By: Carey Howard
Submitted: 2010-05-17 04:27:28 | Word Count: 609
Dietary supplements visit any health products that may supplement our diet. They include vitamins, minerals, amino acids, digestive enzymes, Probiotics, herbal supplements, glandular extracts and dietary fibers etc.
The consumption of dietary supplements has been rising each year. Whereas many people believe that dietary supplements will improve their health or forestall bound diseases, some consumer groups or medical professionals have warned that dietary supplements can be dangerous. Thus, the query is: are dietary supplements extremely dangerous? Unfortunately, the query does not have a easy answer.
Dietary supplements, by its broad definition, embody thousands of various products. In 2004, Shopper Reports listed 12 probably dangerous dietary supplements. Many of them are herbal products. Some of these herbs are used by herbalists for lots of years and are thought-about as safe. But, when the active substances in these herbs are extracted in pure or targeted kind and consumed over prolonged period, they will be dangerous to some people.
Many dietary supplements such as vitamins and minerals are safe and can supplement what's missing in our diet. But, even the benign supplement can become dangerous in overdose. In native news, a lady was reported to administer her two teenage daughters mega dose of vitamin A for prolonged amount, thinking that the supplement is good for the eyes. Both suffered from acute liver failure and one needed a liver transplant to save lots of her life. Vitamin A isn't dangerous however mega dose of vitamin A is hepatotoxic. During this case, ignorance itself is dangerous!
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The quality of dietary supplement is also an important factor. The presence of contaminations, like significant metal, medication, and toxic substances will create a benign supplement dangerous. One example is the presence of microcystin toxin in blue green algae dietary supplements. Microcystins are natural toxins from sure strains of blue inexperienced algae that may cause liver damage and liver tumors. Consistent with the analysis conducted by Health Canada, only one strain of blue inexperienced algae, Spirulina, is free from microcystins as Spirulina is harvested from controlled ponds. Most of the non-Spirulina blue inexperienced algae supplements are contaminated by microcystins, especially those harvested from natural lakes. Daily consumption of these dietary supplements would exceed the appropriate level of microcystin intake established by Health Canada and WHO.
Good producing apply (GMP) is another key issue to safeguard the quality and safety of dietary supplements. Dietary supplement manufacturers in compliance of GMP standards have to check the identity of raw materials, implement a top quality control unit, offer expiration date for the finished product, maintain good records of batch production and written procedures, and hire personnel who are trained to understand and follow GMP. This observe can scale back the chance of having batch to batch variation in strength, composition, purity and quality of finished products.
To add up, although most dietary supplements are safe when consumed in keeping with the label, customers are advised to educate themselves before taking these supplements. What are the functions of these supplements? How long ought to I be taking them? Are they manufactured by reputable corporations in compliance of excellent manufacturing practices? Never consume additional than the counseled dose unless supervised by health care professionals. If you are pregnant, breast feeding, or affected by pre-existing health conditions, you should additionally take extra precaution and consult along with your doctors or nutritionists.
Author Resource:-
Carey Howard has been writing articles online for nearly 2 years now. Not only does this author specialize in Supplements, you can also check out his latest website about:
