Nowadays, services and products are constantly competing with each other to be the industry leader. When we think one product has accomplished everything we need from its service, there’s something else that comes onto the market that makes the service twice as better. The use of technology has made this possible, providing innovative ways to increase the efficiency and service of products. There’s a similar occurrence happening with nanotechnology and its use in health supplements and dietary pills, providing a different method to how we eat.
What Influence Has It Had?
Nanotechnology is the use of atoms in technology that are less than 100 nanometers in size. To put it into perspective, that’s 1 millionth of a millimetre. This allows foods to use fewer ingredients and absorption in the body becomes more efficient, gaining more access to body parts that may not necessarily be accessible through conventionally sized particles. Nutrients and vitamins can also be maintained in the body as particular substances of its use can be prolonged in life.
What Are The Benefits?
There are also other benefits that can be seen from nanotechnology in regards to dietary foods and supplements. In processed foods, there are several emulsifiers included. Nanotechnology allows for the process of micelle formation which can disperse certain particles together, which is normally the function of emulsifiers.
How else nanotechnology helps to preserve substances in the body is by protecting them in areas of the body which they would normally be broken down. This allows the body to absorb the particles where they can become of use.
At the moment, the use of nanotechnology is to preserve the freshness of foods and prevent them from gaining bacteria.
What’s The Negative Side Of Nanotechnology Use?
Although there are great benefits to nanotechnology, there are also some negatives that need to be considered also. Some of the main negatives are the harm that they can cause to humans and animals.
Due to the changes that occur in the body from nanotechnology, it can seriously interfere with the body’s prime bodily functions which can be harmful. Although nanotechnology helps to maintain vitamins and nutrients, this does have an effect on the excretion of particular substances, causing toxic levels to build up. And due to the size of the particles, they would have access to body parts that wouldn’t necessarily be available. For example, nanomaterials would have access to the fetus which would cause birth defects.
There are qualities in nanotechnology to suggest that they could be groundbreaking in their use with health and dietary supplements. Everyday use tablets such as high strength fish oil capsules, vitamin D tablets and other forms of energy tablets could easily adopt the technology. However, it’s worth considering the harms that it can cause to consumers and reactions that they can give. The FDA would have to review minimal safety assessments before considering nanotechnology as a mass market.