Category: Healthcare and consumer health

In order to eat safely, practice the four principles: clean surfaces and fruits/vegetables, separate meats and seafood from other foods, cook to the right temperature, and cool or refrigerate food promptly – http://www.fightbac.org/food-safety-basics/the-core-four-practices/.

Food allergies happen when the immune system of the body reacts to the food as an antigen (something that’s not supposed to be there) and produces an allergic response. That response can be fairly mild, like itching, or severe, like anaphylaxis. If you know you are allergic to something, make sure to read warning labels, let a waiter know, read ingredients lists, and carry an epinephrine injector with you for emergencies.

Food intolerance, or food sensitivity, can happen when people have a difficult time digesting a certain food. Symptoms happen in the digestive system, not the immune system, and can be bloating, gas, and diarrhea. One common intolerance is lactose intolerance, when people can’t digest large amounts of lactose found in dairy products.

Products like vitamins, minerals, enzymes, proteins, fats, and others are often sold in pharmacies and specialized stores. These products are often labeled as dietary supplements – https://nccih.nih.gov/health/supplements .

Do you need to take these for your health?

Your doctor may have recommended that you take a particular supplement, like Vitamin D, because your blood may have shown to have an insufficient quantity of this important nutrient. You can also easily find a variety of consumer products on your own, with lots of claims about how they can help your health. It is important that you use these products wisely – https://nccih.nih.gov/health/supplements/wiseuse.htm.

Studies have shown some benefits for particular substances for specific health-related conditions, however, there is not a magic pill out there that will keep you healthy and prevent all diseases.

A nice visualization that condenses a lot of research into dietary supplements based on scientific studies is here https://informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/snake-oil-scientific-evidence-for-nutritional-supplements-vizsweet/. Hover and click on each bubble to see the evidence. Before taking any product, it is important to do some research.

Dietary supplements are also regulated differently by the Food and Drug Administration – they do not have to be proven to be effective to prevent, treat, or diagnose any health condition. Be wary of claims on the package, since many are not supported by scientific evidence.

Another concern is that supplements can interact with any other medication you may be taking. Some of those interactions may be concerning – check if there are any interactions here https://reference.medscape.com/drug-interactionchecker.