks to this, the entire system begins to work more harmoniously, and as a result, many diseases go away. And the most important thing is that we influence not the consequence, not the symptoms, but the cause of this or that developing process.”.
Here's what O. Bazyleva says about the negative reviews of her medical colleagues about the use of dietary supplements:
“Now that a good evidence base has been accumulated, when there is rich clinical experience and very good results from the use of dietary supplements, we can say that they occupy a worthy place in modern medicine. And in this situation, the statements of some doctors who are not specialists in the field of nutrition (the study of nutrition) regarding the unimportance and ineffectiveness of using dietary supplements look very strange. And it is especially dangerous to have such an opinion in the field of children's health. A properly balanced diet with sufficient vitamins and microelements is extremely important for a child’s body. And it is now impossible to achieve this without the use of natural food additives.”
V.V. Tutelyan – Director of the Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, professor, academician of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences
“Regular use of dietary supplements is the best thing a person can do for their health today. Most of the world's leading scientists believe that today an ideal, effective and completely safe way has been found to maintain your health and remain as beautiful and attractive as you were at 20 years old.
What are dietary supplements? These are concentrates of natural food and biologically active substances isolated from raw materials of animal, marine, mineral origin, food or medicinal plants or concentrate, obtained by chemical synthesis, but which are completely identical to their natural counterparts and retain their properties. These substances, which the human body is not able to synthesize itself, must be supplied to our body daily with food..
If this does not happen, then their deficiency develops in the body over time. This always leads to a decrease in the body’s ability to fight harmful environmental factors and deterioration of health, decreased performance, and accelerated aging processes.”
L. Pauling – twice Nobel Prize winner
« The time will come when the doctor will treat not an ulcer, arthritis or hemorrhoids (which is only a consequence), but the root cause - a deficiency of potassium, magnesium, selenium».
Yu.P. Gichev – Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor
“Today, various companies produce many dietary supplements, providing us with all the micronutrients necessary for the body, which we do not receive from food.
As for the side effects of food additives, according to the World Health Organization, it is negligible and measured in hundredths of a percent, while every fifth person gets sick from drug treatment (in Russia up to 40%).
B.P. Sukhanov – Academician of the International Academy of Informatization, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor of the Department of Food Hygiene and Toxicology of the Moscow Medical Academy named after. THEM. Sechenov and the Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences
“Without dietary supplements today, neither a healthy nor a sick person can count on health and well-being. For many centuries, people have been looking for a miraculous panacea - a cure for all diseases. But if a person starts using dietary supplements in time, then it is likely that in a large number of cases he will be able to completely forget about medications for many years.”
V.A. Dadali – Head of the Department of Biology, St. Petersburg Medical Academy named after. THEM. Mechnikova, Doctor of Chemical Sciences, Professor, Academician of the Baltic Pedagogical Academy.
“A dietary supplement is not a medicine, not a means of treating a disease, but a means of eliminating the causes that caused it. Therefore, the healing effect they provide is comparable to the effect of pharmacological agents, and sometimes even exceeds it.
Unfortunately, I have to say that even many doctors, in addition to knowing about calcium, magnesium and potassium and iodine, are not yet very aware of the importance of other microelements. For example, zinc, selenium, boron and others.
Natural dietary supplements, or dietary supplements, were invented in order to compensate for the body's needs for vitamins and microelements.
Dietary supplements cannot replace a nutritious diet
They also cannot cure or prevent disease. And unreasonable intake of them in large doses can even cause harm to the body. What are dietary supplements, how are they useful and harmful?
Food, medicine or vitamin?
Not being medicines, dietary supplements are an intermediate link between them and food products. The official formulation defines them as a combination of natural (or identical) active substances intended to be taken together with food or included in food products.
How does a dietary supplement differ from a medicine?
When developing a drug, pharmacists partially “delegate” to it some of the “responsibilities” of the body’s cells. Most drugs are synthesized chemically. The procedure and duration of taking medications are quite strictly regulated.
Dietary supplements are a “cocktail”, all the ingredients of which are predominantly of natural origin.
The regulation of physiological functions and biochemical reactions is carried out by dietary supplements by eliminating the deficiency of a particular nutrient.
You will learn all the details about the difference between dietary supplements and medications from the video:
An important difference between them and medications is the order of prescription. Many medications eliminate the manifestations of an existing disease in a short period of time. Long-term use of dietary supplements helps to “delay” possible diseases for practically healthy people.
How do dietary supplements differ from vitamins?
If we talk about artificially synthesized vitamin-mineral complexes (VMC), then, being medicines, they contain therapeutic doses of active substances, which, entering the body along with food, play the role of “catalysts” that spur biological processes that support vital energy.
In dietary supplements, active substances are present in doses that do not provide a therapeutic effect.
In addition, supplements are not only VMC, but also liquid concentrates, instant teas, protein shakes and isolates.
What are they needed for?
Before answering the question, are dietary supplements good or bad, let us note the main purpose of their purpose - to add balance to the diet.
Judge for yourself: modern agriculture, despite the depletion of the soil, produces a good harvest, which is provided, to a greater extent, by numerous “feedings”. Depleted soil does not have time to “give” the remaining minerals and other substances to early ripening fruits. The same applies to cattle breeding using numerous compound feeds. The result is that the population is deficient in most nutrients. And the benefit of dietary supplements lies in the ability to eliminate this deficiency.
For more details on why dietary supplements are needed, watch the video:
Subtleties of classification
Depending on the direction of action, the Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences divided dietary supplements into:
- Nutraceuticals. Recommended for people without diseases and people with chronic illnesses as sources of micro- and macroelements, amino acids and proteins, fats, carbohydrates;
- Parapharmaceuticals. They complement drug therapy, support the functionality of individual organs and their systems, and influence metabolic processes;
- Eubiotics or probiotics– sources of living microorganisms useful for maintaining the gastrointestinal tract.
How does it work?
By supplementing food, drugs from each of these groups ensure the health of individual systems or the entire body.
Improvement and “cleansing” of the body
For women, men and children
Are dietary supplements harmful to health?
Despite the many advantages associated with saturating the body with nutritional components, dietary supplements also have their disadvantages. They are subject to certification, which only means the absence of harmful substances. But with unqualified selection, seemingly harmless components of additives can cause harm.
Thus, preparations based on mint threaten miscarriage in a pregnant woman.
The extract of the herb ephedra, which is often present in dietary supplements for weight loss, is close in composition to narcotic substances - it poses a danger for hypertensive patients and people with cardiovascular diseases.
Some dietary supplements for weight loss can cause problems with the heart and blood vessels Taking certain medications based on herbs with estrogen-like effects (licorice, red clover) can cause hormonal imbalance.
Are dietary supplements with vitamin-mineral complexes harmful?
What such dietary supplements will do for the body - harm or benefit - depends on the measure. Excessive doses of drugs with a high content of fat-soluble vitamins (A, E, D and K) inevitably leads to their excessive deposition in the liver.
Excess, for example, beta-carotene, under the influence of cigarette smoke, triggers oxidative processes, the consequences of which can be compared with the harmful effect of smoking two packs of cigarettes per day!
And uncontrollably swallowing “water-soluble” ascorbic acid, instead of increasing immunity, you can get kidney disease.
The main thing that is worth remembering for those who decide to make dietary supplements a component of a healthy lifestyle is that their harm or benefit directly depends on the reliability of the manufacturer. Back in August 2013, Rospotrebnadzor banned the sale of several dozen food additives. Therefore, in order not to fall into the trap of dummies manufacturers, visit the official website of the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare and study the register of dietary supplements that have passed state registration.
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