Nutrition is critical, but many people do not get enough of the vitamins and minerals they require every day. Thankfully, there are a variety of supplements available for busy people who do not have the time to cook elaborate meals every night after work. However, with the recent flood of supplements available on the market today, it can be difficult to parse through the legitimate, useful supplements and the sugar pills or placebos. Here are the facts on the current state of the science of supplements, as well as tips on how to best utilize them to promote health in every part of your body.
How Are Supplements Regulated?
First, before you start delving into the world of supplements, it is important for you to understand how they are regulated and defined. Supplements, while regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), are not required to undergo the same types of stringent testing as pharmaceutical products. In fact, supplements are classified under their own category, not foods or drugs.
There are five major ways the FDA monitors the world of supplements. The FDA watches how supplements market themselves and prevents them from claiming to prevent or eliminate any particular disease. The FDA also reviews the ingredients involved in the creation of the supplement and classifies them either as generally safe or new. If potentially dangerous ingredients are found, the FDA will either put a warning label on the supplement or will mandate the removal of the ingredient in question.
Additionally, the FDA closely monitors the manufacturing plants that produce the supplements to make sure the plants themselves adhere to certain manufacturing standards. These standards leave a good amount of room for the supplements to market themselves. FDA approval is not required to sell a supplement, and manufacturers can make claims (as long as they are not specific medical claims) on their bottle as long as they note that their statements are not verified and supported by the FDA. In short, while the FDA does what it can to administer a certain kind of quality control to the manufacture of supplements, there is no guarantee about their efficacy, nor about whether you should use them yourself.
Support Your Digestive System with Probiotic Supplements
If you have not been feeling good in general, there are certain types of supplements that may be able to help. For instance, recent scientific research has shown that probiotic supplements can help you deal with gut health issues. Every person has a large amount of bacteria and other organisms (referred to in general as “gut flora”) living inside their gastrointestinal tract. These gut flora help break down and digest foods while supporting immunities and the absorption of good nutrients from food. One of the ways you can help ensure you stay healthy and comfortable is by providing a good home for your gut flora. Probiotics assist the system by adding more of the good bacteria that improve digestion. This, in turn, can reduce painful symptoms you may be experiencing, such as constipation, bloating, and gas.
Other Supplements That May Be Right for You
As with many things, the best way to know whether you should use a particular supplement is to research the ingredients yourself. Read the list of ingredients on the back of the bottle and look into their particular effects (for instance, how melatonin appears to assist sleep). You can look for verified scientific sources to support the claims, then use your own judgment on the supplement itself. Do your research regularly to ensure that you stay up to date on the current understanding surrounding various supplements, as different studies happen all the time and occasionally bring new elements to light.
In general, if you don’t include certain vitamins and nutrients in your diet, you may want to take a supplement to make sure you are getting everything you need. Supplements like vitamin D help support healthy blood, while greens supplements can help you out if you do not eat enough green vegetables. Also, vitamin C is critical for its antioxidant and immunity-boosting abilities. Many diseases and other infirmities can be traced back to a lack of critical minerals and nutrients, such as sulfur, in your diet. By supplementing them, you can help yourself stay healthier and feel better in general.
The world of supplements is vast, and much of it has yet to be charted. However, there is already a good amount of research into certain types of supplements, as well as which types of supplements are the safest for you to consume.
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