Dietary Supplements

By Amanda Davies, FreeDietReviews.com

Most people, nowadays, need dietary supplements in order to augment their diets and the U.S. Congress has defined these dietary supplements in the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 as products that contain vitamins, minerals, amino acids, herbs or other botanicals, and enzymes, glandulars, organ tissues, and metabolites. All these are supposed to be taken orally with the prime objective of augmenting the diet. These are also known as nutritional supplements, which could also be in the form of extracts or concentrates. Dietary supplements can be taken as tablets, softgels, capsules, liquids, gelcaps and even powders. The Act is very specific about putting proper labels on the dietary supplements and it prohibits their sale as replacements for conventional foods or as a complete meal in itself.

On October 25, 1994, President Clinton signed into law the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA, Public Law 103-417, which is an amendment to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act "to establish standards with respect to dietary supplements..." The basic reason for this new law was to make a new regulatory framework so that the dietary supplements are labeled properly and are safe for use. Before the enactment of this law, the same regulatory requirements were applicable to dietary supplements as were for other foods.

DSHEA has now made it mandatory for manufacturers to include the words "dietary supplement" on product labels and as such it is now easy to find a supplement. Moreover, labels of most dietary supplements need to have a "Supplement Facts" panel from March, 1999.

Although there is still no cure for Arthritis, many alternative medicines are providing much-needed pain relief and Glucosamine is also being tried by many people for this purpose by adding it to their diets. There are many reports of success in achieving pain relief by the addition of Glucosamine but it is necessary that your doctor should be informed of any such instance of adding a supplement or using alternative medicine for getting arthritis pain relief. Magnet therapy has also brought pain relief for many people.

Dietary supplements come in many forms and are available widely through grocery stores, health food stores, pharmacies, and even by mail. A multivitamin/mineral tablet or capsule has always been the most favorite dietary supplement in the United States, being available in pharmacies by prescription or “over the counter.” In the past, herbal-based supplements were not very commonly available but nowadays, the spectrum of dietary supplements has widened considerably with the availability of vitamins, minerals, other nutrients, and botanical supplements along with ingredients and extracts of animal and plant origin.

Dietary supplements are now permitted by DSHEA to bear the following information (statements of support) that (a) profess to have a benefit pertaining to classical nutrient deficiency disease; (b) enumerate the effects of ingredients on the structure or function of the human body; (c) show the way how ingredients work to maintain structure or function; and (d) describe how the intake of the ingredients is beneficial for the general well-being.

Although it has not yet been clearly proved how dietary supplements benefit our health, an increasingly large number of people worldwide are using these supplements. However, the regulation regarding use of these products is not controlled as tightly as that of drugs.

Dietary supplements are commonly sold through health food stores but they are also available from grocery, drug and national discount chain stores. TV programs, mail-order catalogs, the Internet and direct sales are also involved in selling these products.

The aspects of safety, manufacturing and product information, such as claims, in a product's labeling, package inserts, and accompanying literature are overseen by FDA. The advertising of dietary supplements is under the regulatory authority of The Federal Trade Commission.