Sometimes we take several dietary supplements at once, because one strengthens immunity, another strengthens the heart, and yet another improves memory or liver function. We buy them more and more often, often unnecessarily. Check what you need to know when choosing dietary supplements.

According to the data of IMS He alth Poland, a company researching the drug market, in 2013 Poles spent PLN 15.2 billion on prescription drugs, while on over-the-counter preparations - PLN 11.2 billion, including 3 billion PLN todietary supplements . The market of the latter products is growing dynamically. Their sales in 2013, compared to 2012, increased by 6%. In Poland, there are approx. 8 thousand. dietary supplements, but as much as 80 percent. of the market are only 753 products. The remaining 20 percent. it's news. Every year there are 3-4 thousand of them. Most of the new preparations disappear quickly, but before this happens, the manufacturer records financial success, especially if the sale was supported by advertising and the product was from a "marketable" category. Most often we reach for vitamin and mineral preparations, supporting the digestive system or those for colds.

Unhe althy supplements are especially harmful to children - explains Dr. Ania

Dietary supplements: easy registration path

The market flooding with dietary supplements is associated with the ease of introducing them to sale. It is enough to inform the Chief Sanitary Inspector of this fact by e-mail, stating the composition of the product, its he alth-promoting effect (you do not need to prove it!) And enclosing a template of the label. Why is it so simple? Because according to EU and Polish legislation, dietary supplements are food (such as bread or cheese), although their form and place of sale are not associated with food. However, before it is introduced to the market, a drug must undergo long and costly clinical trials proving its effectiveness and safety. It is registered by the Office for Registration of Medicinal Products, Medical Devices and Biocidal Products and is subject to thorough control of the Main Pharmaceutical Inspectorate. It takes years to market a drug, and the registration procedure itself is tedious.

Dietary supplements: remember, only the drug heals

Dietary supplements are necessary, but we should be aware of what they are and use them wisely.It is defined as 'a food which complements a normal diet and is a concentrated source of vitamins or minerals or other substances with a nutritional or other physiological effect'. The latter formulation allows for the inclusion of active substances that are not included in our food (e.g. found in valerian or ginkgo extracts) and suggesting the medicinal properties of the preparation to consumers.

Meanwhile, the task of the supplement is to supplement nutrient deficiencies associated with an improper diet in order to maintain he alth. If their deficiency caused the disease, then a drug is needed, not a dietary supplement. Both may contain the same active substance, but the drug contains it in an amount giving a therapeutic effect, which has been confirmed by clinical trials.

Important

Dietary supplements: selling illusions

The hugely popular weight loss products don't work. Note that the manufacturer recommends using them with a low calorie diet and exercise that actually results in weight loss. There is no dietary supplement on the market that would make you slimmer and at the same time would not have any undesirable side effects. The effectiveness of potency remedies is equally illusory. If they restore sexual function, it is a placebo or because they contain substances included in drugs.

Dietary supplements: we blindly believe advertising

It is estimated that dietary supplements are purchased by approx. 30 percent. our society. Women, people with higher and secondary education, residents of large cities, and therefore people aware that he alth is not enough - they also need to be taken care of more often. And the advertisement tells us how to do it - you have to take dietary supplements.

So we buy dietary supplements without thinking about whether they are needed or if we lack nutrients at all, and if so, which ones? We cannot answer this last question. Moreover, half of us are convinced that such preparations, which is often suggested by advertising, alleviate various ailments. And they do not and cannot have healing properties.

Dietary supplements: excess is always bad

It's good that there is a possibility of supplementation with nutrients, because the diet does not always fully cover the needs for all nutrients. Sometimes it is not even able to do it, e.g. the elderly lack vitamin B12 because it is poorly absorbed due to physiological changes in the gastric mucosa. As a population, we may be lackingvitamin D3 in the period from October to April, folic acid (B9), calcium, selenium, potassium. Most Poles are also deficient in omega-3 acids and fiber, and young women sometimes also lack iron. On the other hand, we have vitamins A, C and E in abundance. And they are usually overdosed.

Studies have shown that dietary supplements taken unnecessarily or in too high doses have a negative effect on he alth. An excess of vitamins A, C and E increases the risk of death from all causes by 16%, because it weakens the body's own immunity, an excess of omega-3 fatty acids increases the risk of prostate cancer, and calcium - cardiovascular diseases. Selenium, which we lack as a population, becomes toxic in excess.

Important

Dietary supplements: be careful

  • Do not buy dietary supplements online. Many of them are faked.
  • Consult your doctor if you need the preparation at all.
  • Products from well-known pharmaceutical companies are safer. So, before you buy a supplement, consult a pharmacist.
  • A dietary supplement is technically a food substitute, but because its ingredients are in concentrated form and are not always found in food, they may interact with medications. So inform your doctor what preparations you are taking.

    • An overdose of active substances is caused by taking several dietary supplements with the same ingredients at the same time, as well as the form of the preparation (effervescent drink, jelly beans, lollipops). This phenomenon mainly affects vitamins. There are known cases of exceeding the dose of vitamin A by 2,190 percent, vitamin E by 1,835 percent, and C by 1,886 percent. But it can also apply to minerals - not only because of taking several drugs at once, but also because of too high doses of active substances in a given drug. For example, in various dietary supplements, 100 or even 200 micrograms of selenium have been found in one tablet, and its allowable daily dose is 50 micrograms.

    Dietary supplements: no strict supervision

    We are responsible for what dietary supplements we take and in what amounts. Therefore, we call for common sense, conscious and thoughtful use. Let us remember that there is no strict supervision over them. The Chief Sanitary Inspector carries out only random checks of these products and they are carried out (as in the case of food) primarily in terms of chemical and microbiological contamination and used additives such as dyes, preservatives.

    Research results can be disturbing. They showed, for example, exceeding the permissible doses of arsenic, lead, mercury up to 150 times, the use of dyesharmful to he alth. And yet there are also many counterfeit dietary supplements on the market (especially online). The ingredients declared by the manufacturer are not always in reality. Antibiotics and derivatives of sindenafil, the main component of the famous blue tablet, and therefore the drug, were detected in potency products. Banned sibutramine, an amphetamine derivative, paracetamol, and other, much more dangerous substances were found in weight loss medications. On the other hand, herbal products from Asia contain ingredients that are not known in Europe, so we do not know how they work or whether they are safe at all. So before we buy a dietary supplement, let's think about whether it is needed and whether we made the right choice.

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