Diet Supplements?

Now, maybe I'm a tad confused - wouldn't be the first time. But, aren't diet supplements ... never mind. I figured it out.

I was thinking of dietary supplements - those pills and potions that are designed to augment less-than-stellar eating habits. You know, vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants - good stuff, by and large. Whereas, diet supplements are pills and potions designed to enhance and improve weight-loss efforts. Confusingly similar, aren't they?

Oddly enough, caution should be taken with both types of supplements. Some vitamins - A & E, for example - are fat-soluble which, among other things, means that they are slow to leave the body. The risk of dangerous levels in the body is higher than with water-soluble vitamins, such as C.

If that weren't enough. Safe dosage levels may vary greatly. The risk of birth defects exists for both too-low and too-high levels. However, research indicates that the amount of Vitamin A present in standard supplements may be based on old data.

In 2001, the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine revised the RDA for Vitamin A - downward, dramatically. The new recommendations are: Men 19+ years old - 900 mcg (3,000 IU)/day; Women 19+ years old - 700 mcg (2,333 IU)/day. (RDAs for pregnant and lactating women are higher.)

The multivitamins we have in the house, as suspected, use Daily Values as established in 1968 - not the latest revisions. So, even something that might be beneficial, can cause problems.

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Jules