Correct Use of Supplements

Food supplements are defined as products used to support a person’s diet and containing nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, amino acids, plants or herbal dietary components. The use of food supplements is widespread due to successful sales strategies, advertisements and the internet. The production of food supplements is similar to that of tablets and capsules. The main steps in production are recipe creation, mixing, grinding, granulation, drying, final mixing, tablet making, tablet pressing, coating and encapsulation. Fruits and vegetables, plants, microorganisms and raw materials of animal origin are used in the production of food supplements. Since the beneficial features of foods on human health (antioxidants, nutritional fiber, and so on) are well known, the use of food supplements is on the rise. The most common problems observed in food supplements are contamination, additives, toxicity, wrong dose and wrong labeling. In addition to the side effects caused by drug interactions, poisonings related to these products have been observed in our country and in the world recently. It is known that food supplements should be considered as medicines, but when consumed correctly, they positively affect people’s health.

Suggestions for the healthy use of food supplements are given below;
1. First of all, it should be determined which products are food supplements and which products are health-related products and attention should be paid to labeling
2. Plant extracts and products derived from them should be standardized.
3. Herbal food supplements should not be considered to be natural and harmless and therefore have no side effects.
4. Apart from the documents provided for food supplements, methods should be developed to facilitate the effective tracking of products.
5. It should be stated on the labels that the consumer should not exceed the maximum daily amount, that is, it should be taken in appropriate doses. Excessive consumption of vitamins and minerals can cause toxic effects.
6. It should be stated that food supplements cannot be replaced with meals (daily meals) and the product should be kept away from young children.
7. If you are using any medication, food supplements should not be used without consulting a doctor. They may have negative consequences such as reducing the effectiveness of the drug or causing side effects.
8. Dieters should use supplements if they have insufficient dietary food intake, have increased requirements in special cases, or have a nutrient intake that is below minimum levels.