Dietary Supplement Terminology: Simply Explained 

European Food Safety Authority is Responsible for Food Safety

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) provides independent scientific advice on issues related to food and feed safety, as well as related matters (e.g., animal and plant health, GMOs, nutrition). It advises on all legal issues and informs the general public accordingly.

EFSA identifies and analyzes all data on nutrition and emerging risks in the food sector. It also supports the EU Commission in crisis situations.

Zinc: Trace Element Important for Health

Zinc is a chemical element that is essential for our health. This trace element plays a vital role in a multitude of metabolic processes, such as growth, skin functions, insulin storage, protein synthesis, and much more.

Our immune system also depends on the zinc balance. The anti-inflammatory property of zinc also helps with numerous skin conditions such as acne, psoriasis, and neurodermatitis, so zinc is used in many special skincare products and cosmetics.

Histamine: Hormone Involved in Allergic Reactions

Histamine is a substance that acts as a tissue hormone and neurotransmitter in the organism. An excessive release of histamine by the body occurs during inflammatory, allergic, or toxic processes. Therefore, histamine also plays a central role in allergic reactions in humans and is involved in the immune system, i.e., in the defense against foreign substances.

Nutrition: Nutrient Intake

Nutrition is the intake of nutrients necessary for the building, maintenance, and reproduction of living organisms. Through proper preparation, food is made readily digestible and thus well utilized by the human body.

There is hardly any area of life, and certainly none related to illness and prevention, that is not connected to nutrition. Its importance cannot be overstated. A balanced, vitamin- and fiber-rich diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables, little fat and refined sugar, sufficient protein, little alcohol – and the necessary enjoyment of it all – keeps you fit and vital.

Carotenoids: Beta-carotene as provitamin A

Carotenoids are among the fat-soluble natural pigments. Many plants, such as tomatoes, carrots, and peppers, owe their orange, red, or yellow color to them. Carotenoids are widespread in nature and are produced by plants during photosynthesis.

Some carotenoids, like beta-carotene, can be converted into vitamin A. Since the human body cannot synthesize carotenoids itself, but they are essential for many metabolic processes, they must be ingested through plant foods.

The carotenoid beta-carotene is primarily found in carrots and peppers.

Antioxidants: Free Radical Scavengers

An antioxidant is a chemical compound that specifically prevents the undesirable oxidation of other substances. Antioxidants act as radical scavengers, thus inactivating free radicals in the body, whose excessive presence leads to oxidative stress.

Oxidative stress is considered to contribute to aging and is associated with the development of a range of diseases.

Antioxidants, for example, from food, can help mitigate the adverse effects of oxidative stress caused by free radicals on health.

Additionally, antioxidants are used as additives, for example, in food, to prevent oxidation reactions with oxygen and thus protect the food from premature spoilage.

Free Radicals: Aggressive Oxygen Compounds

Free radicals are aggressive oxygen compounds that are produced as part of natural metabolic processes in body cells. Free, or unbound, radicals induce oxidative stress in biological tissue and can attack or even destroy it. They are kept in check by the body's own mechanisms and by antioxidants from food.

For example, smoking or excessive sunbathing can lead to an increased production of such free radicals (= aggressive oxygen compounds).

This oxidative stress can damage cell structures and accelerate aging processes.

Immune System: Body's Defense System

The term "immune system" (Latin: immunis = free, untouched) by definition refers to the body's own defense system for protecting the body from diseases. It encompasses organs, cells, and proteins whose function is to maintain the body's own structure by defending against foreign substances and pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, or fungi.

It is particularly important that the immune system recognizes and combats inconsistencies—regardless of whether they are foreign structures (invaders) or diseased body cells such as tumor cells. The goal of the immune system is to maintain one's own health and keep the body in balance.

Health Products: Health-Promoting Products

Products and foods that are health-promoting, but do not fall under the category of pharmaceuticals or medical devices.

Dietary Supplements: Functional Foods

Dietary supplements are intended to complement the general diet. They are concentrates of nutrients (vitamins, minerals & trace elements) and are intended to fulfill a nutrition-specific purpose.

A commonly purchased dietary supplement is, for example, an iron preparation to supplement deficiencies in women or generally in vegetarians.

Dietary supplements are offered in various forms such as pills, capsules, tablets, or powders. They are not medicines or medical devices.

Dietary supplements are strictly regulated under EU law in the Food Supplements Regulation. This primarily specifies which nutrients and in what concentrations may be used and how they must be labeled on the packaging.