Dietary Supplements

Dietary supplements are the health products that can supplement our diet. They are available in many forms such as capsules, tablets, liquids and powders. These supplements usually include vitamins, minerals, amino acids, antioxidant, dietary fibers, digestive enzymes, herbal supplements, glandular extracts, etc.

Young and healthy people rarely think of taking dietary supplement. But as the age progresses, most of the people start facing health problems and lack of energy. Some people feel pain in joints while others face high cholesterol levels and degradation in respiratory health. This is the time when people start searching a dietary supplement that might provide them the essential nutrients and that sought for eternal youth. Though no supplementation can provide that, but intelligent use of dietary supplements can help in achieving optimum health and ease the symptoms of diseases we may suffer from. For example, DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone) is a nutritional supplements which helps the body in making certain hormones such as testosterone, estrogen and progesterone, and it is known to be an essential component in many physiological functions in the body. DHEA helps in maintaining a strong, youthful immune system by counteracting the destructive effects of stress. DHEA supplementation generates an increase of a growth hormone metabolite which could be one of the possible reasons for its health benefits.

Some people ask if it is really necessary for everyone to take dietary supplements? They say their diet is healthy enough, and they don't need any extra supplements. Here one point to consider is that vegetables can only be as good as the soil in which they are grown. Nowadays many farmers agree that their soil is worn out and lacks minerals. Moreover, most of the vegetables that we buy are not fresh and take at least a week time to reach our homes from fields. Even in cold storage, there is degradation of their nutritional values.

Opponents of dietary supplements claim that these supplements do nothing more than giving us expensive urine. This may be the case if you have a very rich diet with enough vitamins and minerals. However, doctors are increasingly advising extra supplements for those under stress such as illness, pregnancy, or periods of sudden growth spurts.