Individuals who may benefit from taking a dietary supplement in addition to a well-balanced diet Individuals who are healthy and eat various types of foods do not require supplements. However, the dietary rules suggest that supplements should be used under certain conditions. For instance, expecting mothers, people who have been diagnosed with low levels of particular vitamins and vegetarians may benefit from taking a dietary supplement in addition to a well balanced diet. Vegetarians require dietary supplement to obtain proteins that are not available in plants. Apart from consuming foods that naturally have folate, expecting mothers should also take fortified foodstuffs. Amount of money America is projected to spend on vitamin and mineral supplements by the year 2014 According to statistics, America is expected to spend approximately $200 million on vitamin pills by the year 2014. Moreover, the country is also likely to spend roughly $1 billion on fish-oil supplements. Since the use of vitamin D supplements is expected to increase to $14 billion, United States’ government will spend roughly $4 billion on the supplements. FDA approval of dietary supplements before being taken to the market Unlike drugs, dietary supplements do not require FDA approval before they can be sold to the public. Arguably, FDA approval will only be required for the dietary supplements containing new ingredients which had not been tested before. Supplement manufacturers’ structure/function claims on the labels of dietary supplements The statement that supplement manufacturers are not legally permitted to make structure claims on the labels of dietary supplements is false. This is because they always have the authority from FDA to describe the effect of their product on human bodies. Additionally, they are also allowed to describe a particular structure or function on human bodies. FDA on the sale of dietary supplements The statement that FDA cannot remove a supplement from the marketplace unless it has been shown as unsafe or harmful to the consumer is true. Arguably, the organization does not only register supplement manufacturers, but also monitors their activities. Therefore, FDA can intervene whenever they sell harmful products. Cons that supplement manufacturers use to convince consumers to buy their product To lure consumers, manufacturers of supplements use pictures of elegant models in their advertisements. This is to create an impression that consumers can also experience similar changes. They also present fake testimonials of individuals who had been supposedly transformed by the supplement. Manufacturers of supplements use complicated data presentation tools to confuse their customers. Other manufacturers simply recommend unreliable websites and other sources of information to gain the trust of their customers. Certified mark that consumers may look for on a supplement label to help assure that the ingredients contained therein are truly in the supplement To be sure that the ingredients contained in supplements are true, consumers are supposed to look for certain supplement labels. For instance, they should look for labels like NSF International, US Pharmacopeia, and ConsumerLab. The certified mark on the supplement label The statement