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Considering Dietary Supplements? Consider This
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Thousands of dietary supplements such as vitamins, minerals, and other products are available for purchase in local supermarkets, drugstores, and health food stores. But, how do you know whether to take them? Here are several things to consider.
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What are the potential health benefits of this product?
If you do not eat a nutritious variety of foods, some supplements might help you get adequate amounts of essential nutrients. However, supplements cannot take the place of the variety of foods that are important to a healthy diet. Good sources of information on eating well include the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and My Plate .
Scientific evidence shows that some dietary supplements are beneficial for overall health and for managing some health conditions. For example, calcium and vitamin D are important for keeping bones strong and reducing bone loss; folic acid decreases the risk of certain birth defects; and omega-3 fatty acids from fish oils might help some people with heart disease. Other supplements need more study to determine their value. The FDA does not determine whether dietary supplements are effective before they are marketed.
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Does this product have any safety risks?
Many supplements contain active ingredients that can have strong effects on your body. Always be alert to the possibility of unexpected side effects, especially when taking a new product. Supplements are most likely to cause side effects or harm when people take them instead of prescribed medicines or when people take many supplements together. Some supplements can increase the risk of bleeding or, if you take them before surgery, they can affect your response to anesthesia. Dietary supplements can also interact with certain prescription drugs in ways that might cause problems. Here are just a few examples:
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Vitamin K can reduce the ability of the blood thinner Coumadin® to prevent blood from clotting.
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St. John’s wort can speed the breakdown of many drugs (including antidepressants and birth control pills) and thereby reduce these drugs’ effectiveness.
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Antioxidant supplements, such as vitamins C and E, might reduce the effectiveness of some types of cancer chemotherapy.
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How much should I take?
All products labeled as dietary supplements carry a Supplement Facts panel that lists the contents, amount of active ingredients per serving, and other added ingredients (such as fillers, binders, and flavorings). The manufacturer suggests the serving size, but you or your health care provider might decide that a different amount is more appropriate for you.
Keep in mind that some ingredients found in dietary supplements are added to a growing number of foods, including breakfast cereals and beverages. As a result, you may be getting more of these ingredients than you think, and more might not be better. Taking more than you need is always more expensive and can also raise your risk of experiencing side effects. For example, getting too much vitamin A can cause headaches and liver damage, reduce bone strength, and cause birth defects. Excess iron causes nausea and vomiting and may damage the liver and other organs.
Be cautious about taking dietary supplements if you are pregnant or nursing. Also, be careful about giving them (beyond a basic multivitamin/mineral product) to a child. Most dietary supplements have not been well tested for safety in pregnant or nursing women, or in children.
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Talk with Your Health Care Provider
Let your health care providers (including doctors, pharmacists, and dietitians) know which dietary supplements you are taking so that you can discuss what is best for your overall health. Your health care provider can help you determine which supplements, if any, might be appropriate for you.
Keep a record of the supplements you take, just as you should be doing for all of your medicines. Note the specific product name, the dose you take, how often you take it, and the reason why you use each one. You can also bring the products you use with you when you see your health care provider. ODS has developed a free mobile app for consumers called My Dietary Supplements (MyDS)—an easy way to keep track of the vitamins, minerals, herbs, and other products you take.
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The Scoop provides information from the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) on vitamins, minerals, herbs, and other dietary supplement ingredients. The Scoop is not copyrighted and is in the public domain. If you copy or distribute its content, please credit the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements and include the publication title and date. Do not use our information in any way that suggests we endorse any commercial product or service.
We welcome your comments and suggestions for future issues of The Scoop. To contact ODS, go to the Contact Us page of the ODS Web site. Please note that we cannot answer specific medical questions, make referrals, or provide guidance on the use of dietary supplements. Those questions are best answered by a physician or other qualified health care provider who can tell you if dietary supplements are right for you and what effects they could have on your health.
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About ODS
The Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the principal biomedical and behavioral research agency of the United States Government. NIH is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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Contact Us
Office of Dietary Supplements
National Institutes of Health
6100 Executive Blvd., Room 3B01
Bethesda, MD 20892-7517
Email: ods@nih.gov
Web site: http://ods.od.nih.gov
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