What is it?
Supplements are products that are able to provide supplementation, i.e. “extra” consumption of nutrients to the individual. Dietary supplements are not defined as medications, so they do not have the specific purpose of treating, curing, or preventing diseases.
What’s it for?
According to the National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA), dietary supplements have the purpose of providing bioactive substances, nutrients, probiotics and/or enzymes, in a complementary way to the diet of healthy individuals.
How does it work?
There are many benefits related to the use of supplements and these depend on which category they belong to. In the current market, there are a multitude of products produced by industry that should always be included on the label, the identification of “food supplement” according to anvisa regulations.
How to supplement?
The supplements are usually indicated by nutritionists and nutrologists, being intended for groups that have some nutritional deficiency or increased needs, as in the case of people with iron deficiency anemia, children in certain age groups, elderly and pregnant women. In addition, bodybuilders and physical activity practitioners also use supplementation such as the use of whey protein and creatine. Thus, in view of the multitude of types of supplements, the recommendation and use should be made individually.
Reference
Wierzejska R. E. (2021). Dietary Supplements-For Whom? The Current State of Knowledge about the Health Effects of Selected Supplement Use. International journal of environmental research and public health
, 18
(17), 8897. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18178897
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