Just What Are Supplements?

« Essential Vitamin Supplements   |   Top Ten Vitamin Rich Fruits »

Many people find it confusing to understand exactly what is meant when someone refers to a supplement.  Often people think of diet supplements to be weight loss pills, where in fact, it refers to any form of one or more ingredients that supplements a person’s ordinary diet intake.

According to the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, the definition of a  dietary supplement  (other than tobacco)is  as follows:

• is intended to supplement the diet
• contains one or more dietary ingredients (including vitamins; minerals; herbs or other botanicals; amino acids; and other substances) or their constituents
• is intended to be taken by mouth as a pill, capsule, tablet, or liquid
• is labeled on the front panel as being a dietary supplement

Even though dietary supplements are regulated by the FDA in the classification of foods, they are regulated differently from other foods and from drugs. Whether a product is classified as a dietary supplement, conventional food, or drug is based on its intended use. Most often, classification as a dietary supplement is determined by the information that the manufacturer provides on the product label or in accompanying literature, although many food and dietary supplement product labels do not include this information.The types of claims that can be made on the labels of dietary supplements and drugs differ. Drug manufacturers may claim that their product will diagnose, cure, mitigate, treat, or prevent a disease. Such claims may not legally be made for dietary supplements.The label of a dietary supplement or food product may contain one of three types of claims:

• health claim
• nutrient content claim
• structure/function claim