Side effects of vitamin supplements, the benefits, and harms of dietary supplements. Medicine now appears online, offering online consultations with doctors and mobile checkups. The development of biotechnology makes it possible to monitor body indicators in real-time. Biohacking has become a trend in recent years, and at its core is the careful diagnosis and determination of the body’s needs. It explains the fresh interest in vitamin and mineral complexes. What are dietary supplements, what kinds of food supplements exist, and what are the side effects of vitamin supplements?
Table of Contents
What are dietary supplements?
Biologically active food supplements (BAFS) are nutritional products of natural origin (or identical to natural) which can provide “general tonic, mild diuretic, tonic, sedative and other types of action in various functional conditions, reduce the risk of disease as well as normalize the microflora of the gastrointestinal tract.” Nutritional supplements are not medicines.
The U.S. National Center has studied the benefits and harms of many dietary supplements in Health Statistics that has proven that dietary supplements replenish the lack of micronutrients. Each type of medicine has pharmacological properties and affects human systems and organs.
Dietary supplements and nutrition
The set of vitamins and microelements required for ordinary human life is quite extensive. The primary source of these components is food. Dietary supplements can optimize the number of nutrients the body receives, but they do not replace a balanced diet.
Eating the right foods can reduce your risk of disease, as confirmed by research from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and scientists at the Human Nutrition Research Center. But foods don’t always contain the nutrients in the right amounts, so it’s necessary to replenish them with balanced vitamin and mineral supplements.
What are dietary supplements?
A general classification of nutritional supplements has not been developed by now. In most cases, we subdivide them according to their composition, functional activity, effects, and other criteria. The most important nutritional supplements for a person are the following:
Vitamins are organic compounds that we need in tiny quantities. The body can not synthesize them on its own, so it must absorb them from food. When there is a deficiency of any vitamins, the normal functioning of the body gets impaired.
The need for vitamins depends on the region of residence and the condition of the organism. A person needs all 13 of the currently known vitamins. You can make up for the lack of vitamins with the help of specialized supplements, which can be both mono drugs and vitamin complexes. For example, the vitamin, mineral, and phytonutrient complex NUTRILITETM DOUBLE XTM 31 day course maintains an optimal balance of nutrients and benefits 24 vegetables, plants, and fruits.
Minerals are chemical elements that are vital to all body systems. A person gets them with water and foodstuff. Necessary minerals are potassium, sodium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, and iodine. The main complex NUTRILITETM Daily 60 capsules help to get 93% of the daily norm of iodine (As a comparison: 100 g of pink salmon contains 33% of the daily norm).
Essential fatty acids are complex compounds of glycerol and fatty acids. The human body cannot synthesize them independently; the body absorbs them only with food. NUTRILITETM Omega-3 Complex provides an optimal number of Omega-3 fatty acids to sustain the cardiovascular system and keep you young.
We can also classify nutritional supplements for health, according to the purpose of their use. Balanced complexes of substances can solve various problems: there are drugs to protect the heart and blood vessels, for the digestive system and liver, to maintain immunity, and many others.
We should pay special attention to sports nutrition. These supplements compensate for deficiencies in vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that arise during periods of intense physical activity. Sports nutrition supplements can improve exercise performance, achieve optimal body weight, build muscle mass, reduce your body fat percentage, etc. Amway’s XSTM Power Drinks are sugar-free, low-calorie, nonalcoholic, natural juice-based energy boosters for after-workout recovery.
Benefits of dietary supplements for the body
Dietary supplements can significantly affect individual functions of the body and its condition. Calcium and vitamin D, for example, are necessary for maintaining bone strength. Doctors recommend pregnant women take folic acid to prevent an embryo from developing defects that may cause it to be nonviable, such as spinal fissures, anencephaly, and heart defects. You should consult your doctor before taking a particular vitamin complex.
What are the dangers and side effects of vitamin supplements?
Some nutritional supplements can cause harm to the body. If a person has diseases or risk factors, the side effects of vitamin supplements can be unpredictable. Do not combine nutritional supplements with medications. Products such as the herbal supplement St. John’s wort, for example, make many drugs less effective.
You should not use dietary supplements in the following situations:
Not consulting a doctor for a combination of supplements and side effects of vitamin supplements;
Using supplements in combination with medications;
Taking substitute supplements instead of prescription medications;
Taking too many of certain supplements, such as vitamin A, vitamin D, or iron.
Some supplements may also have unwanted effects before, during, and after surgery. So be sure to tell your doctor about any supplements you take.
Shoddy manufacturers can manipulate the composition and proportions of active ingredients. Only the presence of all the certificates confirms the products’ compliance and the safety of their use.
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