Health Professionals warns on the use of Supplements as Food Replacement

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has acknowledged the importance of dietary supplements in helping people nowadays on balancing their diet. A well-planned nutrition and hydration plan positively influences healthy living. With physical training, conditioning, mental preparation and regular sleeping habits, individuals can achieve proper wellness and a fit body each one of us look after.

For some health practitioners however, dietary supplements should be dismissed from the market. However, little of them would dare cry out their concern against the dependence of many individuals, in most times athletes, to dietary supplements which leads to the abnormal process of body system. A health practitioner can lose his credibility if he starts talking against the use of dietary supplements as these drugs, medications or herbs are already a trend in society.

Advocates of the real effects of alternative, complementary and integrative medicines, The Peterson Group, has interviewed few of health professionals and had asked their opinions on health supplements’ negative effects to athletes and individuals. Most of them stated that discussing and educating the coaches and athletic trainers can be tough. Many of them do not understand that they can obtain the performance enhancement that they need from choosing the right food and nutrients.

Review shows 41% of athletes take supplements in order to gain the nutrients that they have missed out from the food that they intake. In the same review, 3% of these athletes take merely supplements and do not eat at all to gain the physique and weight they desire. This, in every sense may be very dangerous in one person’s health.

In a study conducted in Jakarta, Indonesia where most athletes and many individuals take health supplements, most of the intake medicines and herbs in whatever form have been found to contain some dangerous chemicals as well. This phenomenon occurred after a complaint was filed to an alternative product which allegedly bears some side effects.

In this ever-changing world of functional/fortified foods and nutraceuticals, differentiation of products by reliance on the label heading of either “Nutrition Facts” or “Supplement Facts” does not always assure that a product does or does not contain a dietary supplement ingredient. However, products with a “Supplement Facts” label must also include a disclaimer: “This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.”

Despite its support to alternative and supplementary medicines, FDA still spreads warning that many of those medicines which circulates may not have passed certain tests and may cause a different or adverse effect.