The truth about supplements

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The truth about supplements
  
All right. It’s 2019. Currently we live in a society that pushes and breathes supplements and more supplements. There are many social influencers telling you that you should try these vitamins or this supplement and stating that you will achieve fat loss or increase your metabolism. Unfortunately there is no magic “pill” for either of these things but the worst part of it all is these vitamins/supplements can actually be DANGEROUS! Yes. Dangerous. Lets start with the basics. There many vitamins and minerals that are essential for our bodies (water-soluble vitamins, fat soluble vitamins, and major minerals).

Water-soluble vitamins include:
  • Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)
  • Thiamin (Vitamin B1)
  • Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)
  • Pantothenic Acid
  • Biotin
  • Folate
  • Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin)
  • Vitamin B6

Fat-soluble vitamins: 
  • Vitamin A and Carotenoids
  • Vitamin D
  • Vitamin E
  • Vitamin K

Major minerals include:
  • Calcium 
  • Phosphorus
  • Magnesium

Vitamin/Mineral
Possible Toxicity
Vitamin C
gastrointestinal problems and osmotic diarrhea.
Niacin
flushing and redness, burning, itching, tingling, headaches, gastrointestinal problems, liver injury, hyperuricemia, or hyperglycemia.
Pantothenic acid
intakes of 15-20 mg associated with mild intestinal distress including diarrhea.
Folate (Folic Acid)
insomnia, malaise, irritability, and gastrointestinal distress. Amounts ranging from 0.8- 5mg have been shown to increase cancer risk and cancer mortality
Vitamin A
hypervitaminosis, can cause birth defects, affects the liver- hyperplasia, hypertrophy, fibrogenesis, sclerosis of veins, portal hypertension, cirrhosis like hepatic disorder.
Carotenoids
carotenodermia, hypercarotenosis.
Vitamin D
hypercalcemia, calcinosis, toxicity can promote hyperphoshatemia, hypertension, anorexia, nausea, weakness, headache, renal dysfunction, and some cases, death.
Vitamin E
gastrointestinal distress, impaired blood coagulation, increased severity of respiratory infections, muscle weakness, fatigue, or double vision.
Vitamin K
the synthetic form- menadione can cause hemolytic anemia and liver damage.
Calcium
gastrointestinal distress (constipation, bloating, or gas), hypercalcemia, hypercalcuria, or increased risk of developing calcium-containing kidney stones.
Phosphorus
hyperphosphatemia.
 
 
Now that we know some of the possible toxicities that can occur with vitamins and minerals, let's refocus. Many of the supplements that are on shelves at grocery and health food stores “claim” many benefits. But these claims are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).    As stated by the FDA, 



“Dietary Supplements can be beneficial to your health — but taking supplements can also involve health risks. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not have the authority to review dietary supplement products for safety and effectiveness before they are marketed”




So this means that these supplements can potentially be unsafe and are NOT assessed for their dietary composition. Meaning, you could be consuming a supplement that exceeds the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for vitamins and minerals! This is scary. Most vitamins have a Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL), which is the maximum daily intake unlikely to cause adverse health effects. Most supplements in stores provide more than the RDA and come close if not are above the UL. I am providing a link below from the National Institutes of Health that shows the RDA, Average Intakes (AI), and UL for vitamins and minerals.


So the next time you’re considering a supplement, refer to the RDA, AI, and UL charts depending on whether you are male or female and your age and DO YOUR RESEARCH! It is equally important to consult with your doctor if you are considering supplementing. There is a possibility that you are receiving adequate intakes of vitamins and mineral from the foods you are consuming!

 
Nutrient Recommendations (RDA, AI, UL)

-NB

Reference
Gropper, S. A., & Smith, J. L. (2013). Advanced nutrition and human metabolism. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
 
 

















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