Evaluating Dietary Mineral Supplements

Introduction

Although natural health experts consent that human beings should not attempt to use industrial chemicals, many people seem to ignore this fact when it comes to mineral supplementation. Dietary mineral supplements are extremely essential for life! Alongside minerals, they facilitate in controlling human beings' metabolic processes. They are crucial constituents in enzymatic reactions and hence share a significant responsibility for the efficiency of the firm. Consumption of dietary supplements is frequently promoted as an answer to many nutrition problems, for example, prevention of diseases, nutrition requirements in pregnant women, infants' iron needs and general dietary patterns (Porter, 2003, p. 9).

Information on mineral and vitamin contents of supplements is required to help understand the relationship between health, diseases and exposures, and for calculating total nutrient consumption. The objective of carrying out a supplement's pilot study was to determine the benefits of dietary mineral supplements and its effects to the users.

Research Design and Methodology

To tackle the objectives of the study, a literature study of books, internet and journals were conducted to offer a conceptual framework. Representative products were found from the National Health and Nutrition examination. Representative groups were determined for purchase through inclusion of geographic areas of a nation and the suitable market division channels in the sampling plan. However, there was a need for regular sampling, because dietary supplement formulations changes often and ingredients get excluded or included. In deciding on the sample of dietary supplements, it was necessary to consider shelf life because some of the nutrients depreciated over time.

Dietary supplements are controlled as foods and so, the evaluation of effectiveness and safety is commonly done on a generic constituent basis, relatively than on a product definite basis as it is done for drugs. Available evidence for certain regulatory assessment on dietary supplement is often portrayed by significant data gaps and questionable relevance (Chichester, 2007, p 64).

Research shows that almost half of U.S grown-ups collectively spend billions of dollars yearly, on dietary supplements. The trend is speeding up as scientists discover more connections between disease prevention and nutrition. Supplements are required by people to ward off diseases, for example, childbearing women would require iron and folate supplements, children would need fluoride and iron supplements. The Food and Drug Administration printed labeling directives for supplements which include; making health claims hold up by considerable scientific agreement in the labels (DeBruyne, Pinna& Whitney, 2012. p. 254).

Survey conducted in 2005 by "Dietary Supplement Barometer" established that 85% of Americans frequently took dietary supplements, which represented a sharp rise from 59%, which had been reported in 2001. Most people aged between 5 and 20 years were not consumers of dietary supplements, but after 20 years, the number of those who took dietary supplements increased (Hollenstein, 2007, p. 5).

Conclusion

It is not hard to overdose on minerals. While some would be excreted, some can do severe harm to the body, so it is crucial to use only dietary mineral supplements that record the elemental quantity for each mineral, in order to be sure of how much one will be consuming.

One should be sure that the supplement is science-based and that it has been created

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