Being in better shape, having beautiful hair, improving natural defenses … a real ally to fill certain deficiencies or a simple fashion trend? Food supplements arouse as many hopes as in debate. What are their real benefits, their potential risks, and how to choose them well? L’Express takes stock.
Food supplements are growing growing: in France, almost one in four people use it. Between promises of energy found, sublimated beauty or reinforced immunity, these products are omnipresent on the shelves of pharmacies and on the Internet. But what should you really think? Are they necessary, even without danger?
What is a food supplement?
According to the legal definition, these are “foodstuffs whose aim is to complete the normal diet and which constitute a concentrated source of nutrients or other substances with a nutritional or physiological effect, alone or combined”. Sold without a prescription, in the form of capsules, pastilles, tablets, bulbs or powder sachets, food supplements are taken orally.
Food supplements, a concentrated source of nutrients to complete the food, but without therapeutic effect.
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Despite certain similarities – marketing in the form of doses, at the pharmacy -, these products are not drugs, and cannot claim a therapeutic effect. Moreover, they depend on the consumer code: the management of competition, consumption and the repression of fraud (DGCCRF) Receives reporting on the market and performs checks, as it does for other foodstuffs. The boxes must therefore mention certain compulsory indications, such as the name of the categories of nutrients, the recommended daily portion, and various warnings, in particular to prevent food supplements to replace a balanced diet.
What are they composed of?
Food supplements may contain nutrients (vitamins, minerals), physiological substances (such as probiotics for example), plants (red vine, borage …) or mushrooms, but also additives or aromas. The law lists the components authorized in France and/or in Europe.
What are food supplements for?
Science shows that a balanced diet is enough to cover the needs of the majority of individuals. However, in some cases, they can prove to be precious:
However, using these products must always rely on a precise diagnosis and medical recommendations.
What do studies say?
Despite their popularity, food supplements are not without risks. ANSES (National Agency for Food, Environmental and Labor Safety) has set up a nutrivigilance system to monitor adverse effects. Out of 1,500 reports listed, the majority concerned digestive disorders, skin reactions or interactions with drugs.
Some examples of precautions to take:
Food supplements: effective, but at what price? Digestive disorders, drug interactions, risks of overdose … ANSES ALERTS on the undesirable effects linked to their consumption. Better to be informed before buying.
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Capsules and capsules: A risk to health?
Capsules and capsules are generally made from gelatin or vegetable envelopes, materials subject to strict standards in the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industry. Their safety, however, depends on several factors, including the nature of the ingredients they contain. For example, polyunsaturated fatty acids are particularly sensitive to oxidation under the effect of light and air, which requires the use of opaque or colored containers to preserve their stability. In addition, certain additives used in envelopes can interact with the assets they contain, thus affecting their efficiency or their conservation.
How to choose them well?
To make an informed choice:
What precautions to take before taking it?
ANSES recommends “to avoid prolonged, repeated or multiple sockets during the year of food supplements without surrounding the advice of a health professional”. It is better to read the labels carefully, respect the precautions for use, and in any case consult a doctor, a dietitian or a pharmacist. In the event of an undesirable effect, it is also necessary to turn to a professional, who will signal them at handles.
It is also advisable to buy food supplements in pharmacies, and not on obscure foreign websites, which potentially offer substances prohibited by French law. In general, it is better to reserve the consumption of supplements to specific situations of proven deficit, and rather to bet on a balanced diet in everyday life.