Evidence-based food supplements: meaning and benefits

The topic of the nutritional effects and health benefits of food supplements is becoming increasingly relevant in the healthcare sector. Let’s look more specifically at what the scientific review of food supplements involves and what advantages this provides.

The topic of the nutritional effects and health benefits of food supplements is becoming increasingly relevant in the healthcare sector. This is highlighted by the exceptional market growth observed in the sector in recent years, which is more than simple interest in taking these products and that involves an ever wider and more diverse public.

The scientific community is particularly focussed on the potential protective and therapeutic role of supplementing diets with micronutrients or functional compounds of plant origin, probiotics, and prebiotics. As the scientists’ interest develops, so does the involvement of regulatory bodies, which are responsible for ensuring the safety and efficacy of products classified as food supplements.

Nutraceuticals can be included in the sectors of pharmacology and nutritional sciences, which is why their effectiveness must be proven through tightly controlled clinical trials. In this context, nutraceuticals are therefore part of evidence-based medicine (EBM), i.e. medicine based on science that provides health professionals and patients with validated information and evidence of the effectiveness of individual products.