A food supplement can also be called a dietary supplement or a nutritional supplement. It is prepared with the goal of supplementing the diet and in order to provide nutrition that is important for a certain purpose e.g. vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, fiber or amino acids. These could be missing out of the diet of the individual taking the supplement or perhaps be insufficient. In some counties, supplements may also be considering the name of drugs, tonics or maybe natural health products. Most nations recognize these supplements are absolutely necessary for good health as well as the food supplements which contain vitamins or maybe minerals are internationally recognized category of food. However there are many requirements, codes of training, tips etc in the planning of these food items. These are drawn up by FAO and WHO and a recently available directive calls for the supplements be shown to be protected in purity and dosage therefore they are able to be marketed without a prescription and may be labeled with health as well as nutrition boasts.

In the US, a dietary supplement is defined as a solution that is designed to add to the diet plan and will contain any among the subsequent ingredients that are integrated during a great diet:
1. A vitamin
2. A mineral
3. A herb
4. An amino acid
5. an extract or even A concentrate of the above substances
Furthermore, these must be in the form of a table or tea burn side effects capsule or in powder or even liquid form which can be ingested; it has to be labeled as a dietary supplement as well as not be represented for use as regular food or as the sole item in a meal.