There’s no denying that supplements can be beneficial to your wellbeing; if you’re missing vital nutrients or experiencing health problems, supplements can give you the wellness top-up your diet needs. However, many people get their supplements in synthetic form, and this can be a real health risk. Your body can easily assimilate organic forms of foods, while synthetic foods often have side effects. In fact, there are eight major ways that supplements can threaten your wellness:
1. Carcinogenic agents: Although certain supplements – like vitamin C – may have the ability to prevent cancer, others can cause the disease, especially lymphoma and lung disease. Beta carotene, vitamin E and phosphorous supplements can also aggravate your cancer if it’s in the acute stages, and may even cause it to spread.
2. Heart disorders: If you’re taking food supplements along with your blood pressure tablets, heart problems are guaranteed to occur. Vitamin E can cause you to have a heart attack, as it contains antioxidants which cause a negative effect on the blood circulation to your heart when taken in an uncontrolled amount. Also, if you’re taking the heart medicine digoxin, calcium can have a similar effect.
3. Liver disorders: Taking too much vitamin A can mean that you’ll develop liver problems, including nausea, vomiting and liver damage. The same can be said of protein supplements, but really any synthetic vitamins have the capacity to damage the membranes in the wall of your liver. This makes it more difficult for your liver to digest fat, and so you could develop liver diseases such as jaundice.
4. Pulmonary disorders: You can experience lung problems from protein and vitamin supplements, as the large quantities of amino acids build up an intolerance in your respiratory system, which leads to related disorders. These include difficulty in breathing, nausea, and headaches due to the lower supply of oxygen to your lungs, sinusitis, etc. You can even become allergic to the supplements, which can cause symptoms such as sneezing, coughing and cold and flu – especially if you take high amounts of vitamin C.
5. Digestive problems: Your digestive system has trouble absorbing protein supplements, and so taking the supplements in excess can lead to improper digestion. Symptoms of this include gas, vomiting, weight gain, constipation, diarrhoea and other problems. You also need to watch out for fat-soluble vitamin supplements, as some of these can release toxins which are harmful to your digestive system, especially the walls of the stomach.
6. Bone disorders: If you overdo it on vitamins B6 and B12, you can experience body pains and inflamed joints. Excess levels of calcium, though the mineral is good for your bone strength, can actually lead to arthritis, spondilitis, weak bones and muscles, and more. The best thing to do is to consume dietary sources of calcium, such as bananas, dairy products and dark, leafy vegetables.
7. Neurological Disorders: Vitamins – as well as minerals such as zinc, calcium, magnesium and phosphorous – can cause neuro-related illness such as poor nerve function, loss of memory power, limb numbness due to weak nerves and headaches. You can also develop neurological diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, while your eyes may suffer from a high intake of vitamin A.
8. Reproductive problems: If you’re on the Pill, calcium and zinc supplements can increase your risk of infertility. According to recent research, consuming a high amount of any supplement that contains creatinine has caused Poly Cystic Ovarian Disease (PCOD) in 68% of young females, and 23% of menopausal women. In men, protein supplements have been known to cause decreased sperm production and even infertility.