Hype or Worthwhile Essay -- Nutrition

With all of the diets, health concerns, and lack of knowledge about food in general these days it is not surprising that people have turned to other means of getting nutrients. A main way of getting those nutrients is through dietary supplements. Dietary supplements are described by the FDA website as a product that is taken orally and must contain either vitamins, minerals, amino acids, herbs or other substances that are used to help the diet. These are known as dietary ingredients and can come in the forms of tablets, capsules, powders, energy bars, and liquids (N.p.). With this definition of supplements it’s not surprising to find out that the Nutrition Business Journal reported that 28 billion dollars were spent on supplements in 2010.(N.p) Dietary supplements are a part of most people’s daily lives, however are they too integrated or a necessary part of life. Dietary supplements went under a reconstruction in 1994, when the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) was passed by the U.S. Congress. Dr. William Soller explained that the DSHEA created a framework where the FDA was allowed to make a regulatory system for dietary supplements. The DHSEA also clarified dietary supplements to mean a part of food while dietary ingredients are not â€Å"food additives†. The DSHEA required manufactures of new dietary ingredients (NDI) to submit paperwork to the FDA so that the FDA could say that the ingredients were safe to consume. Now a day because of amendments added afterwards to the DHSEA the FDA can regulate dietary supplements easier and can use enforcement against mislabeled and unsafe products. (N.p). As good as this sounds it doesn’t mean that before a product hits the market it is FDA approved, basically the FDA can... ...ation of 500 Stories.† Plos Medicine 5.5: n. pag. PLoS Medicine. Web. 1 Apr. 2012. . Soller, Wiiliam R, Holly J Bayne, and Christopher Shaheen. â€Å"The Regulated Dietary Supplement Industry: Myths of an Unnegulated Industry Dispelled.† HerbalGram 93: 42-57. Alt HealthWatch. Web. 1 Apr. 2012. JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#db=awh&AN=72364965>. Tweed, Vera. â€Å"Supplements and Drugs.† Amazing Wellness Fall 2011: 58-62. Consumer Health Complete. Web. 29 Mar. 2012. detail?sid=7e3aa3ce-39dc-493b-86ac-eff77baaf36e%40sessionmgr10&vid=11&hid=115&bdata= JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#db=c9h&AN=66865242>.