Vitamins, Herbs,

and Nutritional
Supplements
Jazmine McCaleb
Purdue Global University
 What Are Vitamins?

• Vitamins are compounds in the body that are

necessary to live.

• As humans, our bodies produce these vitamins,

but sometimes they don’t which can lead to use
of supplemental vitamins or in certain foods.

Vitamins
Medical News Today offers an
article that breaks down each
vitamin and how we can get the
most out of each food or
supplement to meet the bodies
needs (2017).
https://www.medicalnewstoday.co
m/articles/195878.php
• The BEST way to get
vitamins is through a well
balanced diet.
• Vitamin D, unlike other
vitamins, can be
absorbed from sunlight
rather than in food and
supplements alone.
 Are Vitamins Safe?
• The National Center for
Biotechnology
Information (NCBI)
conducted a study to
show effectiveness and
safety of some fat soluble
and water soluble
vitamins provided by
clicking this link:

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih
.gov/pmc/articles/PMC52
41405/
 What Are Herbs?

• Herbs can be “plants

such as flowers or
grasses, berries, seeds,
leaves, nuts, stems,
stalks and roots, that
for their therapeutic
and health-enhancing
properties” (Medicine
Hunter, 2012).
 Common • Green Tea
• Improves mental alertness,
Examples of promote weight loss,
relieving digestive
Herbs & Benefits symptoms and headaches
(NCCIH, 2017)

• Aloe Vera
• Wound treatment, hair
loss, help sooth sunburn
and as a laxative (NCCIH,
2017)

• Tumeric
• Used for inflammation,
arthritis, stomach and skin
problems and in foods as
an ingredient in curry
Additional information on more herbs and powder (NCCIH, 2017)
botanicals can be found at :
https://nccih.nih.gov/health/herbsataglance.ht
m
 Why Take Supplements?
People take supplements for many reasons including:

• Extra nutrients not met through food

• Weight loss

• Build muscle

• Increase performance, stamina and mental focus in

the gym

• Muscle recovery
 Pros and Cons

Pros
• Certain vitamins and
herbal supplements may
help you achieve the
results you are looking
for.
• Some are natural and
safe for daily use.
• Some are necessary
depending on lifestyle
(vegitarian,vegan etc.)
Cons
• You may be taking
something that doesn’t
help you.
• Overuse or unecessary
use can result in toxicity
(Livestrong, 2017).

Always do research and as a professional for information before taking

additional vitamins, herbal and nutritional supplements.
 Additional Resources
• For additional information you can go to the
following websites:

• https://www.nutrition.gov/dietary-
supplements

• https://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/general-
information-and-resources-dietary-
supplements
 References
Hamishehkar, H., Ranjdoost, F., Asgharian, P., Mahmoodpoor,
A., & Sanaie, S. (2016, December). Retrieved March 31, 2018,
from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5241405/
Herbs at a Glance. (2017, September 24). Retrieved March 31,
2018, from https://nccih.nih.gov/health/herbsataglance.htm
(n.d.). Retrieved March 31, 2018, from
http://www.medicinehunter.com/faq/what-are-herbs
Nordqvist, C. (2017, September 26). Vitamins: What are they and
what do they do? Retrieved March 31, 2018, from
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/195878.php
Paula, E. (2017, October 03). Pros & Cons of Dietary Supplements.
Retrieved April 02, 2018, from
https://www.livestrong.com/article/355831-pros-cons-of-dietary-
supplements/
The Pros and Cons of Nutritional Supplements. (2016, July 27).
Retrieved April 02, 2018, from
http://positivemed.com/2016/07/19/nutritional-supplements/