The United States Food and Drug Administration issued an information bulletin recently which cautions consumers about taking dietary supplements. These include any vitamin, mineral, amino acid, herb, and anything else taken by mouth which contains a dietary ingredient.
People take dietary supplements for medical conditions, if their eating habits restrict the intake of essential vitamins and nutrients, for weight loss, or to boost energy. Others take them to get a good night’s sleep, and postmenopausal women use them to counter a sudden drop in estrogen levels.
But self-diagnosing your health is never a good idea without talking first with your health care professional. Many ingredients have strong biological effects, and such products may not be safe for all people or all conditions. You may be putting yourself at risk.
The supplements may be tablets, capsules, powders, energy bars, and liquids and are available in most stores and on the Internet. They include vitamin and mineral products, herbal supplements, amino acid products which play a major role in metabolism, and enzyme supplements. For example, creatine is marketed as a muscle builder and professional and amateur athletes alike are using it, hoping to increase their strength and performance. It claims to increase muscle power by playing a role in the transfer of energy to help the muscle contract that it increases muscle body mass. But creatine supplementation often causes weight gain that you misinterpret as increase in muscle mass, as creatine may have caused water retention and not increased muscle. This retention of water may be connected to muscle cramps, dehydration, and heat intolerance when taking creatine supplements and drinking plenty of water is necessary for creatine users. Further research is needed to investigate these and other possible side effects before you begin to use it.
Another popular use of supplements is for weight loss. Be assured that there is nothing that will magically make the pounds melt away, but certain herbs have been found to trick the brain into thinking the stomach is full, while others function to speed up the body's metabolism. However, even here caution is needed as in the instance of one popular weight-loss herb, fen-phen, which has been associated with serious side-effects such as heartbeat irregularities and strokes.
Be smart. Take supplements with care, and only after consulting with a health care professional! Your health is too important for experimentation with out getting good advice first.
