Alexandru West 
Millions of people worldwide take dietary supplements every day, including vitamins, minerals, probiotics, herbs and amino acids. These dietary aids come in the form of tablets, capsules, gummies, powders drinks or bars – something to be considered before purchasing these dietary products.
Help your students evaluate claims made for dietary supplements and make informed decisions regarding their use with this curriculum, designed to engage and pique student curiosity.
Vitamins
Vitamins are organic compounds produced in our bodies and used by it for various metabolic processes. Supplementing with vitamins can provide an extra boost for healthful living or help to fill nutritional gaps in our diets.
Most individuals can get all of the vitamins they require from eating a balanced diet of whole foods; however, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, those who consume excessive alcohol consumption or people with specific dietary restrictions may require supplements for additional nutrients.
Some individuals take multivitamin-minerals while others supplement with individual nutrients in various forms (pills, powders and drinks). When shopping for supplements it’s a good idea to consult a healthcare professional for advice. When buying USP Verified supplements ensure they have been independently tested by an independent lab to guarantee what was advertised on their packaging – taking fat-soluble vitamins like folate and beta carotene at the same time every day can increase effectiveness further.
Minerals
Minerals are solid substances found naturally, with specific chemical structures. They may consist of one element (like gold or copper) or multiple elements combined together; there are thousands of minerals on Earth and they can be identified by their hardness, hardness lustre diaphaneity colour streak tenacity fracture parting magnetism fluorescence radioactivity etc.
The term “mineral” is used to differentiate natural substances from their synthetic equivalents created in laboratories; for instance, cubic zirconium does not qualify as a mineral as it was artificially manufactured. Human bodies require small amounts of minerals in small doses in order to function, with most important ones such as potassium, chlorine, sodium, calcium phosphorus magnesium iron zinc selenium being essential nutrients identified through Recommended Dietary Allowance or Adequate Intake recommendations; nitrogen also plays a critical role but has its own separate intake recommendation due to being an integral component of proteins.
Herbal Extracts
Herbal extracts are the strongest form of herbal preparation and can be used in numerous ways. Made by soaking herbs in solvent and then evaporating it off, herbal extracts come either capsule, tablet, or powder form and may often be sold as such. They’re often the strongest and most potency form.
Liquid extracts, commonly referred to as tinctures, can often be the easiest and most convenient form of liquid extracts to use. Tinctures typically use alcohol (typically vodka) while non-alcoholic alternatives like Glycerite may provide a viable non-alcoholic alternative.
Numerous factors can alter the spectrum of components extracted from herbal material during the extraction process, and are reflected in its native extract ratio. Although not collected by TGA in product applications, sponsors/manufacturers should take this factor into consideration when considering whether an alternative extract can replace an ingredient nominated in therapeutic product formulation.
Nutraceuticals
As health industry advances continue, we are witnessing an emerging trend that blurs the line between nutrition and medicine: nutraceuticals have quickly become popular for various reasons.
Dietary supplements are any supplemental food products added to one’s diet for extra nutritional benefits beyond what can be provided from eating healthy balanced meals alone. Dietary supplements come in the form of liquid, tablets, capsules soft gel or powders.
Traditional nutraceuticals refer to foods such as fruits, herbs, vegetables that possess extra health benefits beyond their usual nutritional attributes (Garg et al. 2018). Non-traditional nutraceuticals refer to products produced artificially or through other means that do not exist naturally (AlAli et al. 2021). Nutraceutical products can be used for various reasons including relieving stress levels, preventing cardiovascular disease and neurodegeneration as well as improving immunity (Helal et al. 2010).
