You can consider taking supplements to support health. Supplements can help you make sure you have itthe body's need for essential nutrients needed for the body to function properly.
It should be remembered, supplements are not intended as a substitute for drugs or other medical procedures in treating or preventing a disease. Supplements are also not a complete meal replacement. You still need to eat a variety of healthy foods to meet your daily needs. That is, supplements appear to complement or increase your food intake.
More About Supplements
Supplements can be products that contain one or more nutrients, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fatty acids, and fiber. In addition, supplements can also be in the form of natural products in the form of herbs or natural non-plant ingredients, for example those obtained from animals. Supplements are packaged in the form of tablets, caplets, pills, soft capsules, or liquids.
Currently, there are many types of supplements on the market. Multivitamin supplements and non-mineral non-vitamin supplements are two types of supplements that are widely consumed by the public.
Multivitamin Supplements
The term multivitamin refers to supplements that contain three or more vitamins and minerals. The vitamins and minerals contained, have a tolerable dose, so there can be no bad risk to health if consumed according to the rules. Usually, the content in multivitamins is vitamin C, B1, B2, B3, B6, H (biotin), B12, B5 (pantothenate), A, E, D3, K1, potassium iodide, copper, zinc, iron, beta-carotene, calcium, magnesium, chromium, and manganese. This multivitamin supplement does not contain hormones, drugs, or herbs.
Non-vitamin non-mineral supplements (NVNM)
Included in the category of non-vitamin non-mineral supplements (NVNM) are herbs and other non-vitamin supplements. Vitamin supplements, herbal tea drinks, and green tea drinks are not included in the NVNM category. Similar to multivitamin supplements, NVNM supplements are usually packaged in pills, soft capsules, gels, caplets, or in liquid form.
Examples of NVNM supplements include fish oil, probiotics or prebiotics, ginkgo biloba, green tea pills, ginseng, echinacea, garlic supplements, and glucosamine or chondroitin.
Benefits of Supplements
Research has shown that some supplements can support general health. According to various studies, certain health conditions can also be helped along with regular consumption of supplements, namely:
- Fish oil to reduce cardiovascular risk because it contains omega-3 fatty acids such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).
- Chicken essence has the potential to relieve physical fatigue and improve exercise performance, according to research.
- Supplements in the form of soy products to help treat hypercholesterolemia.
- Probiotics for various digestive disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome, diarrheal infections, and ulcerative colitis.
- Ginger to relieve nausea and vomiting in the early semester of pregnancy, post-chemotherapy, and hangover conditions.
The above benefits are being further researched to ensure their effectiveness.
Pay attention to this before taking supplements
So that you can get the benefits of supplements and do not pose a risk to your health in the future, pay attention to the things below before starting to consume these products:
- Avoid taking supplements with the aim of treating certain diseases, especially if you are making the diagnosis yourself. Consult with your doctor first.
- Understand that the effectiveness and safety of supplements is not measured by the term "natural" listed on the packaging, but from the chemical content of the product, how it works in the body, the dose of use, and the manufacturing process.
- Before taking a supplement, make sure that you understand its health benefits for you, the risks it may pose, how to use it, and how long you should use it.
You can take supplements to support health. However, make sure you use it wisely and keep an eye on a healthy diet and balanced with exercise and adequate rest.