There háve been great developments in the production of nutritional supplements over the past decade in the food industry. Production and sales háve soared. Select dietary factors háve been shown to háve antio-xidant, anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative properties in vitro and attention has been paid to their use with both healthy and ill people. Clinicians caring for patients should know about the effect of these agents and how to use them with specific groups of patients. The subject of this review is a basic overview of the most commonly ušed agents (L arginine, taurine, coenzyme Q 10, carnitine, creatine, omega 3 fatty acids), their clinical effects and the results of clinical studies.

        Key words: nutritional supplements, L arginine, taurine, coenzyme Q 10, carnitine, creatine, omega 3 fat¬ty acids, clinical studies.