It is
not always possible to derive all the nutrition our body needs through
the food we eat and the liquids we consume, thus we need to along with
our regular diet, consume nutritional food supplements to give our body
all it needs to be healthy and function well.
Nutritional Supplements,
also known as dietary supplements, is a product that is intended to
supplement our daily diet. It usually contains one or more dietary
ingredients like vitamins, minerals, herbs, amino acids and other
substances or their constituents. It comes in many forms and can be
consumed as a pill, capsule, tablet or liquid. Dietary supplements are
different from foods and drugs and may not always be classified as one
of them. Whether a product is classified as a dietary supplement, food
or drug depends on the intention of its use. The classification of a
product as a dietary supplement is usually determined by the information
that the manufacturer provides on the product label or in the
accompanying literature. Different health supplements may claim that
their product will diagnose, cure, treat or prevent a disease. However
such claims cannot legally be made for dietary supplements. The label of
a dietary supplement usually contains one of the three types of claims;
a health claim, a nutrient claim or a structure/function claim. A
health claim describes the relationship between a dietary supplement
ingredient and reducing risk of a disease or health related condition.
Nutrient claims talk about the relative amount of dietary substance in
their product and a structure or function claim is a statement where the
manufacturer tells you how a product may affect the organs or systems
of a body and does not mention any specific disease. It is difficult to
determine the quality of a dietary supplement product from its label.
The degree of quality control depends on the manufacturer, supplier and
others involved in the production process. Standardization processes
have different meanings in different companies and countries. Therefore
the presence of the word standardized on the supplements label does
not necessarily indicate product quality.
Nutritional food supplements are not required by
federal law to be tested for safety or effectiveness before they are
marketed and so the amount of scientific evidence available for various
supplement ingredients varies widely. Ingredients like vitamin D and
calcium are known to help increase the strength of bones and reduce bone
loss. On the other hand, effects of certain herbal supplements are yet
to be understood by scientists. Companies like Hexagon Nutrition
have spent years and invested huge amounts in research and development.
They have taken time to fully understand the effects nutrients have on
our body and the ideal amount of nutrients required by it at every age.
Thus they have been able to release products of the highest quality that
are safe and effective.