Multivitamins, vitamin D, echinacea, and fish oil are among the many dietary supplements lining store shelves or available online. Perhaps you already take a supplement or are thinking about using one. Dietary supplements can be beneficial to your health, but they can also involve health risks. So, it’s important that you talk with a health care professional to help you decide if a supplement is right for you.

What Are Dietary Supplements?

Dietary supplements are intended to add to or supplement the diet and are different from conventional food. Generally, to the extent a product is intended to treat, diagnose, cure, or prevent diseases, it is a drug, even if it is labeled as a dietary supplement. Supplements are ingested and come in many forms, including tablets, capsules, soft gels, gel caps, powders, bars, gummies, and liquids.

Common supplements include:

• Vitamins (such as multivitamins or individual vitamins like vitamin D and biotin).
• Minerals (such as calcium, magnesium, and iron).
• Botanicals or herbs (such as echinacea and ginger).
• Botanical compounds (such as caffeine and curcumin).
• Amino acids (such as tryptophan and glutamine).
• Live microbials (commonly referred to as “probiotics”).

What Are the Benefits of Dietary Supplements?

Dietary supplements can help you improve or maintain your overall health, and supplements can also help you meet your daily requirements of essential nutrients.

For example, calcium and vitamin D can help build strong bones, and fiber can help to maintain bowel regularity. While the benefits of some supplements are well established, other supplements need more study. Also, keep in mind that supplements should not take the place of the variety of foods that are important for a healthy diet.

What Are the Risks of Dietary Supplements?

Before buying or taking a dietary supplement, talk with a health care professional—such as your doctor, nurse, registered dietician, or pharmacist—about the benefits and risks.

Many supplements contain ingredients that can have strong effects in the body. Additionally, some supplements can interact with medications, interfere with lab tests, or have dangerous effects during surgery. Your health care professional can help you decide what supplement, if any, is right for you.

When taking dietary supplements, be alert to the possibility of a bad reaction or side effect (also known as an adverse event).

Problems can occur especially if you:

• Combine supplements.
• Mix medicines and supplements.
• Take too much of some supplements.
• Take supplements instead of medications.