Nutritional Supplements – All You Need To Know

Every human being needs nutrition to function properly. I body derives energy from the food and nutrition we give it and so our productivity and ability to go about our day without any problems depends on the kind of nutrition we give it. It is not always possible to derive all the nutrition our body needs through the food we eat and the liquids we consume, thus we need to along with our regular diet, consume nutritional food supplements to give our body all it needs to be healthy and function well. Nutritional Supplements, also known as dietary supplements, is a product that is intended to supplement our daily diet. It usually contains one or more dietary ingredients like vitamins, minerals, herbs, amino acids and other substances or their constituents. It comes in many forms and can be consumed as a pill, capsule, tablet or liquid. Dietary supplements are different from foods and drugs and may not always be classified as one of them. Whether a product is classified as a dietary supplement, food or drug depends on the intention of its use. The classification of a product as a dietary supplement is usually determined by the information that the manufacturer provides on the product label or in the accompanying literature. Different health supplements may claim that their product will diagnose, cure, treat or prevent a disease. However such claims cannot legally be made for dietary supplements. The label of a dietary supplement usually contains one of the three types of claims; a health claim, a nutrient claim or a structure/function claim. A health claim describes the relationship between a dietary supplement ingredient and reducing risk of a disease or health related condition. Nutrient claims talk about the relative amount of dietary substance in their product and a structure or function claim is a statement where the manufacturer tells you how a product may affect the organs or systems of a body and does not mention any specific disease. It is difficult to determine the quality of a dietary supplement product from its label. The degree of quality control depends on the manufacturer, supplier and others involved in the production process. Standardization processes have different meanings in different companies and countries. Therefore the presence of the word ‘standardized’ on the supplement’s label does not necessarily indicate product quality. Nutritional food supplements are not required by federal law to be tested for safety or effectiveness before they are marketed and so the amount of scientific evidence available for various supplement ingredients varies widely. Ingredients like vitami D and calcium are known to help increase the strength of bones and reduce bone loss. On the other hand, effects of certain herbal supplements are yet to be understood by scientists. Companies like Hexagon Nutrition have spent years and invested huge amounts in research and development. They have taken time to fully understand the effects nutrients have on our body and the ideal amount of nutrients required by it at every age. Thus they have been able to release products of the highest quality that are safe and effective.