Dietary supplements are a necessary component of prevention and health promotion

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Dietary Supplements
Image Source: Evonik Health Care

The key to good health is proper nutrition and an active lifestyle. But the rhythm of modern people does not allow us to adhere to these rules. Farmers add nitrates when growing vegetables and fruits, the environment is changing, and fast food has already become a typical snack. At some point, the human body fails and needs help. If we get sick, the doctor prescribes medicines for us. And if we need to strengthen our immunity in order to prevent diseases, then dietary supplements will help here.

What supplements are there?

Dietary supplements are a concentrated food product needed to supplement the normal diet. They contain proteins, amino acids, vitamins, oils, minerals and other substances and mixtures of these substances that are beneficial for nutrition and well-being.

Taking into account the target orientation, dietary supplements are divided into three groups:

  • Nutraceuticals are used to correct the chemical composition of food. These are products that use one or more ingredients derived from plants or other organic compounds: carotenoids, omega-3.6, calcium, iron, zinc, amino acids, mono- and disaccharides. The use of nutraceuticals is necessary to prevent chronic diseases, improve health, delay the aging process, and support body functions and systems.
  • Parapharmaceuticals are used for prevention, additional therapy and support for the functional activity of organs and body systems. These include organic acids, caffeine, bioflavonoids, and some polysaccharides. Parapharmaceuticals are most often a source of natural food components that allow you to gently regulate the functions of individual organs and body systems.
  • Probiotics are a group of living microorganisms and the products they produce that affect the digestive process. These include bifidobacteria, lactic acid bacteria, yeast, some types of bacilli and E. coli. Probiotics restore the disturbed balance of microorganisms in the gastrointestinal tract, eliminate dysbiosis and dysbacteriosis, and produce some vitamins: K, biotin, niacin, folic acid.

What are dietary supplements made of?

Specialists who have private label manufacturing produce dietary supplements for their customers in capsules, tablets, lozenges or in packaging containing a small amount of the product, such as powders, a bottle with a dispenser. The composition of dietary supplements includes only natural ingredients, such as vitamins, minerals, nutrients and substances of physiological action.

Vitamins are essential micronutrients. They do not provide energy, but are vital for the normal functioning of the body. Vitamins are divided into water-soluble (B1, B2, B6, B12, niacin, folate, C) and fat-soluble (A, E, K, D).

Minerals are biologically important components of inorganic origin. In small amounts, they ensure the normal functioning of muscles, nerves, maintain the strength of teeth and bones, and play a role in the production of red blood cells. Minerals include calcium, magnesium, potassium, chlorine, fluorine, sodium, phosphorus.

Nutrients are components of food products that are absorbed by the human body. These include proteins, fats, carbohydrates and amino acids. Proteins provide growth, construction and development of the body. Fats are necessary for the body as a source of energy, participate in the processes of growth and regulation of vital activity. Carbohydrates are the main source of energy, perform the protective function of antibodies, and are part of many hormones. Amino acids make up all the tissues of the human body, they are necessary for the formation of muscles, tendons, ligaments, skin and hair.

Substances of physiological action are plant extracts, yeast spores, lactic acid bacteria. Phytoextracts affect the condition of the skin, hair, relieve inflammation and irritation in the body. Yeast and lactic acid bacteria play a role in maintaining the normal functioning of the digestive tract.

What are the benefits of dietary supplements?

Ideally, a person should receive all the vitamins and minerals necessary for the body with food. But this is only if the food is varied and balanced. Nobody has time for that today. In addition, the body of a person living in a city is exhausted by poor ecology, constant stress and polluted air. One of the benefits of taking dietary supplements is that they allow you to saturate the body with all the necessary nutrients. Biological supplements are taken in addition to the diet, they are safe, not addictive and “overdose” if you follow the instructions for use.

Dietary supplements can help with increased mental and physical stress, with prolonged stressful conditions. And regardless of the load, our body needs additional help in the autumn-spring period. To get the maximum benefit from supplements, you need to take them in courses, in which you must take breaks.

How dietary supplements are made

The production of dietary supplements is a complex and responsible process that should be handled by professionals. Even in the case of private label manufacturing, supplements are produced exclusively by companies that have special permission and know how to manufacture. The entire technological process of manufacturing dietary supplements is divided into several stages:

1. Procurement and testing of raw materials. Upon receipt of the production of raw materials are rigorously tested. The physical properties, the absence of bacteria, the effectiveness and the presence of impurities are checked. Low-quality ingredients are rejected and returned back to the supplier;

2. Raw materials that have passed the test are sent for further processing. After preparation, they can be cleaned, crushed, screened, filtered, granulated, dried.

3. All ingredients are mixed according to a pre-developed recipe;

4. The product is being prepared for packaging;

5. The product is packed in blisters, cans, sachets, labeled and transported to warehouses, and then to points of sale.

Conclusion

Today dietary supplements are popular all over the world. Their benefit lies in the fact that they help to fill the deficiency of trace elements in the body. Dietary supplements are divided into three groups: nutraceuticals, parapharmaceuticals and probiotics. This is not the same as drugs. Dietary supplements differ from medicines in that they provide the replenishment of missing useful vitamins, minerals and other nutrients, the composition contains an indefinite set of useful substances and a lower concentration. When choosing supplements, pay attention to the manufacturer’s reputation, ingredients, absorption rate, and intake warnings. Dietary supplements will help protect the body from toxins and prevent beriberi.