What are dietary supplements? Benefits, risks and important information

Dietary supplements simply explained: Find out what they are, when they can be useful – and what you should pay attention to.

What are dietary supplements? Benefits, risks and important information
Icon kleines Buch 8 Min
Icon kleiner Kalender Zuletzt aktualisiert am 29.04.2026
Melanie Seyfarth
Melanie Seyfarth

Pill here, capsule there, and later a powder. Sound familiar? Understandable. In recent years, there has been a real boom in dietary supplements. Suddenly, they are everywhere: in the pharmacy, in the drugstore, and even in the discount store, various packages are smiling at you.
But often you stand in front of the shelves and can't make sense of it all. This flood of products is confusing. And slowly but surely, a big question mark forms in your head: What exactly are dietary supplements? And what are important dietary supplements that are suitable for me?
Don't worry, we at Vetain are very familiar with this topic and give you an overview of dietary supplements in this article. This way, you can soon confidently buy your daily supplements.


Your knowledge to go: What are dietary supplements?

  • Dietary supplements are nutrients like vitamins & minerals in concentrated form that can contribute to an adequate supply of certain nutrients – especially when this cannot be achieved through diet alone.

  • Which supplements make sense is very individual and depends, among other things, on lifestyle, life phase, and diet.

  • A conscious and responsible approach to dietary supplements is important.


Definition

What exactly are dietary supplements?
In short, dietary supplements are measured nutrients in concentrated form that can affect the body or nutritional status. This means that nutrients like vitamins or minerals are packaged into small pills, powders, capsules, effervescent, or other tablets and juices. This way, they can contribute to an adequate supply of certain nutrients – especially when this cannot be achieved through diet alone.

What are the most common dietary supplements?

  • Vitamins

  • Minerals

  • Secondary plant compounds

  • Amino acids

  • Enzymes

  • Fatty acids

  • …

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If you think now, after seeing this list of dietary supplements, great, then I'll just eat pizza and chocolate all day from now on and get my nutrients from supplements, I'm afraid I have to disappoint you. Dietary supplements (short: DS or supplements) are not a substitute for a healthy diet, but only a complement! That means supplements can play a role in everything you can't achieve with a healthy diet – but they are not an alternative to fruits and vegetables.

By the way: Did you know that supplements are classified as food and are therefore clearly distinguished from medicines?


Medicines vs. supplements

Before we continue with the question "Why supplements?", let's take a small detour into the topic of medicines vs. supplements.
What exactly are supplements and medicines? What are supplements suitable for and what is the difference from medications?

Supplements complement (as the name nicely says) our diet when certain nutrients are not consumed in sufficient amounts.
Taking supplements can therefore ensure that we are adequately supplied with nutrients. However, supplements themselves cannot cure diseases like a medicine can. Supplements are not made to treat diseases.


Who needs supplements?

Now we already know what supplements are and also what they are not. Next up: What are the reasons to take supplements?
Nutrients like vitamins and minerals can actually be obtained through a balanced diet. However, there are some situations where it is not so easy or even impossible to meet your nutrient needs in the usual way. Situations where a balanced diet is simply not enough because our needs are higher than what we can provide our body through food.

In exactly such cases, supplements come into play: they can help supply your body with nutrients.

Special life circumstances & life phases:



Special lifestyles & life styles:

  • vegetarian diet

  • vegan diet (there are many plant-based supplements)

  • physically active

  • …


You can see, not everyone needs supplements, but for many they are useful. Now you're probably wondering how it looks in your individual case: What are the supplements that are important for you?



When should you take supplements?

Sorry, unfortunately we can't answer that in general. Because: whether and which supplements you need is very individual. Depending on lifestyle, life phase, diet, etc., supplements can be more or less useful for you.
But we can give you a few tips to help you better assess the situation:

  1. Do you belong to one of the groups mentioned above? If yes, get more information on trusted sites.

  2. Watch your diet and track your nutrients. What do you not get enough of in everyday life? These can be first indications that supplementation might be useful. You can find the reference values (how much of a nutrient you should consume) at the DGE.

