FOOD SUPPLEMENTS

ELISHA GAY C. HIDALGO, RND

WHAT ARE FOOD SUPPLEMENTS?
• A dietary supplement, also known as food
supplement or nutritional supplement, is a
preparation intended to supplement the diet
and provide nutrients, such as vitamins,
minerals, fiber, fatty acids, or amino acids, that
may be missing or may not be consumed in
sufficient quantity in a person's diet.
• Supplements containing vitamins or dietary
minerals are included as a category of food in
the Codex Alimentarius, a collection of
internationally recognized standards, codes of
practice, guidelines and other
recommendations relating to foods, food
production and food safety.
Dietary supplements were defined in a law passed by
the US Congress in 1994 called the Dietary
Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA).
According to DSHEA, a dietary supplement is a
product that:
• Is intended to supplement the diet
• Contains one or more dietary ingredients
(including vitamins, minerals, herbs or
other botanicals, amino acids, and certain other
substances) or their constituents
• Is intended to be taken by mouth, in forms such as
tablet, capsule, powder, softgel, gelcap, or liquid
• Is labeled as being a dietary supplement.
HOW FOOD SUPPLEMENTS ARE BEING REGULATED-
PHILIPPINES
• Regulated by the Bureau of Food and Drugs
under FOOD.
• Not considered as medicine.
• look for the BFAD Food Registration (FR)
number in buying food supplements products
and BFAD Herbal Medicine Registration (HMR)
number for herbal medicine products.
• Congress is currently working on a bill that
aims to aims to impose standards and quality
measures for herbal medicines and food
dietary supplements to protect the
consuming public against unscrupulous
manufacturers, importers and distributors.
HOW FOOD SUPPLEMENTS ARE BEING REGULATED- UNITED
STATES
• Regulated by FDA (FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION) as FOOD.
• A manufacturer does not have to prove the safety and effectiveness of a dietary
supplement before it is marketed. A manufacturer is permitted to say that a dietary
supplement addresses a nutrient deficiency, supports health, or is linked to a particular
body function (e.g., immunity), if there is research to support the claim. Such a claim must
be followed by the words "This statement has not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration (FDA). This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent
any disease."
• Manufacturers are expected to follow certain "good manufacturing practices" (GMPs) to
ensure that dietary supplements are processed consistently and meet quality standards.
Requirements for GMPs went into effect in 2008 for large manufacturers and are being
phased in for small manufacturers through 2010.
• Once a dietary supplement is on the market, the FDA monitors safety. If it finds a product
to be unsafe, it can take action against the manufacturer and/or distributor, and may issue
a warning or require that the product be removed from the marketplace.
LABELING STANDARDS: WHAT TO LOOK FOR
1. Statement of Identity
2. Net Quantity of Contents
3. Directions
4. Supplement Facts Panel (serving size,
nutrients and amounts, %daily value)
5. Name and place of business, or
manufacturer, or packer, or distributor.
6. Other Ingredients in descending order of
predominance and by common name of
propriety blend.
7. BFAD/DFA APPROVAL*
LABELING STANDARDS: WHAT TO LOOK FOR
 “NO THERAPEUTIC CLAIMS”
ACCEPTABLE STRUCTURE UNACCEPTABLE DISEASE (DRUG)
FUNCTION CLAIMS CLAIMS
•Helps maintain cardiovascular function •Protect against heart disease
•Promotes healthy cholesterol level •Lowers cholesterol level
•Promotes healthy joints •Reduces pain of arthritis
•Supports regularity, healthy intestinal flora•Alleviates constipation; laxative
•Promotes urinary tract health •Prevents urinary tract infections; improves
•Supports the immune system urine flow in men over the age of 50;
•Improves absentmindedness diuretic
•Reduces stress and frustration •Helps patients with reduced or
compromised immune function
•Helps cognitive functioning in the elderly
•Herbal prozac
WHAT IS %DAILY VALUE?
• The Percent Daily Value on the Nutrition Facts label is
a guide to the nutrients in one serving of food. For
example, if the label lists 15 percent for calcium, it
means that one serving provides 15 percent of the
calcium you need each day.
• The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie
diet for healthy adults. Even if your diet is higher or
lower in calories, you can still use the Percent Daily
Value as a guide. For example, the Percent Daily Value
can help you determine whether a food is high or low
in specific nutrients:
• If a food has 5 percent or less of a nutrient, it's
considered to be low in that nutrient.
• If it has 20 percent or more, it's considered to be high
in that nutrient.
FOOD SUPPLEMENTS: WHO NEEDS THEM AND WHY?
There are some select groups that are more likely to use and benefit from
using dietary supplements. If you fall into one of the following groups
of individuals you may want to consider taking a supplement: (create
an anchor for each of the following)
• athletes
• Severe or prolonged weight loss/wasting diseases
• older adult
• Pregnant and lactating women
• vegetarians
• Infants/children
 WHO NEEDS THEM AND WHY?
1. ATHLETES
Ergogenic Aid Proposed action What research says Side effects
Androstenedione steroid hormone that no documented benefits major
increases testosterone levels
Caffeine increases fat metabolism, supports mild
thus sparing glucose and
glycogen stores; stimulates
the central nervous system
Carbohydrates an important energy source supports mild at high doses
for muscles
Creatine delays fatigue and improves supports, however there is mild
performance during high, limited data on long-term
intense bursts of exercise; use
builds muscle mass
DHEA increases amount of steroids no benefit in health athletes may be dangerous
produced in the body
HMB prevents muscle breakdown, limited; some strength none
speeds up muscle repair, benefits
and increase lean body mass
Protein helps build muscle and supports; high force outputs none
improves muscle repair from their muscles, such as
sprinters and weight lifters,
need extra protein to ensure
muscle maintenance
 WHO NEEDS THEM AND WHY?
1. ATHLETES
Pycnogenol boosts antioxidant Supports, dietary none
levels, enhances sources offer same
recovery benefit

