Dietary supplements are a specific category of food, and their use is justified in certain cases. It should also be emphasized that a dietary supplement is not a substitute for a healthy lifestyle, i.e. m.in a properly balanced diet and physical activity.

What is a dietary supplement?

A dietary supplement is a food that is taken to supplement the normal diet with nutrients. It is a concentrated source of vitamins, minerals or other substances that have a nutritional or other physiological effect. A normal diet is a habitual diet, based on traditional foods (excluding dietary supplements).

Dietary supplement:

• It is intended to be consumed in small,
• of measured unit quantities is in a form that facilitates its dosage (e.g. tablets, capsules, dropper bottles, powder sachets).

What can be the composition of dietary supplements?

There are many substances that can be found in dietary supplements. These include:

• vitamins and minerals
• other substances, e.g. essential fatty acids, dietary fibre, probiotics, amino acids, plant components (e.g. flavonoids) and other biologically active substances (e.g. coenzyme Q10).

Food supplements may contain certain minerals and vitamins and their specific chemical forms (this is regulated by law). Thus, 13 vitamins (A, D, E, K, C, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, B6, B12, folic acid and biotin) and 17 minerals (calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, iodine, zinc, manganese, sodium, potassium, selenium, chromium, molybdenum, fluorides, chlorides,  phosphorus, boron, silicon) can be added to the composition of dietary supplements.

Who can take dietary supplements?

In the case of healthy people who follow a properly balanced diet, the widespread recommendation of supplements is not justified.

The exceptions are  vitamin D (according to current recommendations) and vitamin B12 (in the case of diets excluding animal products).

Taking dietary supplements may be considered in the case of:

• adults on low-energy diets
• Elderly
• people who eliminate certain nutrients from their diet
• postmenopausal women (with calcium and vitamin D deficiency)
• pregnant women (in accordance with existing recommendations)

Risks of Taking Supplements

Although dietary supplements can supplement nutrients in the diet, their unjustified use may be associated with certain risks.

First of all, it should be remembered that the manufacturer does not always include information regarding contraindications to the use of a given supplement. Secondly, dietary supplements may interact with other food ingredients or with medications you are taking. And third, some supplements may reduce the absorption of antibiotics and cardiac medications.

It is also bad for your health to take several dietary supplements at the same time. This may lead to exceeding the upper tolerable intake levels. This value can also be exceeded by taking a given ingredient from the diet and a supplement at the same time.

It is important to note that taking excessive amounts of certain vitamins in excess of the tolerable upper intake levels not only does not bring benefits, but can even be harmful to health. Ingredients that are at risk of overconsumption include, m.in, vitamin A, β-carotene, fluorine, iodine, iron, manganese and zinc.