  3. Take care of yourself and your body: Are you constantly tired and exhausted? Do you often get sick? These can (but don’t have to) be signs of a nutrient deficiency.

  4. Get advice: A medical examination and consultation with nutrition experts or at the pharmacy can help.

Here you can find out which dietary supplements might be right for you: Which supplements should you take?

Also interesting: Are supplements really necessary?



Risks and side effects

What, are dietary supplements dangerous? Just a few vitamins – that can’t be harmful, right? After all, you always hear from all sides that you should eat more fruits and vegetables to get enough vitamins. Well, it’s not quite that simple. Dietary supplements can actually have risks and side effects.

What are the risks of dietary supplements:

  • Risk of overdose: Too much of a good thing can lead to symptoms like stomach pain, nausea, or worse. Always follow the dosage recommendations – there’s a reason they are on the package! ;)

  • Insufficient product quality: Contaminated products, low-quality active ingredients, incompatible ingredients, or overdosed supplements. Although there are many regulations for dietary supplement manufacturers, unfortunately, there are also many deceptive products.

  • Interactions: Some supplements can cause unwanted interactions with each other or with medications.

  • Multivitamin and combination supplements: These contain many different vitamins and minerals, following the motto "Nutrients from A to Z." Usually, you don't need at least half of them. Prefer single supplements or combinations that make sense for you.

Last but not least, you also determine how dangerous supplements are for you. Because even the best product can have negative effects if taken incorrectly or abused. Responsible use and sufficient research are therefore very important.


Guide: How to Find Good Dietary Supplements

It can be difficult to find a good product among the huge selection. What should you look for when buying? What are good dietary supplements? And which dietary supplements should you avoid?

Here is a checklist with tips for good products:

  • quality seals and certificates

  • a clean and short ingredient list

  • trustworthy origin

  • official product tests and reviews

  • Transparency and contact options: Good manufacturers are always there for you and do not shirk responsibility.

  • clear intake recommendations and sensible dosages

By the way: Medical and nutritional professionals as well as pharmacies are happy to advise you and answer questions about products.

One last tip: If you read anything about “miracle cure” or “healing” on the package – run! And run far, far away.

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Conclusion: What are dietary supplements?

Supplements complement a balanced diet and can help us get enough vitamins, minerals & more. Who needs which dietary supplements is individual.
Hopefully you now better understand what dietary supplements are!


Literature & sources

  1. EFSA (European Food Safety Authority). (n.d.). Dietary Supplements. https://www.efsa.europa.eu/
    de/topics/topic/food-
    supplements

  2. Working Group on Dietary Supplements in the German Food Association e.V. (2023). Dietary Supplements – the most important facts. https://www.lebensmittelverband.de
    /fileadmin/Publications/Brochures_
    Flyer/2023/06/AK_Supplements_Brochure_2023
    _WEB_final.pdf

  3. BVL (Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety). (n.d.) Dietary Supplements. https://www.bvl.bund.de/
    DE/WorkAreas/01_Food
    /03_Consumers/04_Supplements/Supplements_
    node.html

  4. BZfE (Federal Center for Nutrition) at the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE); Seeher, J.; Thiesmeier-Dormann, C. & Schmidt-Packmohr, C. (2023). Vitamins, minerals, and more. When is supplementation useful? In: Kompass Nutrition, 27(1).

Do you have questions? Then feel free to write me an email – I look forward to hearing from you! :)

The information shared in this article does not replace individual medical or nutritional advice.

Inhalt

    Frequently asked questions

    The question of which dietary supplements are beneficial cannot be answered in general terms, as it is very individual. It depends u.a. depends on lifestyle, life stage and diet.

    Dietary supplements are preparations in various forms that contain nutrients such as vitamins and minerals. They are a supplement to a balanced diet and can contribute to the supply of nutrients.

    Dietary supplements can contribute to an adequate supply of nutrients. But not everyone needs NEM - a balanced diet is often sufficient.

    Signs of good supplements are quality seals and certificates, a short list of ingredients, a trustworthy origin, clear intake recommendations and sensible dosages as well as recommendations from specialists.

    Yes! Therefore, always pay attention to the expiry date and do not use products that are past this date.