1. Vitamins, Herbs and Nutritional Supplements
Stephanie Brushwood
Kaplan University
HW499 Unit 4 Assignment

2. What is a nutritional/dietary supplement?
According to the Food and Drug Administration:
A dietary supplement is a product intended for ingestion that contains a "dietary ingredient" intended to add further nutritional value to (supplement) the diet. A "dietary ingredient" may be one, or any combination, of the following substances:
a vitamin
a mineral
an herb or other botanical
an amino acid
a dietary substance for use by people to supplement the diet by increasing the total dietary intake
a concentrate, metabolite, constituent, or extract
(U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2015)

3. Natural sources of vitamins A-K:

4. What are Vitamins and Herbal supplements?
Fat-Soluble Vitamins (stored in body’s fatty tissue):
A – helps form and maintain healthy teeth, bones, skin
E – antioxidant, helps form red blood cells
D – helps body absorb calcium, build strong bones, teeth
K – important for blood clotting and health bone development
Water-Soluble Vitamins:
C – antioxidant, aids wound healing
B – important for metabolism, brain function, energy and blood cell formation
Herbs:
“Herbal supplements are different from vitamin and mineral supplements in that they are considered to have medicinal value.” (Paul & Smith M.A., 2016)
Most herbal supplements are derived from plants, here are some examples of commonly used herbal supplements:
Chamomile
Ginkgo
Echinacea
St. John’s Wort
Milk Thistle
Valerian root
(Nutrition.gov, 2016)

5. Common uses/benefits of vitamins, herbal or dietary supplements
These items should not be used as replacements or in lieu of a healthy diet/lifestyle!
Some special populations require vitamin/supplement use for specific health reasons:
Women of childbearing age or pregnant women (require more calcium and iron)
Children/adolescents with irregular eating habits
Elderly people with gastrointestinal/physical eating difficulties
Vegetarians or vegans (may be deficient in certain nutrients)
Populations with absorption deficiencies/diseases/disorders
(Paul & Smith M.A., 2016)

6. Safety precautions and appropriate usage of supplements
It is always important to do your research or consult a medical professional before beginning a herbal or dietary supplement
Some herbs, vitamins or supplements may negatively affect/interact with prescription meds
Not all supplements are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
“In many cases dietary supplements and homeopathic remedies can be marketed without providing evidence of safety or efficacy.” (Paul & Smith M.A., 2016)
Just because it is “natural” doesn’t mean it is necessarily better for your health, prescription medications cannot always be replaced with homeopathic treatments/supplements

7. (Pharmavite ® LLC, 2015)

8. Do your research first!
There are many helpful websites and research articles on the proper/recommended use of vitamins, herbs and nutritional supplements:
Help Guide/Safe Supplement Use
National Center for Complementary and Alternative/Integrative Health (NCCAM)
National Institutes of Health (NIH): Office of Dietary Supplements
Food and Drug Administration: Safety Alerts and Advisories

9. Regulation process and safety information
The FDA oversees both dietary supplements and medicines
Dietary supplements DO NOT require “premarket” review or approval by FDA
“Manufacturers must follow certain good manufacturing practices to ensure the identity, purity, strength, and composition of their products.”
A supplement's safety depends on many things:
Chemical makeup
How it works in the body
How it is prepared
Dosage
“Certain herbs (for example, comfrey and kava) can harm the liver.”
(Greene, 2016)
(U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2011)

10. Medication Vs. Supplement interactions
Always consult with your medical provider to see if your supplement will interact with your prescribed medication or current health issues
Examples of negative interactions:
vitamin K supplementation can negatively interact in individuals on Coumadin or Warfarin (blood thinners)
Calcium supplementation can interact with heart medicine, aluminum and magnesium- containing antacids
St. John’s Wort is known to negatively affect antidepressant drugs, blood pressure medication and birth control pills
Echinacea can affect the liver’s ability and proper process for breaking medications down
Coenzyme Q-10 can interfere with anti blood-clotting medicines and some chemotherapy drugs
Ginseng can increase risk for internal bleeding when also taken with anti blood-clotting medications (Ibuprofen, Warfarin, Coumadin, Aspirin)
(Paul & Smith M.A., 2016)

11. Vitamin, herbal and nutritional/dietary supplement educational resources - online
The American Society of Nutrition is a great reference tool for all things nutrition and diet, to include vitamin, herb and supplement use
NCCAM is another key reference for consumers to use when determining which supplement is right for them

12. Vitamin, herbal and nutritional/dietary supplement educational resources - books
Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Herbs & Natural Supplements
(Micozzi, 2011)
(Skidmore-Roth, 2010)