Download Nutritional Supplements

Nutritional Supplements
Specifically Vitamins
Megan Donahue
Unit 4 Assignment
Kaplan University
Who should take them?
Pregnant women
 Nursing mothers
 Strict vegetarians
 Vegans
 People with food allergies or intolerances
 Senior citizens
 People with cancer, kidney diseases,
cardiovascular issues or bone disease

WARNING!!!!

Nutritional supplements may cause drug
interactions (www.nccam.nih.gov, 2012)
◦ St. John’s wort, an herb, interacts with prescription
antidepressants, and may not cause the desired affects
(www.nccam.nih.gov. 2012)

Nutritional supplements may not be as
“natural” as you think (www.nccam.nih.gov, 2012)
◦ Supplements have been found to have hidden ingredients, drugs
or other materials, instead of what is listed on the label
(www.nccam.nih.gov, 2012)
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?

Talk to your doctor
◦ Ask if they could recommend something or refer you
to someone based on maybe a lack of nutrition.
◦ You may ask to see a nutritionist/dietician to look at
your daily intake of food.
◦ Tell your doctor if you are already taking something, it
maybe affecting your prescription medication
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?

Ask yourself…
◦ What are the potential health benefits of the
supplement product?
 What is the product supposed to do?
 Will it help me to eat, sleep, move bowels, help joint pain?
◦ What are the potential benefits for me?
 What is it supposed to do? What may be the
results?
 What in the vitamin is going to help? Is it Calcium for
bones? Is it vitamin B6 for energy? Will there be side effects
to any medication I am on?
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?
◦ Ask yourself…
◦ What are the risks in taking this product?
 Are there any side effects to taking it?
◦ What is the proper dose to take?
 Do I need to take the whole dosage? What happens
if I take too much?
◦ How, when, and how long should I take it?
 Do I need to be on this forever? Or just for a short
period of time?
WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Eat healthier
A lot of the foods we eat, provide us
with the nutrition our bodies need!
WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Be active
REGULATION

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
◦ They monitor the product once it is out on
the market.
◦ It is up to the manufacture to maintain the
products identity, purity, strength, and
composition (www.nih.gov, 2011).
 IF they don’t….THEN…
◦ The FDA takes action and removes the
product from the market or works with the
manufacture to recall the product (www.nih.gov,
2011)
REGULATION

FDA also monitors the information on
the supplement’s label and package insert
to make sure the it’s not misleading
(www.nih.gov, 2011)

Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
monitors the advertising on supplemental
products to make sure they are truthful
(www.nih.gov, 2011)
Supplements and the Elderly
(Olivera & Palacios, 2012)

Puerto Rico
◦ An increase of use of nutritional supplements in
the elderly population
◦ Cross-sectional study of 130 subjects
◦ Ages: 60+
◦ Data: collected from a validated questionnaire

Objective: to find out the what
supplements were used in the population
and if there were health risks associated
with it and medications
Supplements and the Elderly
continued

RESULTS:
◦ 63% of the subjects were women
◦ The most common supplements used
 Multivitamin and calcium
◦ Non-vitamin/non-mineral used
 Garlic, chondroitin, glucosamine, and ginger
◦ Conditions most related to usage
 Hypertension and arthritis
◦ Number of health risks
 8 possible due to using the non-vitamin/non-mineral with
anticoagulants and antidiabetics
RECOMMEND
9 Nutrients (Jaret, n.d.)

B12
◦ Creating red blood cells and DNA
◦ Fish, meat, poultry, eggs, milk and milk
products

Folate/Folic Acid
◦ Lots of fruits and vegetables
◦ Fortified breakfast cereals
RECOMMEND
9 Nutrients

Calcium
◦ Building and maintaining strong bones
◦ Dairy products, kale, broccoli (great in
smoothies)

Vitamin D
◦ Helps the body to absorb calcium, maintain
bone density and prevent osteoporosis
◦ Cereals, milk, salmon, eggs and tuna
RECOMMEND
9 Nutrients

Potassium
◦ Vital for cell function, reduce high blood
pressure and risk of kidney stones
◦ Bananas, prunes, plums and potatoes with skin

Magnesium
◦ Aides the immune system, helps the heart and
bones
◦ Fresh fruits and vegetables, unprocessed
foods, whole grains, beans, and seeds
RECOMMEND
9 Nutrients

Fiber
◦ Helps food to move in digestive tract, protects
against heart disease
◦ Whole grains, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables

Omega-3 Fats
◦ May reduce symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis,
slow down age-related macular degeneration
◦ 2 servings of fish a week: salmon, tuna, sardine or
mackerel
◦ Soybeans, walnuts, flaxseed and canola oil
RECOMMEND
9 Nutrients

Water
RESEARCH

The following sites have research
information on dietary supplements
◦ Office of Dietary Supplements
 http://ods.od.nih.gov/
◦ National Center for Complementary and
Alternative Medicine
 http://nccam.nih.gov/
◦ National Library of Medicine
 http://www.nlm.nih.gov/
◦ NIH Health Information
 http://health.nih.gov/
CONCLUSION
Thank you for allowing me to speak to
you.
 I hope I have taught you something new.
 I hope you will share with someone else
what you have learned.

REFERENCES

www.webmd.com . (2014). The Truth Behind the Top 10 Dietary
Supplements. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/truthbehind-top-10-dietary-supplements?page=2

www.nccam.nih.gov. (2012). Safe Use of Dietary Supplements

www.nih.gov. (2011). Dietary Supplements: What you need to know

Olivera, EJ., & Palacios, C. (2012). Use of Supplements in Puerto Rican
older adults residing in an elderly project. University of Puerto Rico
Medical Sciences Campus. Retrieved from the Kaplan Library

Vitamin picture: Dreamstime.com

Jaret, P. (n.d.). Older Adults: 9 Nutrients You May Be Missing. Retrieved from
http://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/nutrition-world-2/missing-nutrients