Nutritional Supplements: Nutraceuticals, Vitamins, Nutrition And Sports Health

One of the fastest growing industries in the United States is nutritional supplements. Thanks to the rising costs and restrictions on prescription medication combined with an increased emphasis on weight and self image in American culture, many people are flocking to nutritional supplements for purposes as diverse as getting over colds to losing weight and gaining muscle. But as surprising as the rise in nutritional supplements or Nutraceuticals has become, it's just as surprising how little people seem to know about Nutraceuticals or their effects.

In 1989, Dr. Stephen DeFelice created the term Nutraceuticals, an amalgamation of nutrition and pharmaceuticals. These pills, powders, oils, and other products are usually created from the extracts of various plants and fruits deemed by herbalists across the centuries as having some sort of nutritious or restorative properties. Many modern scientists and physicians shunned the idea of nutraceuticals at first, relying more on laboratory made medications to treat patients. But of late their effect on nutrition and general patient health have gained some degree of respect in the medical community.

By their very definition, nutritional supplements shouldn't be confused with dietary supplements. Nutritional supplements aren't meant to replace foods in individual's diets, but rather add additional nutrition and effects within one's normal diet. As an example, taking vitamins infused with citrus extracts along with a standard serving of fruits and vegetables has shown a significant impact on prostate cancer in men according to the nutritional supplements experts at the American Nutraceutical Association.

Another popular modern use for supplements is as sports nutritional supplements. Steroids and other performance enhancing drugs have been banned from all major sporting organizations, causing athletes looking for an edge to seek out sports nutritional supplements that haven't been banned. One of the supplements that was extremely popular up until a few years ago was Creatine, natural steroid-like vitamins. Other sports nutritional supplements include things like Androstenedione, which increases testosterone, and artificial amino acids.

While sports nutritional supplements have been shown to have very positive short term effects, most if not all of them have unknown or negative long term effects, as muscle mass or testosterone increases faster than the body's ability to handle them. Because of this as well as the unfair edge these and other sports nutritional supplements give to athletes, sports bodies like the NCAA have banned the use of all but the most basic sports nutritional supplements, like vitamins or electrolytes.

While there's certainly been a movement over the past decade to a higher acceptance of nutritional supplements as a way to help improve health and body image, there's still a long way to go to determine how these vitamins effect everyone from the Average Joe to athletes in the long run. As vitamins and minerals to supplement a regular diet, nutritional supplements can have an extremely positive impact. However, any hope for miracle cures or athletic gains are likely to be sorely disappointed.


Sources:
Kalra, Ekta. “Nutraceutical - Definition and Introduction.” American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists. 3 Sept. 2003. 13 Mar. 2007. http://www.aapsj.org/view.asp?art=ps050325.
Kriegel, Henry. “Modified Citrus Pectin Slows Progression of Prostate Cancer, New Published Study Reports.” American Nutraceutical Association. 1 Feb. 2003. 14 Mar. 2007. http://www.ana-jana.org/press_release_details.cfm? PressID=14.
Wong, Cathy. “Nutritional Supplements to Improve Sports Performance.” About: Alternative Medicine. 5 May 2004.  About, Inc. 14 Mar. 2007. http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/herbsvitaminsrz/a/ SportsPerforman.htm.
Wilfert, Mary. “NCAA Issues Notice About Nutritional Supplement Provision.” NCAA. 14 Aug. 2004. 14 Mar. 2007. http://www1.ncaa.org/membership/ed_outreach/health -safety/drug_ed_progs/16_5_2_g_News.pdf.