SCI week 7
SCI week 7
Now a days dietary supplements are being used everywhere in the U.S and sweeping the nation as we speak, but are dietary supplements safe? What are the benefits of taking dietary supplements, and what are some of the risks of these supplements? What are the government regulations surrounding dietary supplements, are they for them or against them? Many people use them and they are continuing to grow on the market. Today I will give an example of a health condition and explain how that condition may be managed or treated by dietary supplements; from there I will provide details on dosages and risks for taking these supplements for a condition, from there you can decided if dietary supplements are considered good or bad.
First question “What are dietary supplements?” Many people refer to them as a food replacement, or even a drug. In actuality they are both, they are also a food supplement and a nutrient replacement in the form of a liquid, powder or even a pill. These supplements were made with the intent to replace the body with nutrients that is lacked from a daily diet; these supplements can replace the lack of minerals, vitamins, fiber, fatty acids and amino acids. People who typically take these dietary supplements are women who are pregnant and need additional nutrients for their unborn child, vegetarians who eat plant based foods only and lack the essential amount of protein in their diets, individuals who are lactose intolerant and need addition calcium in their bodies to support strong bones, and other deficiencies that lack nutrients due to loss of vitamins, malnutrition, and eating disorders.
Some of the benefits of consuming dietary supplements are that your body is now replacing the vitamins and minerals that are lost are that were never consumed due to deficiencies that your body has. For instance, if a woman is pregnant and carrying a child she needs a balance of nutrients in her body in order to keep her child alive in the womb, and herself healthy during her pregnancy. With a lack of nutrients such as calcium, her child could be born with many issues such as dense bones in both the mother and child (if the body lacks calcium, the baby then takes calcium from the mother’s bones), pre-eclampsia which is a disorder that causes high blood pressure and kidney failure in the mother, abnormal heart development, and unhealthy nerves and muscles. Just for a baby alone 300mg of calcium is needed, for both a mother and her baby 1200-1500mg of calcium is needed on a daily basis. The dietary supplement that will increase calcium needed would be a prenatal vitamin and if needed a calcium supplement. A prenatal vitamin contains only 150mg of calcium, which then your body will have to rely on the consumption of more through milk and dairy products such as yogurts, cheese, and even additives. Now if additional calcium is needed there are calcium supplements out there in forms of liquids, pills, chewable tablets and powder forms. If you are a pregnant woman who is getting cramps in her legs that is a sign that your body is lacking the calcium needed to carry your child, also a lack of calcium now can cause major health issues in the future such as osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a medical condition found in many middle-aged women that causes bones to be fatigue, weak, and even create bone loss due to the lack of calcium your body has taken in on a day to day basis. However, if additional calcium is needed it is important to consult your Doctor before deciding to intake more calcium than needed; too much intake of calcium can be just as dangerous. Too much calcium in general can lead to kidney and heart problems. When your body consumes more calcium than needed it breaks the compound down through your urine, and it can later cause kidney stones. As for taking a calcium supplement Sabine Rohrmann, a nutritionist and epidemiologist at the University of Zurich did a study on the intake of calcium and the results for supplement intake of calcium show the risk of heart attacks increased by 86%. If you are lactose intolerant or if your body decrease in calcium in general the daily intake of calcium 1000mg, a typical multi-vitamin contains 160mg of calcium, a single supplement vitamin normally contains 250mg not exceeding 600mg, and the healthy amount your body could tolerate on a daily bases is 2500mg. Before taking any supplements be certain it meets government regulations by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). The inspections the food supplement/drug goes through are: