The difference between dietary supplements and health products

The core conclusion is put first: Many people think that "dietary supplements" and "health products" are parallel categories. In fact, they are not in the same dimension at all - the full name of domestically compliant "health products" is health food, which is a blue "little hat" that has been approved by the regulatory authorities. " is a major category of special food labeled ", while "dietary supplements" is a concept introduced from Europe and the United States. In the domestic regulatory system, it only corresponds to the subcategory of "nutrient supplements" under health food, which essentially belongs to the category of health products. The two cannot be equated at all.

A few days ago, my cousin sent me a link to a fish oil store purchased overseas, and asked me whether it was considered a health product or a dietary supplement, whether it was more reliable than the domestic blue-hat products, and whether I could buy it for parents with high blood lipids. Many people around me have this question. After all, whether you are browsing Xiaohongshu or browsing overseas shopping platforms, one moment a "high-purity NMN dietary supplement" pops up, the next a "Blue Hat immunity-enhancing health product" pops up. The names are confusing, and many people are confused.

Speaking of this, I have to mention the completely different regulatory logics on both sides. This is also the core reason why everyone is confused about these two concepts. Domestic health food products are very strict from declaration to listing. Whether they are nutrient supplements that supplement vitamins and minerals, or products that claim to have specific functions such as assisting in lowering blood lipids and improving sleep, they must first be approved by the State Administration for Market Regulation and obtain the blue hat label before they can be called health foods. There are clear catalogs for functional claims and raw material use. Promoting beyond the scope is directly considered a violation. The regulatory logic for "dietary supplements" in the United States and the European Union is completely different. Taking the U.S. FDA as an example, it will not conduct pre-market approval of dietary supplements at all. The manufacturers themselves are responsible for the safety and effectiveness of the products. As long as they do not casually claim to cure diseases, they can be put on the market for sale. Only if there is a problem does the FDA intervene in the recall.

It is precisely because of this difference that there have always been two completely different views in the circle: one is overseas shopping parties, who feel that foreign dietary supplement formulas are updated quickly and have many choices. New raw materials such as PQQ and ergothioneine, which have been very popular in the past two years, have not yet received domestic blue hat approval. There are already mature products abroad, so as long as you choose reliable The big brands have a low chance of being cheated; the other group are conservatives who feel that the risks of products without prior supervision are too high. In the past two years, news came out that a fat-reducing dietary supplement purchased overseas by an Internet celebrity added the banned sibutramine. People who took it suffered from heart palpitations and liver function damage. Domestic products with blue hats are safer. In fact, both statements are reasonable, and it all depends on personal needs and judgment.

One pitfall that many people easily fall into is that they think that dietary supplements are more "pure" than health products and are nutritional supplements. Without those messy marketing routines, it would not be an IQ tax. How can there be such an absolute thing? I met a fan a while ago and said that he ate takeout every day and didn’t touch much fruits and vegetables, so he was deficient in vitamin B. He bought a bottle of foreign multivitamin dietary supplements and after taking it for half a month, the ulcer at the corner of his mouth was cured. This is useful. But I also have a friend who, in order to prevent hair loss, takes three kinds of supplements a day, biotin, zinc tablets, and multivitamins in rotation. After taking it for half a month, he went for a physical examination. His transaminase was significantly higher. The doctor asked him to stop all supplements. A month later, the reexamination was normal. Whether it is called health products or dietary supplements, the core is "supplement". If you have a balanced diet, regular work and rest, and are not lacking in any nutrients, whatever you eat will be superfluous. In severe cases, it will put a burden on your body's metabolism.

There is also a word game often played by merchants that you may have encountered: ordinary foods without blue hats are packaged as "pure natural dietary supplements", claiming to be able to replenish qi and blood, whiten skin, and resist aging, and sell them at a price higher than regular blue hat products. Remember, in China, as long as a product claims to have health care functions, or claims to supplement vitamins and minerals, it must obtain a blue hat qualification, otherwise it is illegal. If you encounter such "dietary supplements" that have no blue hat and are highly praised, just avoid them.

Actually, you really don’t have to worry about the name. If you are afraid of stepping into the trap, just choose domestic regular health foods with blue hats. If you have a need for new raw materials and can identify the reliability of overseas shopping brands, it is no problem to buy compliant dietary supplements. The key point is not to regard these things as "magic medicines" and rely on them to replace meals or cure diseases. How much money you spend will be IQ tax. If you really need supplements, you should first ask your doctor or registered dietitian for advice, which is much more reliable than blindly following bloggers.