NSC 170C1 1st Edition Lecture 28 Outline of Last Lecture I Cancer Outline of Current Lecture II What are supplements III Supplement Smarts IV Botanical pharmaceutical Current Lecture I II III What Are Supplements and Who Needs Them A Dietary supplements i Products such as multivitamin mineral pills flaxseed oil and protein powders used to supplement your diet ii They are not intended as a substitute for conventional food or as a stand alone item in a meal or the diet iii Many contain herbs a botanical iv Some are made from specific amino acids v Forty percent of Americans buy vitamin and mineral supplements spending over 1 billion annually Who Might Benefit from a Micronutrient Supplement A Useful for some people i Pregnant and lactating women ii Older people who need adequate synthetic vitamin B12 and or calcium iii People who don t get adequate sun exposure to meet vitamin D needs iv People on low calorie diets v Strict vegetarians vi People with food allergies or a lactose intolerance vii People who abuse alcohol have medical conditions such as intestinal disorders or who take medications that may increase needs for certain vitamins Who s Minding the Supplement Store A The Food and Drug Administration FDA regulates supplements less strictly than drugs i The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 shifted responsibility for assessing the quality B C D E IV effectiveness and safety of dietary supplements from the FDA to the supplement manufacturers Supplements do not need approval to be marketed and sold unless they contain a new ingredient that hadn t been used before 1994 The FDA cannot remove a supplement from the marketplace unless it has been proven to be unsafe or harmful The U S Pharmacopoeia USP is an independent nonprofit organization that provides guidance for consumers It tests supplements to ensure that they i Contain the ingredients in the amounts stated on label ii Dissolve in the body in a reasonable amount of time for proper absorption iii Are free of contaminants iv Have been manufactured using safe and sanitary procedures Companies voluntarily use USP for consumer confidence i Supplements not using USP may not contain ingredients in amounts stated USP Seal A What s a Consumer to Do i The FDA has strict guidelines for claims appearing on supplement labels such as high potency ii The FDA requires that certain information appear on the label of dietary supplements iii Must clearly identify the contents of the bottle 1 All ingredients must be listed 2 Must display a Supplement Facts panel listing Serving size Number of tablets in the bottle Amount of the micronutrient s or other active ingredients in each serving Percentage of the Daily Value V Supplement Smarts A What Are Functional Foods and What Role Do They Play in Your Diet i Functional food a food shown to have a positive effect on your health beyond its basic nutrients ii Carrots rich in beta carotene a source of vitamin A and antioxidant that may fight cancer iii Oats contain the soluble fiber beta glucan shown to lower blood cholesterol levels iv Phytochemicals beneficial compounds derived from plants v Zoochemicals beneficial compounds derived from animals B Are People Buying Functional Foods i Americans spend 25 billion annually on functional foods ii 70 percent of Americans surveyed believe food and nutrition play a key role in maintaining and improving their health iii Baby boomers are particularly interested in trying to hedge against the aging process through diet C What Are the Benefits of Functional Foods i Used by health care professionals as an appealing and economical way to help treat chronic disease ii Probiotics live microorganisms healthy bacteria that can have beneficial health effects a Found in yogurt b Partially digest the lactose enabling people with lactose intolerance to eat yogurt or other dairy products without intestinal discomfort iii Thought to positively affect the immune system relieve certain allergies and reduce inflammation in the intestinal tract D What Concerns Are Associated with Functional Foods i Labeling claims on functional foods can be confusing to the consumer a Some consumers may think that by eating a functional food they are off the hook about eating healthfully for the rest of the day ii Many products with added vitamins or antioxidants are still high in sugar or calories iii Many have a hefty price tag iv Problems may arise if too much is consumed V Botanicals The Original Pharmaceuticals A Botanicals products made from plants and used for cosmetic culinary or therapeutic purposes B Many medications used today are derived from plants used since ancient times i Any part of the plant flowers berries bark seeds stems or roots can be used in botanicals and each may have a different effect in the body C The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine NCCAM funds numerous studies to further our understanding of botanicals D Are botanicals safe E The term natural doesn t automatically mean safe i Herbal supplements can have drug like effects in your body and interact with prescription and over the counter medications ii Herbals are considered dietary supplements and are not regulated by the FDA F Herbals may contain contaminants i Herbals don t always have same level of bioactives or concentrations when grown in different soils