Taking a supplement sounds like a great idea. A multivitamin can help you get the nutrients you're missing in your diet, some can help you sleep and reduce uncomfortable symptoms, while there's a huge market for exercise supplements that are supposed to help you lose weight or get ripped.
Supplements promise a lot of things, which is what makes them so appealing. However, you should think twice the next time you're tempted to reach for a bottle in the supplement section of the grocery store.
You Don't Know What You're Taking
Think you know what you're taking? Many bottles appear to show you what's inside by including some ingredients. Not to mention, many supplements are essentially their main ingredient, as is the case when it comes to things like vitamins. Unfortunately, none of this means you actually know what you're taking.
Over-the-counter supplements are not regulated by the FDA. Most are not rigorously tested, and many don't have accurate labels. Dosages could be inaccurate and phony ingredients may be included in the supplement that are not mentioned on the bottle. At the very least, you're wasting your money. At the very worst, you could be putting your health in danger.
They May Contain Harmful Ingredients
Not only is it likely that you don't know what you're taking, it's also possible that some of the ingredients you don't know about are downright harmful.
For example, the dietary supplement Craze was found to contain 35 mg of a methamphetamine-like compound in just one dose. With such a high concentration, it's obvious that the ingredient was included in the supplement intentionally, but it was not mentioned as an ingredient on the bottle.
The biggest danger is the fact that no one really knows how many other supplements like this one exist on shelves. Because supplements are not regulated by the FDA and manufacturers don't have to include all of the ingredients on the bottle, there are likely other supplements out there that contain unhealthy, or downright harmful, ingredients that haven't been investigated.
They Can Interact With Pharmaceutical Drugs
It's true supplements exist on shelves that contain harmful ingredients. Fortunately, many don't, but just because the supplement itself doesn't contain any harmful ingredients doesn't mean it can't be harmful to your health.
The people creating and manufacturing supplements are rarely medical professionals, and with no labeling requirements, it's easy for the wrong people to pick up the wrong supplement.
Even if a supplement is technically harmless because it contains harmless ingredients, if you take medications, taking that supplement could be bad for your health. Quite a few supplements interact with quite a few medications, and warnings are almost never included on the bottle.
Just a few possibly dangerous interactions include:
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American ginseng reduces blood concentrations of Warfarin
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Gingko has been linked to spontaneous bleeding in those who take a daily Aspirin
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St. John's wort decreases plasma blood levels in patients who take Statins
In addition, all three of these supplements have been shown to interact negatively with a variety of psychiatric medications. If you aren't careful, you could find that a supplement makes your health worse when it is combined with another medication you're taking.
Too Much Can Make You Sick
In an effort to make sure you get enough of certain nutrients, you may think it's better to get too much, which means taking supplements on days you don't really need them. In some cases, these extra vitamins just get flushed from your systems. In other cases, taking too many vitamins can be dangerous.
For example, taking too much vitamin C or zinc can cause diarrhea and stomach cramps, while selenium can cause hair loss and nerve damage. Fat-soluble vitamins, like vitamin A, can build up toxic levels in the body, affecting your health in the long run.
They Don't Really Work
Possibly the most convincing reason not to take supplements is the fact that most of them don't really work. It's true that some supplements can help with specific issues, like ginger can with nausea and turmeric can with inflammation, but you're much better off getting these kinds of supplements from the source. The stuff in bottles hasn't been shown to help you live longer, improve your health, or help you make additional gains at the gym.
Supplements are expensive! The cost would be worth it if they were safe and effective, but it turns out, they probably aren't. You're better off investing in your health by eating nutrient-rich foods and staying active.
