Although the health claims of many dietary supplements can sometimes appear extraordinary, the real truth is that the health effects of micronutrients - which include vitamins and minerals - have not been extensively studied. No conclusive research can support most of the claims made by supplements, leaving many to wonder what exactly are the benefits and potential risks of consuming dietary supplements.
A dietary supplement is a product consumed orally that contains a dietary ingredient that is intended to benefit an already balanced diet. These dietary ingredients can include vitamins, minerals, amino acids and substances such as enzymes, organ tissues, glandulars, metabolites, herbs and other botanicals, according to the Food And Drug Administration's Web site. Supplements can also be extracts or concentrates, and come in various forms including tablets, capsules, gelcaps, softgels, liquids or powders, the Web site states.
Depending on a vitamin's form and content, the body metabolizes and stores it differently compared to other supplements, Student Health Nutrition Educator Melanie Brede said.
"Water soluble vitamins, such as vitamin C, saturate to a certain point, and additional doses beyond the saturation point are peed out," she said.
This property of water soluble vitamins makes it virtually impossible to overdose on them, she said. Fat soluble vitamins, on the other hand, "are stored in the tissue and can be toxic if taken in large doses," she said. "Minerals, inorganic elements and compounds such as iron supplements are also toxic in high doses."
In addition to some of these vitamins' toxicity, lack of strict regulation surrounding these vitamins is another cause for concern. Although dietary supplements are monitored by the FDA, they are regulated differently than other foods and drugs. Unlike other manufacturers, dietary supplement makers are not required to provide evidence to the FDA that their products are either completely effective or safe.
University students interviewed about their consumption of supplements varied in their views and beliefs about their effectiveness. Second-year College student Denny Staples did not seem worried about the lack of regulation.
"It doesn't bother me that the supplements are unregulated because the ones I take are water soluble and they don't build up to toxic levels in my body," he said.
In regards to the lack of regulation and the number of admittedly fraudulent claims, Brede stressed the importance and legitimacy of some supplements and recommends that college students choose multivitamins with 100 percent of most nutrients - but not more.
"Anything more than one hundred percent will either be harmful or simply won't be absorbed," she said, noting that "Calcium is also a crucial nutrient, and it's one of the most common deficiencies we see on college campuses."
This potentially positive benefit of supplements was mirrored in third-year College student Latasha Nadasdi's views about them. She said she believes an extra dose of vitamins and critical minerals can almost always benefit a person's overall health.
"I use dietary supplements to help me achieve my health goals without having to be concerned about what I'm putting into my body," she said.
Third-year College student Farrell Newman, however, seemed more skeptical.
"Supplements are expensive, and I feel like eating a balanced diet is more important," she said. "I've heard that if your meal is naturally very colorful, then you're getting most of the vitamins you need."
Brede echoed Newman's thoughts. No matter how extensive the benefits of one little pill may be, substituting a meal with a pill will not do the body much good, she said.
"The science of nutrition isn't exact, and there are many nutrients we haven't even identified yet," Brede said. "That is why a pill will never be able to replace eating a healthy, balanced diet"
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