On our nightstands or dining tables, most of us have dietary supplement bottles. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle through proper diet and exercise has become the new cool. While many of us strive to be our healthiest selves, we frequently follow certain things simply because we hear they are good.
Many adults and children in large cities use multiple dietary supplements. Minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, enzymes, and a variety of other ingredients can be found in dietary supplements in addition to vitamins. Dietary supplements are available in a variety of forms, including tablets, capsules, gummies, powders, drinks, and energy bars. Vitamins D and B12 are popular supplements, as are minerals like calcium and iron, herbs like echinacea and garlic, and products like glucosamine, probiotics, and fish oils. Taking Supplements Is it really necessary to take them for your friend’s body?
What exactly are dietary supplements?
Dietary supplements are taken to compensate for deficiencies in your body. These are the vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, calcium tablets, and multivitamin tablets that are frequently prescribed by your doctor. Vitamins, minerals, iron, amino acids, and even herbs can be included. Dietary supplements are frequently available in capsule, tablet, powder, or liquid form, and can be taken after or before meals.
Dietary supplements have become a norm in recent years, as the health market has boomed. With so many brands introducing supplements that claim to cure you, it’s critical to understand the function of a dietary supplement. Dietary supplements are not drugs, but rather food items that do not purport to cure, treat, or prevent any disease. Their sole purpose is to treat your body’s deficiency. As a result, it is safe to say that they are not medicines that will assist you in curing any disease.
Who should take dietary supplements?
Dietary supplements are ideal for people who have any kind of deficiency that their diet is unable to meet. A variety of factors can contribute to this, including age, a stressful lifestyle, or simply poor eating habits.
If you don’t eat a nutritious variety of foods, some dietary supplements can help you get adequate amounts of essential nutrients. Supplements, however, cannot replace the variety of foods that are essential to a healthy diet. Some dietary supplements can help improve overall health and manage certain medical conditions. As an example:
- Calcium and vitamin D help to maintain bone strength and prevent bone loss.
- Folic acid reduces the likelihood of certain birth defects.
- Some people with heart disease may benefit from omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oils.
- In people with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a combination of vitamins C and E, zinc, copper, lutein, and zeaxanthin (known as AREDS) may slow further vision loss.
What are the potential risks?
Read more: These 6 Thyroid diet tips will help in losing extra weight
Many supplements contain active ingredients that can have a significant impact on the body. Always be on the lookout for the possibility of a negative reaction, especially when using a new product.
If you take dietary supplements in high doses or instead of prescribed medications, or if you take a variety of supplements, you are more likely to experience side effects. Some supplements may increase your risk of bleeding or, if taken prior to surgery, may alter your response to anaesthesia. Supplements can also interact with some medications in ways that can be problematic. Here are a couple of examples:
- Vitamin K has been shown to reduce the ability of the blood thinner warfarin to prevent clotting.
- St. John’s wort has been shown to accelerate the breakdown of many medications and reduce their effectiveness (including some antidepressants, birth control pills, heart medications, anti-HIV medications, and transplant drugs).
- Some types of cancer chemotherapy may be less effective if antioxidant supplements, such as vitamins C and E, are taken.
Sometimes lead to over nutrition condition
Vitamins, minerals, and other supplement ingredients may be added to foods you eat, particularly breakfast cereals and beverages. As a result, you may receive more of these ingredients than you anticipated, and more may not be better. Taking more than you need increases your costs and increases your risk of side effects. Too much vitamin A, for example, can cause headaches and liver damage, as well as reduce bone strength and cause birth defects. Excess iron causes nausea and vomiting and has the potential to harm the liver and other organs.
If you are pregnant or nursing, avoid taking dietary supplements. Also, unless a child’s health care provider recommends it, avoid giving them supplements. Many supplements have not been thoroughly studied for their safety in pregnant women, nursing mothers, or children. Inform your health care provider if you believe you have had a negative reaction to a dietary supplement.
Keep these things in mind before taking dietary supplements:
Read more: You must know about these 7 side-effects of instant Fat Burners before using them
Although many marketing strategies have led us to believe that in this day and age, everyone requires supplements, we need to keep some points in mind before using supplements.
Even supplements will not work in your body if your diet is not balanced. It is pointless to take pills if your diet is not in order. Furthermore, your sleep pattern, eating pattern, and lifestyle pattern all have a significant impact on how supplements work on your body.
A rainbow diet, in which you include vegetables and fruits in your diet on a daily basis, is required for a healthy body.
For starters, food does not cause allergies like supplements do, and secondly, food absorbs better than supplements.
We do not require dietary supplements unless and until otherwise directed by a physician. This is due to the fact that supplements do not suit every body and we can never be certain of the quality of the product we will be consuming.
According to experts, purchasing supplements off the shelf is a big no-no and should always be started with proper medical guidance.
