WHAT ARE THE SUPPLEMENTS


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Dietary supplements are preparations that supplement the normal diet. They are, in fact, a concentrated source of nutrients. They consist of or contain one or more nutrients. They may also contain plant substances, such as herbs, or non-herbal substances but natural, such as propolis, royal jelly and bee pollen.
They are available in various forms: capsules, tablets, powder, drops, syrups. Can only be used orally.
Supplements are not drugs. I'm not even diet products. You do not need to cure disease or lose weight.
Serve to promote the well-being of the organism.


Depending on the components content, supplements are divided into:

  
  • supplements or food supplements with ingredients consisting of or derived from medicinal plants: these supplements herbal ingredients without any therapeutic purpose, but only Healthy. Must have physiological effects that contribute to the well-being of the body and promote their work. Depending on the concentration, the dosage and indications, medicinal plants can be real drugs (and in this case one speaks of pesticides), or supplements that, therefore, are intended to assist or support the physiological functions of the organism;

  • supplements of vitamins: Vitamins are compounds which in most cases are not synthesized by the body and must be introduced with food. Vitamins are vital for the health and proper functioning of the body. Regulate the metabolic and enzymatic processes. They have no energy functions or plastics. A lack of them, often due to an incorrect diet or an increase of their requirements, may cause a wide range of disorders, depending on the vitamin deficient. Vitamins are divided into fat-soluble and water-soluble. The first accumulate reserves in the body. They are fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, K. The water-soluble vitamin C and the B complex, vitamin PP (niacin), folic acid (Folacin), Vitamin H (Biotin), pantothenic acid. Should be taken daily with food, because they do not store. There are also substances that are not properly vitamins, but they may have an activity similar to theirs. It is choline, PABA, inositol, coenzyme Q10, bioflavonoids, l-carnitine;
 
  • mineral supplements: minerals are inorganic substances. Participate in various physiological and biochemical processes. Among other functions, form the teeth and bones and regulate body fluids. Are taken with food because the body can not produce them, and we lose most in sweat and urine. They are divided into macrominerals or minerals (calcium, chlorine, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, sodium, sulfur), which can be taken in doses greater than 100 mg per day, and micronutrients or trace elements (chromium, iron, fluorine, iodine, manganese, molybdenum, copper, selenium, zinc) which must be taken in small doses;

  • other nutritional supplements: supplements are enriched with nutritional factors that are not essential nutrients, they participate in metabolic processes;

  • supplements of amino acids: Amino acids are the basic structures of proteins. Their molecule is formed from an amino group and an acidic group. In addition, the amino acids involved in important biological processes, such as the synthesis of neurotransmitters. To build proteins, the body requires 20 amino acids. Of these eight are called essential because you have to introduce them with food, as the body can not synthesize them. Are: phenylalanine, valine, threonine, tryptophan, isoleucine, methionine, lysine, leucine. Are defined in food protein complete, meat and dairy products. Are absent in incomplete protein foods, such as fruits and vegetables. The nonessential amino acids are synthesized by the body. It is: alanine, arginine, asparagine, aspartic acid, tank, glutamic acid, glutamine, glycine, histidine, proline, serine, tyrosine.

  • amino acid derivatives: these include creatine, carnitine, taurine, glutatatione, carnosine;

  • protein supplements and / or energy: the proteins are basic constituents of all living cells and are critical in metabolism. They are widely present in foods such as meat, eggs, legumes, fish. Their requirement varies in relation to age, weight, body mass and the type of protein in question. The energy supplements are made from carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are a primary source of energy. The body splits them and turns them into glucose, which is used during muscle activity, and glycogen, which is a reservoir of energy. They are present in many foods, such as pasta and rice. They are a source of extra energy and help to better withstand the physical effort;

  • supplements of fatty acids: fatty acids are divided into saturated fatty acids, also called bad, and in unsaturated fatty acids, also called good. The first makes it difficult to interchange the cell, given that cause stiffening of the cell. This is one of the factors that leads to the occurrence of metabolic diseases. Unsaturated fatty acids instead have a key role in the proper functioning of many metabolic functions and biological organism. Are fundamental, in particular, for the health of the cardiovascular system. They are also used to produce energy, lower cholesterol, to synthesize hemoglobin.Unsaturated fatty acids can not be manufactured by the body. They are divided into two broad categories:Omega 3, which include alpha-linolenic acid and its derivatives, ie the eicoisapentaenoico acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and are contained in the fat of the fish, and Omega 6, which include linoleic acid and gammalinolenico, contained in vegetable oils and cereals;

  • supplements Probiotics: Probiotics are microorganisms that have positive effects on the health of organisms that host them. Are able to overcome the gastric barrier and get "live" gut. Help rebalance the intestinal flora, normalize bowel function by counteracting the occurrence of intestinal infections, promote the absorption of nutrients, control the fats and sugars. Are critical to maintaining the efficiency of the immune system. Are present in yogurt and cheese;

  • fiber supplements: the fibers are the part of plant foods that the body does not assimilate. Are not degraded by enzymes in the gastro-intestinal tract. Exert important metabolic and mechanical functions can also affect the intestinal flora. They are found in fruits, vegetables, grains and seeds. Help improve bowel regularity and reduce the use of fat and calories.


(Ministry of Health: Guidelines on dietary supplements, fortified foods and functional - Composition criteria and labeling, Revision December 2002)  


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