What is the difference between a medical product and a dietary supplement?

Medical products and dietary supplements are often confused with each other. Outwardly, they may look similar, be sold side by side, and even be used for similar purposes. However, from the point of view of legislation and medicine, these are fundamentally different product categories, with different purposes, mechanism of action and level of responsibility.
Dietary supplements relate to food products. Its task is to supplement the human diet with certain substances: vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and plant extracts. The biologically active supplement is not intended for the treatment of diseases, diagnosis or prevention of pathological conditions in the medical sense. It does not directly interfere with physiological processes, but rather acts through the body's metabolism and biochemical reactions. That is why medical approvals are prohibited for dietary supplements, since such products cannot be claimed as a means of treatment or diagnosis.
A medical device, unlike a dietary supplement, has a strictly defined medical purpose. It is used to diagnose, treat, prevent diseases, rehabilitate, or compensate for impaired body functions. The effect of a medical device on the body is of a physical, mechanical, functional or other non-medicinal nature. These can be instruments, devices, consumables, implants, and products for monitoring the patient's condition. Even if the product does not treat directly, it participates in the medical process and influences medical decision-making or the patient's condition.
The key difference between these categories lies precisely in the mechanism of action and purpose. Dietary supplements work as part of nutrition and do not interfere with medical processes. A medical device is used in the healthcare system and is used for medical reasons. This also implies a different level of control, in which medical devices are subject to strict state registration, as they can potentially affect the health and safety of the patient. Dietary supplements undergo a different, more simplified admission procedure, since they are not considered medical products.
In practice, errors occur when an attempt is made to "put a product between" these categories. For example, when medicinal properties are attributed to a dietary supplement or when a product with a physical effect is being tried to be formulated as a dietary supplement. Such situations create regulatory risks and may lead to a ban on the circulation of products on the market.