Tryptophan increases athletic no definite results; no potentially dangerous

endurance; decreases benefit in trained athletes
pain perception
Vitamin B6(Pyridoxine) increases growth of no benefit unless mild at high doses
muscle and decreases individual has deficiency
anxiety

Vitamin B12(Cobalamin) increases growth of no benefit unless none

muscle individual has deficiency

Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant; no benefit unless mild at high doses

increases energy individual has deficiency
production and aerobic
reactions

Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant; no definite results mild

increases aerobic
capacity

Zinc increases muscle mass few studies; mostly mild

and aerobic capacity negative
WHO NEEDS THEM AND WHY?
2. PEOPLE ON PROLONGED WEIGHT LOSS DIET

Taking Multivitamin-
mineral supplement
may help .
WHO NEEDS THEM AND WHY?
3. OLDER ADULT (65+)

Taking Multivitamin-
mineral and B12
supplement may help.
WHO NEEDS THEM AND WHY?
4. PREGNANT/LACTATING WOMEN
Multivitamin-mineral
supplement that
contains iron, folic
acid, zinc, copper,
calcium, vitamin B6,
vitamin C, vitamin D
may help
WHO NEEDS THEM AND WHY?
5. VEGETARIAN

Vitamin B12, riboflavin,

calcium, vitamin D,
iron, and zinc may
help.
WHO NEEDS THEM AND WHY?
6. INFANTS/CHILDREN
• Infants- may need iron, ascorbic
acid or other nutrients
• Children with poor eating habits
or overweight children on an
energy restricted diet – may
need multivitamin-mineral
supplements that does not
exceed the RDA
WHO NEEDS THEM AND WHY?
7. PEOPLE RECOVERING FROM SERIOUS ILLNESS OR HAVE WASTING DISEASES
(HIV/AIDS)

• May need
multivitamin-mineral
supplement or single-
nutrient supplement.
 WHEN CAN TAKING SUPPLEMENTS BE HARMFUL?
• Providing fluoride supplements to children who already
drink fluoridated water.
• Taking supplements in the belief that they will cure a
diseases like cancer, diabetes or heart disease.
• Taking supplements with certain medications.
• Taking non-prescribed supplements if you have liver or
kidney disease.
• Taking beta-carotene supplements if you are a smoker.
• Taking supplements in an attempt to increase energy
level or improve physical or athletic appearance.
• Taking a single-nutrient supplement, unless a qualified
healthcare practitioner prescribed it.
SUPPLEMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH ILLNESSES AND INJURIES (FDA):
INGREDIENT POTENTIAL RISK

Herbal Ingredients:
•Chaparral • Liver Disease
•Comfrey • Obstruction of blood flow to liver, possible death
•Dieter’s/slimming teas • Nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach cramps, constipation, fainting,
possible death
•Ephedra • High blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, nerve damage, insomnia, tre
mors, headaches, seizures, heart attack, stroke, possible death
•Germander • Liver disease, possible death
•Lobelia • Breathing problems, excessive sweating, rapid heartbeat, low blood
pressure, coma, possible death
•Magnolia-stephania preparation • kidney disease, may lead to permanent kidney failure
•Willow bark • Reyes syndrome
•Wormwood • Numbness of legs and arms, loss of intellectual processing, delirium,
paralysis
SUPPLEMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH ILLNESSES AND INJURIES (FDA):
INGREDIENT POTENTIAL RISK

Vitamins and Essential Minerals

•Vitamin A • Birth defects, bone abnormalities, severe liver
disease
•Vitamin B6 • Loss of balance, injuries to nerves that alter our
touch sensation
•Niacin • Stomach pain, nausea and vomiting, bloating,
cramping, liver disease, damage to the muscles, eye,
and heart
•Selenium • Tissue Damage
Other Ingredients:
•Germanium • Kidney damage, possible death
•L-tryptophan • Eosinophalia-myalgia syndrome
Here are some questions that the Food and Drug
Administration recommends asking yourself and
discussing with your doctor when considering
whether you should take a vitamin/mineral
supplement:
• Do you eat fewer than 2 meals per day?
• Is your diet restricted? That is, do you not eat
meat, or milk or milk products, or eat fewer than
5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day?
• Do you eat alone most of the time?
• Without wanting to, have you lost or gained more
than 10 pounds in the last 6 months?
• Do you take 3 or more prescription or over-the-
counter medicines a day?
• Do you have 3 or more drinks of alcohol a day?
FINAL MESSAGE
When considering a dietary supplement,
it is important to consider the
product and its claims carefully. Be
aware that some products may
promise more than they can deliver.
Do not substitute taking in
supplements to eating a variety of
foods or healthy eating habits. It is
always advisable to consult your
physician before taking in any
supplement.
A MESSAGE FROM FDA: