The dietary supplement industry is exponentially growing. To many people, supplements are an essential component of their daily diet. With the multitude of drugstores and markets boasting shelves upon shelves of various supplements that cater for every single concern a person might have, the demand is soaring.
Many believe that their daily supplement fix is responsible for their long shiny hair or shredded abs. Although there could be truth to this belief, there are a number of other factors that are responsible for how well a supplement works, or not.
So, if you are like most people, who get lost looking into different supplement brands, below, are 7 questions that you need to ask, before venturing into the overwhelming world of dietary supplements:
1. Do You Actually Need Dietary Supplements?
Answering this question, before taking any supplements, is vital. You need to address a specific health concern. Once the issue has been identified, you need to visit a doctor to run the necessary blood tests and medical examinations.
Based on your doctor’s findings, he/she will advise whether you have any deficiencies, that you can treat with dietary supplements and the recommended dosages, or not.
Dietary supplements should always be taken under the supervision of your doctor or healthcare professional, to avoid any associated risks.
2. Do You Know the Differences Between the Supplement Brands?
As mentioned, the world of supplements can be very confusing to the average person, who does not have any medical background or professional experience. You need to find a trustworthy source, to get all the necessary information, before choosing one brand over the other.
You will find that the thorough reviews posted on https://nutritiondietnews.com/ are very informative and committed to giving you the best advice on how to find the right supplement, to cater for your needs.
With tons of articles, continuously updated, you will find yourself learning a lot about the pros and cons of different supplements brands, as well as details about where to find each.
3. Are The Supplements Going to Interfere With Your Medications?
This is one of the great examples of why it is important to consult a doctor, before taking any supplements. While supplements might work well on treating the deficiency you are targeting, they might have negative side effects on the efficacy of another drug you are using, or even worse, a health issue that you already suffer from.
4. Are You Setting the Right Expectations?
Just because a public figure or celebrity is vouching for a certain supplement, does not mean that you should buy into their claims. Hearing about a certain “magical pill” over and over from different people will make you wrongfully set high expectations, for this supplement.
That is why it is important to clearly understand what you want from a supplement and have realistic expectations, to be able to fairly judge whether it works for you or not.
5. Are you willing to stick to the Recommended Dosage?
Most supplements need to be ingested for at least one month to show their intended results. You have to make sure you can commit to sustaining the recommended dosage, for the required period, in order to make an educated decision about the supplement you are taking. This will make your recommendations to your friends more credible, and your reviews for the product will be valid.
6. Do Drug Associations approve this Supplement?
Unfortunately, since supplements are sold over the counter and require no prescriptions, some brands, present in the market, have not gone through the necessary lab tests. This means that there is always the risk that you are ingesting a clinically unapproved drug; this can have serious health implications.
You need to make sure you are informed about the supplement you are taking, and only get it from trusted sources.
7. Do You Ethically Agree With the Supplements Manufacturing Practices?
It is very common for drug and supplement manufacturers to run clinical tests on animals to ensure they are safe for humans. If you are a strict vegan or animals rights’ activist, or simply do not approve of such practices, then you will have to find vegan supplements.
The fact that there are diet advice blogs and supplements that you can take to support your health and well-being is amazing. And now that you have better insight on how to pick the right supplement, you can do so with confidence.
However, you need to have valid answers for all of the above questions, before you decide on taking them. You are seeking improvement after all, so there is no harm in spending extra time and effort to understand all the potential side effects.
