Blueberries owe their deep hue to anthocyanins, a class of powerful antioxidants that are blue-violet in color. Supplement manufacturers have started isolating these healthy components to produce blueberry extract, giving you the benefits without the berry.

Fish oil, which contains omega-3 fatty acids, may provide a number of health benefits, including lowering your risk for heart disease, heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, arthritis and cancer. Fish oil supplements may also help you lower you triglyceride levels.

You can add probiotics to your diet by taking supplements or eating fermented foods, such as yogurt with live active cultures, tempeh, soy drinks, miso, kimchi or sauerkraut. These beneficial bacteria may improve your immune functioning and digestive health, but they aren't guaranteed to help with weight loss.

Arthritis is a chronic condition that involves inflammation in the joints. Arthritis forms because the cartilage between joints wears down, leaving bones to rub against other bones, causing inflammation and pain.

Thyroiditis includes a variety of thyroid conditions. Conditions that affect your thyroid can cause an increase or decrease in the amount of hormones this gland produces.

Avid gardeners will tell you that calcium carbonate is added to soil to increase pH – make soil more alkaline – and also increase calcium levels. Pharmaceutically purified calcium carbonate is an easily available and affordable calcium supplement.

Calcium is a mineral that is necessary for the growth and development of the fetus during pregnancy. Low amounts of maternal calcium can result in pregnancy and developmental complications in the fetus.

Salt is 40 percent sodium and 60 percent chloride -- both table and sea salt have the same chemical makeup. In the 1920s, the U.S. started adding iodine to table salt in response to a large segment of the population becoming iodine-deficient.

Sodium bicarbonate, or baking soda, is a molecular compound with several uses in cooking and medicine. The most common medical use of sodium bicarbonate is as an antacid for relieving heartburn, but it also has applications in treating acute cystitis.

Apple cider vinegar comes in many forms from the standard kind you can get at the market to raw and organic types that contain a cloudy sediment that's filled with nutrients, according to "Dr. Earl Mindell's Amazing Apple Cider Vinegar" by Earl Mindell, M.D.

Many bodybuilders swear by nitric oxide supplements, crediting them for increased vascularity, better post-workout "pump" and quicker recovery time. Though bodybuilding benefits are largely unproven, these supplements may be beneficial for certain populations.

For centuries, people worldwide have used sulfites to preserve foods and beverages. Shellfish handlers use sulfites to preserve shrimp. However, eating shrimp that contains sodium sulfite is potentially hazardous to your health if you are allergic to the shellfish.