Dietary Supplements — Can they be Dangerous?
Dietary supplements refer to any health items which can supplement the diet of ours. They include vitamins, minerals, amino acids, digestive enzymes, Probiotics, herbal supplements, glandular extracts in addition to dietary fibers etc.
The use of dietary supplements is rising each year. Although a lot of folks think that dietary supplements can improve their health or stop certain diseases, some consumer groups or medical professionals have warned that dietary supplements might be dangerous. And so, the question is: are nutritional supplements truly dangerous? Regrettably, the question does not have a simple answer.
Dietary supplements, by its broad definition, include thousands of various products. In 2004, Consumer Reports listed twelve potentially risky nutritional supplements. Most of them are herbal products. Several of these herbs were used by herbalists for a huge selection of years and are considered as secure. But, when the established substances in these herbs are extracted in pure or concentrated type and consumed over extended time, they’re able to be dangerous to a lot of people.
Many dietary supplements such as vitamins and minerals are secure and can supplement what’s missing in the diet of ours. Nevertheless, including the benign supplement could become dangerous in overdose. In news which is local, a girl was reported to offer her 2 teenage daughters mega dose of vitamin A for extended time, alpilean complaints — www.northdeltareporter.com — thinking the supplement is good for the eyes. Both suffered from acute liver failure and one demanded a liver transplant to save the life of her. Vitamin A isn’t harmful but mega dose of vitamin A is hepatotoxic. In this instance, ignorance itself is dangerous!
The quality of dietary supplement is also a crucial factor. The presence of contaminations, such as heavy metal, drugs, and toxic substances can make a benign supplement risky. A good example will be the presence of microcystin toxin in blue green algae dietary supplements. Microcystins are natural toxins from particular strains of blue green algae that can cause liver damage as well as liver tumors. Based on the research conducted by Health Canada, only one strain of blue green algae, Spirulina, is clear of microcystins as Spirulina is harvested from controlled ponds. The majority of the non Spirulina blue green algae health supplements are contaminated by microcystins, especially those harvested from natural lakes. Daily intake of these dietary supplements would go beyond the acceptable quality of microcystin intake started by Health Canada and WHO.
Good manufacturing practice (GMP) is one other critical factor to safeguard the quality and safety of dietary supplements. Nutritional supplement manufacturers in conformity of GMP requirements have to test the identity of raw materials, implement a quality control unit, offer expiration date for the finished products, keep very good records of batch generation and written procedures, and hire personnel who are trained to comprehend as well as follow GMP. This practice can decrease the chance of getting batch to batch variation for power, composition, quality and virginity of finished products.
To sum up, even thought the majority of nutritional supplements are safe when ingested in accordance with the label, consumers are encouraged to educate themselves prior to taking these supplements. What exactly are the features of these supplements? How many years should I be using them? Can they be manufactured by reputable organizations in compliance of good manufacturing practices? Never eat in excess of the suggested dose unless supervised by healthcare professionals. If you are pregnant, breast feeding, or maybe suffering from pre-existing health issues, you must also take extra precaution and talk to your doctors or nutritionists.