National Institutes of Health NIH fact sheets can provide detailed information on the benefits and risks of individual vitamins and minerals , as well as herbal supplements. Highlighted here are seven supplements that you should take carefully, if at all. Vitamin D promotes calcium absorption in the body, and getting enough is central to health and well-being , offering the promise of protecting bones and preventing bone diseases like osteoporosis.
Also, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC notes , our bodies make vitamin D when bare skin is exposed to sunlight, but increased time spent indoors and widespread use of sunblock has minimized the amount of vitamin D many of us get from sun exposure. But enthusiasm for vitamin D supplements is outpacing the evidence. As it turns out, when healthy women take low doses of vitamin D up to international units, or IU it does not necessarily prevent them from breaking bones, according to a U.
And taking high doses is not a good option. It may also raise the risk of heart attack and stroke. The outlook is different for women who are over age 71, deficient in vitamin D, live in institutions, or have dark skin pigmentation. For them, the National Academy of Medicine reports , vitamin D supplements prescribed by a doctor are beneficial. To achieve vitamin D recommendations — IU per day for people 1 to 70 years old and IU per day for individuals 71 or older — include whole foods, such as salmon, tuna, milk, mushrooms, and fortified cereals in your daily diet.
You can also spend a brief time in the sun without sunblock — about 10 to 15 minutes a day, according to the NIH. Small studies have shown St. For example, a review published March in the Journal of Affective Disorders looked at of 27 clinical trials with a total of 3, patients and concluded that the herbal remedy worked as well as certain antidepressants at decreasing symptoms of mild to moderate depression. A study published in July in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that 28 percent of the time St.
For example, combining St. Taking St. If you want to make sure you're not spinning your wheels and taking unnecessary supplements, go see a functional medicine practitioner and get some lab work done.
Tests for vitamin D, B vitamins, iron, selenium, and magnesium are very simple and can all be done through basic conventional blood tests. We can also run more comprehensive labs that test for underlying factors such as microbiome health, hormonal imbalances, or toxicity; these can provide a lot of direction when it comes to your health and what supplements would be a wise addition to your routine.
For at least one week, log your typical food intake in a food tracking app like MyFitnessPal. In these programs you can see what you're lacking as far as micronutrients vitamins and minerals and even macronutrients protein, fat, and carbohydrates.
Based on this information, you can optimize the foods you eat and decide whether or not you need a supplement to target what you are not getting through food alone. Many functional medicine doctors, with the best of intentions, will recommend a number of supplements depending on your case. Personally I always use food as medicine primarily for a strong foundation and use supplements based on labs to keep it targeted and organized. Some people do well with phasing in their supplements every few days to see how they respond while others are perfectly suited to start them all at once.
Depending on what you are taking, sometimes it is appropriate to spread supplements out over the day to maximize nutrient absorption. Once you find out which supplements are pertinent to your unique needs, the next step would be to pick a quality supplement with the correct dosage.
We all have different needs and requirements, so it may be appropriate for you to talk to a qualified functional medicine practitioner here, but generally speaking, getting around percent of the daily recommended value is a good idea. If you are taking more than one supplement with the same nutrient, remember to add this to the percentage. Our bodies tend to pee out extra water-soluble vitamins like B-complex vitamins and C, so toxicity tends to be less likely an issue.
On the other hand, fat-soluble vitamins like vitamins A, D, E, and K2 can be toxic if you take too much for your body. This also applies to minerals like selenium, which in excess can cause hair loss, fatigue, and joint pain.
Similarly, supplementing with iron in excess can be oxidizing, fueling inflammation. Therefore, reading labels and understanding the upper limits which you can find on the NIH website and the difference between fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins are very important for your health and safety. The supplements you choose might be right for you in theory but not in reality.
This is likely due to interactions with prescribed medications you may be taking. For example, CoQ10 , which is a great nutrient that many people can benefit from, has many potential reactions with pharmaceutical drugs like diabetes medications, beta blockers, blood thinners, and ACE inhibitors. Preventing preeclampsia may be as simple as taking an aspirin. Caring for an aging parent? Tips for enjoying holiday meals.
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Can vaping help you quit smoking? Staying Healthy Are you taking too many supplements? When taken in excess, some water-soluble vitamins can cause adverse effects, some of which can be dangerous.
However, similarly to vitamin K, certain water-soluble vitamins have no observable toxicity and hence no set UL. These vitamins include vitamin B1 thiamine , vitamin B2 riboflavin , vitamin B5 pantothenic acid , vitamin B7 biotin , and vitamin B12 cobalamin 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , Therefore, caution should be taken with all nutritional supplements.
The following water-soluble vitamins have set ULs, as they can cause adverse side effects when taken in high doses:. Note that these are side effects that healthy people may experience when taking large doses of these vitamins. Individuals with health conditions can experience even more serious reactions to taking too much of a vitamin. For example, though vitamin C is unlikely to cause toxicity in healthy people, it can lead to tissue damage and fatal heart abnormalities in those with hemochromatosis , an iron storage disorder Aside from vitamin K, which has a low potential for toxicity, the remaining three fat-soluble vitamins have a set UL due to their potential to cause harm at high doses.
Although vitamin K has a low potential for toxicity, it can interact with certain medications, such as warfarin and antibiotics 6. Both water- and fat-soluble vitamins can cause side effects when taken in high doses, with some causing more severe symptoms than others.
For example, hypervitaminosis A can be caused by taking one large dose of over mg of vitamin A, or chronic use of more than 10 times the recommended daily intake Vitamin A toxicity may lead to serious complications, such as increased spinal fluid pressure, coma, and potentially fatal organ damage Additionally, taking megadoses of vitamin D — more than 50, IU daily — over long periods can lead to high blood levels of calcium hypercalcemia , which can lead to death Overdosing on other vitamins can likewise cause potentially fatal side effects, such as liver damage.
A case report found that taking very high doses of over 5 grams of extended-release niacin can lead to metabolic acidosis, a buildup of acid in body fluids, as well as acute liver failure — both of which can be fatal Keep in mind that these potentially deadly side effects are associated with taking exceptionally high doses of vitamins. Even so, caution should always be taken when consuming any dietary supplement.
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