10 things Indians must know before they buy Dietary Supplements

Eating a variety of healthy foods is the best way to get the nutrients you need. However, due to the fact that some people don’t get enough vitamins and minerals from their daily diet, and their doctors may recommend a supplement.

Dietary supplements may provide nutrients that might be missing from your daily diet. They can also boost immunity. People take such supplements to ensure they obtain an adequate amount of essential nutrients to maintain or enhance their health. 

But not everyone needs to take supplements. Supplements can be useful for filling in gaps in your diet, but they are not alternatives to whole food.

Here are a few things to keep in mind before purchasing them.

There’s little evidence that any supplement can reverse the course of any chronic disease, and they shouldn’t be taken with that expectation. 

They usually prevent the onset of diseases. But unlike medicines, supplements can not claim to cure or treat a disease.

There are various ways by which supplements can enhance human health. Some of the most popular nutrients included in them include minerals and vitamins.

Supplements have the potential to produce certain side effects if taken in combination with over the counter or prescription drugs. 

Additionally, some demographics such as pregnant women and children might prove to be sensitive to such supplements. It is advised to discuss with a dietary professional before starting the consumption of supplements.

Supplements should be used with caution as some of them have mild effects- Vitamin K, for example, will reduce the ability of blood thinners to work. Ginkgo can increase blood thinning. 

The herb St. John’s wort is commonly used to ease depression, anxiety, or nerve pain, but it also can speed the breakdown of the many drugs—such as antidepressants and contraception pills—and make them less effective.

For vitamins and minerals, it is vital to check the % Daily Value (DV) and the upper limit for each nutrient to make sure you’re not getting too much. Too much of certain supplements may cause a detrimental impact rather than beneficial.

It’s essential to check clinical studies and to research before consuming any supplements to confirm their effects. 

One recent study found unexpected evidence about vitamin E. A research conducted earlier suggested that men who took vitamin E supplements might be at a lower risk of developing prostate cancer. 

Later on, a large NIH-funded clinical trial of more than 29,000 men found that taking supplements of vitamin E actually increased instead of decreasing their risk of this disease.

Check the science

Make sure any claim about a dietary supplement is based on concrete scientific evidence. The company producing the dietary supplement should be able to provide you with information with regards to the safety and/or effectiveness of the ingredients in a product, which you can then discuss with your doctor. 

Look for brands that can offer personalized solutions.

Buy wisely

Choose brands that your doctor, dietitian, or pharmacist recommend. Don’t buy dietary supplements with ingredients you don’t need. Don’t assume that more is better. Choose quality over quantity.

Deciding whether or not you need to take any dietary supplements is a matter that needs to be thought about carefully due to the significant changes it can cause to your health in the long run. 

It is crucial to be informed about the plausible benefits and risks (if any) a supplement may pose to your health. It is important to discuss which product is best with your personal health care providers before deciding to consume any.

Go For Natural & Customised Solutions

Since the nutritional requirement of each individual is different, Bhookha Haathi also provides subscription-based, personalized health solutions at an affordable cost to consumers who wish to substitute or replace their dependencies on expensive, strong, processed, and chemical-based products. Its offerings are 100% natural compositions based on dried fruits, nuts, herbs, spices, seeds, grains, and honey, among other whole and natural ingredients.

Written by: Jahnabee Adhikari
Jahnabee is a part-time blogger, full-time dog lover. She believes that writing actually possesses the potential to change the world. She can be often found fantasizing about poetry or buried nose-deep in a Sudha Murthy novel.