Understanding Dietary Supplements: Types and Benefits

Dietary supplements are products intended to provide nutrients that may be missing or insufficient in a person's diet. They come in various forms like pills, capsules, and powders.
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Vitamins And Minerals | Nutritional Supplements | Sports Nutrition | Dietary Supplements | Vitamins
Prepared by Lee Cheng, reviewed by Dr. Helena Rodriguez

Dietary Supplement FAQ


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What are dietary supplements?

In addition to vitamins, dietary supplements can contain minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, enzymes, and many other ingredients. Dietary supplements come in a variety of forms, including tablets, capsules, gummies, and powders as well as drinks and energy bars.

What are the benefits of dietary supplements?

Here are some of the purported benefits associated with some popular dietary supplements: Calcium: Increases bone density, prevents fractures among older adults (especially women who have gone through menopause), and prevents preeclampsia during pregnancy Vitamin D: Improves the body’s ability to absorb calcium and preventing osteoporosis

Do you need dietary supplements?

Nutritional supplements are meant to complement a healthy diet, not replace it. If you're in good health and you eat a wide variety of foods, you likely don't need supplements. But sometimes, fortified foods and dietary supplements may help provide one or more nutrients.

What are nutritional supplements & how do they work?

Dietary supplements can also contain substances that have not been confirmed as being essential to life, and so are not nutrients per se, but are marketed as having a beneficial biological effect, such as plant pigments or polyphenols. Animals can also be a source of supplement ingredients, such as collagen from chickens or fish for example.

Where can I find information about dietary supplements?

Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) ODS provides accurate and up-to-date scientific information about dietary supplements. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) NCCIH also has scientific information about dietary supplement ingredients. National Library of Medicine Medline Plus provides trusted health information.

Are dietary supplements a medicine?

They are not medicines and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure diseases. FDA is the federal agency that oversees both supplements and medicines, but FDA regulations for dietary supplements are different from those for prescription or over-the-counter medicines.

Dietary Supplement References

If you want to know more about Dietary Supplement, consider exploring links below:

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