10.4 Health Products
There is a growing number of health products manufactured and available in the market today, ranging from pills and powders to lotions. Understanding what active ingredients are and being aware of how to choose and use health products safely is important to ensure they are beneficial and do not cause unwanted side effects.
Learning Objectives
- State the meaning of active ingredients in health products.
- Explain the purpose and role of active ingredients in health products.
- State the reasons for the increasing demand and use of health products in Malaysia.
- Explain the precautions that should be taken before buying or using any health product.
Active Ingredients in Health Products and Reasons for Their Use
A sample product label highlights the active ingredient and its purpose, while three callouts explain why people use health products.
Short Explanation
Definition
Active ingredients are specific components of a product that have effects on the cure or prevention of disease.
Health products come in various forms such as pills, powders, and lotions. Every health product contains specific components called active ingredients, which are responsible for curing or preventing disease.
Same active ingredient, same purpose. An active ingredient will have the same effect or purpose even when used in products of different brands. For instance, Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant.
Caution with active ingredients. Sometimes, two or more active ingredients cannot be used together because they can react with each other and cause harm to health.
The Use of Health Products Available in the Market
Why the demand for health products in Malaysia is increasing.
The demand for health products in Malaysia is currently increasing due to several reasons:
1. Treat diseases and maintain health
Health products such as supplements are taken to treat diseases and maintain health.
2. Guarantee normal growth and prevent diseases
Good health products can guarantee normal growth and prevent diseases. For example, multivitamins promote growth among children.
3. Busy lifestyle and unbalanced diet
More people rely on health products for better health due to their busy lifestyle and unbalanced diet.
Safety precautions
People must be careful when choosing the right health products. Always seek medical advice and check product labels before buying or using any health product to avoid unwanted effects.
Try to Answer First
Answer in your mind, then press “Check Answer”.
What is meant by an active ingredient in health products?
Why can certain active ingredients not be taken or used together?
Give two reasons why health products are used in Malaysia.
Common Mistakes
- Assuming that taking more than one health product at the same time is always safe, when in fact two or more active ingredients may react and harm the body.
- Believing that the same active ingredient behaves differently in different commercial brands, whereas it provides the same effect or purpose regardless of the brand.
- Using health products without reading the label or consulting medical advice, which may lead to unwanted side effects.
Concept Misunderstandings
All active ingredients in health products are completely harmless because they are sold over the counter.
Active ingredients have specific biological effects; combining incompatible active ingredients can cause dangerous chemical reactions that harm health.
Health products can completely replace a balanced diet.
Health products such as supplements help maintain health or compensate for an unbalanced diet, but consumers still need to exercise caution, consult doctors, and choose products safely.
Summary
- Active ingredients are specific components in health products that cure or prevent diseases.
- An active ingredient produces the same effect regardless of the product's brand.
- Combining certain active ingredients can be hazardous because they may react together.
- Health products are used to treat diseases, maintain health, promote growth (e.g., multivitamins for children), and supplement unbalanced diets resulting from busy lifestyles.
- Consumers should check labels and seek medical advice before using health products.
Short Activity
A. Objective Quiz
1 Which of the following defines an active ingredient in a health product?
2 Why must consumers be cautious when combining two or more different active ingredients?
B. Fill in the Blanks
3 In health products, Vitamin C acts as an to protect the body.
4 Before buying or using any health product, consumers should seek advice and check the product label.
C. Drag and Drop: Match the Concept to Its Description
Drag each concept to its correct description. On a phone, tap an answer first, then tap a matching box. Tap the Answer Choices area to return a selected item.
C. Match the Concept to Its Description
Write the correct concept next to each description.
| Description / Purpose | Concept / Example |
|---|---|
| 1. Specific component that cures or prevents disease | |
| 2. Serves the purpose of an antioxidant | |
| 3. Promotes normal growth among children | |
| 4. Factor causing more people to rely on health products |
Answer choices: Active ingredient • Vitamin C • Multivitamins • Busy lifestyle and unbalanced diet
