The ABCs of Supplements

Dietary supplements are used by individuals for various reasons including good health, management of nutrient deficiencies, sports performance enhancement or other indirect benefits to support high intensity exercises, to manipulation of physique, to help with recovery from injury, to alleviate muscle pain and to enhance mood. However, not all supplements are shown to achieve what it claims to help with.

There is an abundance of information on dietary supplements found in advertising and on the internet. Most of the claims found on the internet about these supplements are not backed by science. Many of which are unrealistic and even impossible. Even if they state that they use journals to support their claims, most are inappropriately extrapolated. Claims that the manufacturers make are apparently difficult to regulate. As the supplements is not regulated and tested for safety, retailers have the enormous freedom in making marketing claims.

Nutrition Plan X uses scientific studies to help you sieve out whether there is scientific evidence in the benefits that the supplements claim to have. It is important for you to understand the basics before diving into the specific dietary supplements.

Dietary supplement is "A food, food component, nutrient or non-food compound that is purposefully ingested in addition to the habitually consumed diet with the aim of achieving a specific health and/or performance benefit" ~IOC consensus statement~

The different forms of supplements

There are various forms of supplements available in the market. They include:

Functional Foods

Formulated Foods and Sports Foods

Single nutrients and other single components from food or herbal products

Multi- ingredient products containing various combinations of nutrients and components from food or herbal products

How should supplements be used?

Supplements should be:

• used only during certain situations,

• assessed for its effectiveness and safety

• monitored in terms of dosage

• whether there may be a problem with the combination of supplements consumed.

Not every supplement is safe to consume. There are safety concerns such as the presence of stated ingredients or hidden ingredients that are toxic and prohibited. There was a report that showed that out of the 634 supplements tested that were found globally, 94 supplements contained anabolic steroids which can cause a positive result on a drug test. None of these supplements gave any indication that they contained steroids compounds. The possible supplement contamination and the risk of taking a mislabeled supplement may cause a threat to your health in the long run.

Situations of use

All supplements target a range of situations and scenarios for them to be used. So, there are different approaches to assessing their effectiveness and potency.

Scenarios include:

Deficiencies that are medically diagnosed by the Doctors

Times where it is impractical for you to consume food to meet your nutrition goals

Times where you are unable to replenish fluid & electrolytes losses

Common Side effects of Supplements

They vary according to the type of supplements and occur especially when used outside the optimal protocol. Side effects may also occur when you are consuming other supplements at the same time as the benefits of other supplements may counteract with each other.

For example:

1. Iron supplements without prescription

Taking supplements when you have adequate iron stores can result in symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain. It can develop to haemochromatosis and liver failure.

2. Supplementing Caffeine on your own

When you excessively take caffeine, you might experience nausea, anxiety, fast heart rate and insomnia which outweighs the benefits. There is a report that very large doses of caffeine can be fatal. This was caused by miscalculation of the dosage of caffeine.

Think carefully whether you should use dietary supplements and whether the possible benefits outweigh the risks of side effects.

Key Points

• Dietary Supplements can play a small role in your nutrition plan

• Only a few supplements have proven benefits.

• It will take considerable effort and expert knowledge to identify what is appropriate and how to incorporate them into your nutrition plan. Book a slot with us for a consult. We provide credible, evidence-based information regarding the appropriateness, efficacy and dosage for the use of supplements.

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