Food supplements are nutrient concentrates that can be taken in dosed form – such as tablets, capsules or powder – in addition to the general diet. They serve to optimally supply the metabolism with nutrients and active ingredients such as vitamins or minerals and fiber, but may not fulfill any therapeutic benefit.
What are dietary supplements?
Food supplements are used to optimally supply the metabolism with nutrients and active ingredients such as vitamins or minerals and fiber, but they must not fulfill any therapeutic benefit. Legally, dietary supplements are classified as foodstuffs and thus in Germany fall under the regulations of the German Food and Feed Code (Lebensmittel- und Futtergesetzbuch, LFGB); the permitted minerals and vitamins are listed in the Food Supplements Ordinance (Nahrungsergänzungsmittelverordnung). However, due to their nutritional effect, certain food supplements also have the properties of medicinal products. According to the Food Supplements Ordinance, however, the ingredients may only have food-specific raw materials as defined in the LFGB. Nevertheless, many manufacturers try to sell products as dietary supplements, which must actually be legally assigned to medicinal products.
Medical and health use
The ingredients of dietary supplements can fulfill an important benefit for the human metabolism; however, it is difficult to make concrete statements about their effectiveness, since the substances have different effects on individuals. For certain groups of people who have increased nutrient requirements, dietary supplements can certainly be useful if the general diet does not provide sufficient nutrients and therefore the energy supply must be supported. An undersupply of nutrients and vitamins leads to a reduced activity of hormones and enzymes, which then results in fatigue, exhaustion and lack of energy, for example, and a resulting reduction in performance. This is especially true for pregnant women, children and adolescents, senior citizens, chronically ill people or competitive athletes. Depending on the phase of life or the physical strain and the related energy consumption, they need more vitamins and nutrients; in some cases this can even be twice the normal requirement. Despite a balanced diet, it can often be difficult in everyday practice to meet these increased requirements, so in this case dietary supplements can be useful. In the case of seniors, there is also the fact that general nutrient intake is often limited by the use of medications, and dietary supplements should therefore be taken in addition to the general diet.
Herbal, natural and chemical dietary supplements.
In dietary supplements can be found a wide variety of substances that are essential for the organism. In addition to vitamins, these are, for example, fiber, minerals, trace elements or fat and amino acids. They are usually taken in concentrated form as tablets or capsules, sometimes also as powders. In these, either individual active ingredients are offered as a mono-preparation, but often also different ones in a combination preparation, so that a combined intake is possible without a multitude of different products. Since they are classified as foodstuffs, they are freely available on the market, but must be labeled with information on the recommended daily intake. For the development of the effect, dietary supplements are usually to be taken over a longer period of time; in the case of a constant undersupply of nutrients, they should be taken permanently.
Risks and side effects
However, there are risks and side effects to consider when taking dietary supplements. If a balanced diet already covers the need for nutrients, additional intake of supplementary means leads to an overdose, which can have adverse effects on health. Exceeding the recommended maximum amount of certain active substances leads, for example, to kidney stones and drop in blood pressure (calcium), slowing of heartbeat and restriction of kidney function (magnesium), bone decalcification (vitamin D). The danger of overdosing on food supplements should therefore not be underestimated, so they should not be taken carelessly.
