Nutrition: Optimizing a Healthy Diet - Essay Example

Vitamin supplements come in many forms pills, liquids, powders and capsules and they are categorized under foods, not drugs by the FDA which means that these functional foods are not as thoroughly checked up on i.e. if the ingredients present are safe and recognized. We as consumers should be aware that these functional foods and supplements are not FDA approved the manufacturer are responsible for it and not FDA. These manufacturing companies are not bound to provide any evidence to the FDA until a new ingredient is being used in their products which was not sold in the US before 1994.

Currently, there are no practices ensuring the products viability, safety, purity, quality and the amount that should be consumed per dose. Once the product has been launched and marketed it is the FDA’s responsibility to ensure that the product is safe and if not then it is their responsibility to get it removed. In spite of these essential nonexistent rules, the FDA has rules regarding the advertising on the label. This states that manufacturers should abstain from regulating any misleading claims done on the labels which result in complete removal of the product from the market.

The FDA is working on a new regulation which will ensure products’ purity and quality until then consumers are on their own. The United States Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) has been working in this administration since 1820. It was founded by a group of 11 physicians who figured that it was important to know and understand the different terminologies used for drugs around the world. At that time medicinal and drugs market was chaotic there were little or no confirmation of the drugs that were used.

Therefore, it worked for this benefit and secured the drugs preparation and their terminologies. Since then USP has elaborated its reach from new areas of medicines and drugs to foods and dietary supplements. It is a nonprofit organization working on setting standards for the purity and quality of the functional foods and drugs enforceable in the United States and many countries abroad about 130 countries abroad. USP works with different scientist, practitioners, and regulators about 800 volunteers from around the world to help secure the quality and purity of drugs in the US. (U.S.

Pharmacopeial Convention, 2012) Although it’s been confirmed that these products are being tested and made pure from any toxic content that can be harmful to the consumers but are these extra vitamins, calcium, iron, etc. consumptions helpful or harmful? We never know when it is important to consume these vitamins because the nutritional needs of a human keep changing throughout its life which is why we cannot be certain about when and why should we consume these supplements. Foods have contradictory combinations of compounds and substances present in them which can be harmful to our health.

Therefore utilization of some vitamins at conditional health problems can be beneficial. For example, people who have excessive exposure to the sun and are at a risk for osteoporosis can benefit from Vitamin D supplements. Vitamin D and fortified cereals for breastfed 6 months infants, Vitamin B12 for vegans, fluoride supplements for children not drinking fluoridated water, etc.