Safety First!

According to the Wikipedia, a dietary supplement, also known as food supplement or nutritional supplement, is defined as a preparation intended to supplement the diet and provide nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, fiber, fatty acids, or amino acids, that may be missing or may not be consumed in sufficient quantity in a person's diet. Some countries define dietary supplements as foods, while in others they are defined as drugs or natural health products. Nowadays, the production of dietary supplements became massive as more than half of the adult Americans use these kinds of nonfood substances. The Food and Drug Administration, an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments, responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the regulation and supervision of food safety, tobacco products, dietary supplements, prescription and over-the-counter drugs, vaccines, biopharmaceuticals, blood transfusions, medical devices, electromagnetic radiation emitting devices (ERED), veterinary products, and cosmetics, is asking for an authority to inspect more on the dietary supplements to ensure the safety of the consumers knowing that these supplements are not considered as drugs or food that is why there is no need of approval on these items. They are asking the Congress if they could more power to look over these supplements because there are many cases of hospitalization and health problems reported involving the use of dietary supplements. Moreover it could be dangerous to the health of the consumers that is why security and safety are what matter most.

Food is one of the most essential necessities of man. It is needed for us to survive. During the early times, people have learned to amass wild berries and herbs in order for them to sustain themselves. Several years after man discovered fire, they learned to cook thus becoming erudite in hunting animals for meat as part of their food source. As they become civilized, they learned to plant their own crops and they are to able raise domestic animals. People’s way of living have just evolved until the present times, they have invented such dietary supplements to supply the nutrients that are insufficient. Food became instant as it flows with the current of the fast changing world.


These additional sources of food are not really dreadful as long as it is in the appropriate use. These are only indications that people find alternative resources of food for the amelioration of human life. Just be aware of the alterations happening to this fast changing world and everything would work out just fine.

Source:http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/04/business/04diet.html_r=1&ref=dietarysupplementsandherbalremedies

- JIOU DESCANZO, C31-BSA