Journal of Nutraceuticals and Health

Dietary supplements

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Supplements are substances taken to meet essential nutrient gaps that can be missing in a person's diet. Supplements come in the form of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and plant extracts. Supplements can substitute nutrients, assist the immune system, and deal with certain disorders such as osteoporosis or anemia. Examples of commonly taken supplements are Vitamin D, calcium, and omega-3 fatty acids. Although supplements enhance health, they ought to augment an adequate diet instead of whole foods.

A dietary supplement is a manufactured substance that is meant to be taken as a pill, capsule, tablet, powder, or liquid to complement a person's diet.  Nutrients from food sources or synthetic sources (to boost the amount of nutrients consumed) can be found in supplements. Supplemental nutrient compounds fall into the following classes: vitamins, minerals, fiber, fatty acids, and amino acids. Plant pigments and polyphenols are examples of compounds included in dietary supplements that are not considered nutrients in the traditional sense because they have not been proven to be necessary for living. Supplement ingredients can also come from animals, like collagen from fish or chickens.

A vitamin is an organic substance that the body needs in trace amounts as a critical nutrient. A vitamin is an organic chemical compound (or related group of chemicals) that must be received through diet since the body is unable to produce it in sufficient amounts. The phrase depends on the specific creature as well as the situation. Since vitamin D is produced in the skin, it is not a necessary supplement for those who receive enough UV radiation exposure from the sun or artificial sources. Humans need thirteen vitamins, the majority of which are actually "vitamers"—groups of related molecules (for example, vitamin K contains vitamins K1 and K2, while vitamin E contains tocopherols and tocotrienols). Thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), vitamin B6, biotin (B7), folate (B9), as well as vitamins A, C, D, E, and K are on the list. Signs and symptoms of vitamin insufficiency may arise from vitamin intake that is below recommended levels. There is minimal proof that taking vitamins as a dietary supplement helps those who are healthy and eat a diet that is sufficient in nutrients.

Meal replacement and medical food items can contain dietary supplements, although they are governed and labeled differently than supplements. Medical foods are nutritionally complete and intended to be consumed while a patient is being treated by a doctor or other qualified healthcare provider. There are conventional and high-protein varieties of liquid medical food products.