All About Dietary Supplements

Should You Take Dietary Supplements?
A Look at Vitamins, Minerals, Botanicals and More

"More than half of all Americans take one or more dietary supplements daily or on occasion. Supplements are available without a prescription and usually come in pill, powder or liquid form. Common supplements include vitamins, minerals and herbal products, also known as botanicals.
People take these supplements to make sure they get enough essential nutrients and to maintain or improve their health. But not everyone needs to take supplements.
“It’s possible to get all of the nutrients you need by eating a variety of healthy foods, so you don’t have to take one,” says Carol Haggans, a registered dietitian and consultant to NIH.

“There’s little evidence that any supplement can reverse the course of any chronic disease,” says Hopp. “Don’t take supplements with that expectation.” 

continue reading  http://newsinhealth.nih.gov/issue/Aug2013/Feature1
Dietary Supplements Fact Sheets http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/list-all/