Dietary supplements, also known as nutritional health supplements, are used by an increasing number of people every day. The reasons for taking these supplements are numerous: for better health, to enhance performance in a sport, to build muscle, to lose weight, to boost mental performance, to boost energy, to stop or slow the aging process, and the list goes on.
They are the subject of much controversy and debate in many countries, as they are generally not regulated in the same way that prescription drugs are. For that reason, many feel that the nutritional health supplement industry is potentially a very dangerous one. In the United States, the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 spells out the definition of what a dietary supplement is.
According to the act, such a nutritional supplement is a product intended to supplement a natural diet which contains one or more of the following dietary ingredients: a mineral, vitamin, amino acid, or herb and must be as such labeled as a dietary supplement. (more…)
People take nutritional health supplements for numerous reasons. One of the most popular reasons is to slow or stop the aging process. Society today is obsessed with youth and preserving it as much as possible. As a result, the sale of dietary supplements aimed at curbing the aging process has boomed in the past few years. Which nutritional supplements are useful as anti aging agents and how do they work? Read on to find out.
Antioxidants are nutrients that, in general, help to absorb free radicals in the body. These free radicals are thought to cause “aging” and many aging related diseases and conditions, particularly many cancers. Some even go so far as to believe that free radicals play a large role in the actual aging process, causing many of the outward signs of aging such as wrinkles. By increasing your intake of antioxidants, some believe it is possible to significantly slow the aging process and gain protection against aging related cancers and diseases.
Many vitamins such as vitamins A, C, and E are types of antioxidants. However, there are numerous other types of antioxidants, and different antioxidants are needed to absorb the many different types of free radicals that occur in the body. A healthy, well balanced diet can provide many such antioxidants. However, to truly help slow the aging process, many turn to an antioxidant supplement for their health and anti aging needs.
Some other important antioxidants found in health supplements include:
Acai Juice or Acai Berry: This is a powerful antioxidant that has rapidly gained popularity. You can read more about Acai juice benefits here.
Ginkgo Biloba. Ginkgo is one of the most popular nutritional health supplements in the world, and is taken for everything from increased memory and brain power, eyesight, hearing, better circulation throughout the body, and more energy. Ginkgo contains very powerful antioxidants.
Green Tea. An important source of antioxidants thought to help circulation and heart health, Green Tea is also touted as important to your overall well being.
Turmeric, Hawthorn, Red Clover, and Bilberry. These dietary supplements are all contain important antioxidants that promote better circulation and cardiovascular health, digestion and liver health, and eyesight. These supplements also all include various anti aging properties.
Alpha Lipoic Acid or ALA. ALA is one of the most powerful antioxidants, and is crucial to inhibiting the aging process. The nutritional health supplement ALA works in tandem with Vitamin C and Vitamin E to help keep you looking and feeling youthful and healthy.
Vitamins are essential nutrients for all living organisms. Most vitamins, however, cannot be produced naturally in the body in sufficient quantities and, therefore, must be obtained in the diet. Still, most people do not ingest the recommended amounts of vitamins in their regular diet. For these people, nutritional health supplements are an important and vital source of vitamins. Humans require a total of thirteen different vitamins. Vitamins A, D, E, and K are all fat soluble, meaning they are absorbed in the intestinal track with the help of fatty acids or lipids. Vitamin C and the entire group of B Vitamins are water soluble: they are easily dissolved in water.
A long term shortage in your vitamin intake can result in malnourishment, disease, and death. A chronic vitamin deficiency in the body can often lead to avitaminosis, which is any disease caused by a long term vitamin deficiency. For example, up until 1749, many sailors suffered from a disease known as scurvy while they were away at sea. The condition caused bleeding, severe pain, and death, and the cause was unknown. Finally, in 1749, it was discovered that eating citrus fruits would prevent the disease entirely. Scurvy was simply the result of a Vitamin C deficiency. With some vitamins, there is also the danger of an overdose. If you are taking several different vitamin supplements, you should be sure to make sure you are not taking too much of any one vitamin.
Taking vitamin and multivitamin supplements is a great way to maintain or improve your health and nutrition. Still, it is important to choose your supplements very carefully. However, it is also important to understand that a multivitamin alone is not the answer. Nutritional health supplements should be included as part of a well balanced, healthy diet to each maximum benefit for your health.