Healthy Living for Elders: Tips for Taking Dietary Supplements
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Healthy Living for Elders: Tips for Taking Dietary Supplements

   

Healthy Living for Elders: Tips for Taking Dietary Supplements1

Jennifer Hillan2

Dietary supplements include vitamins, minerals, herbs, and other substances. If you are taking any of these products, here are some guidelines to help you use them safely:

Talk to Your Doctor or Pharmacist

Speak with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any supplement for the first time. He/she can tell you:

• how much to take

• when to take it

• possible side effects

• possible interactions with other supplements or medications

Let your doctor know about any symptoms you experience after taking a supplement. Stop taking the supplement and see if the symptoms subside.

Buy From a Reliable Source

Look for products with the U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) symbol on the label. This means the product meets certain quality standards.

Check the Expiration Date

Choose products that are clearly marked with an expiration date. Be sure the date is far enough in the future so you can use all of the product before it expires.

Buyer Beware!

Products labeled "natural" or "organic" may or may not be safe. These may be advertising gimmicks to make you think the product is better.

Be cautious of claims that the product is an "instant cure." If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is not true!

Footnotes

1. This is document FCS 8623-ENG, one in a series of the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611. Publication date: March 2004. This leaflet was developed with funding from the Florida Department of Elder Affairs in partnership with state, county, and local agencies. Please visit the EDIS Web site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu

2. Jennifer Hillan, MSH, RD, LD/N, former ENAFS nutrition educator/trainer, Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611. Reviewed by Linda B. Bobroff, PhD, RD, LD/N, professor, University of Florida.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Larry Arrington, Dean.


Copyright Information

This document is copyrighted by the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) for the people of the State of Florida. UF/IFAS retains all rights under all conventions, but permits free reproduction by all agents and offices of the Cooperative Extension Service and the people of the State of Florida. Permission is granted to others to use these materials in part or in full for educational purposes, provided that full credit is given to the UF/IFAS, citing the publication, its source, and date of publication.