Everyone is looking for that magic pill that will make you healthy, but supplements are not always the solution. The advantages often do not outweigh the disadvantages,” says JoAnn Mansonchief of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, USA.
Yet store shelves are full of supplements. Are they all pointless? No, for some people extra vitamins can give that extra boost. But you probably need fewer vitamin pills than you think. Experts are particularly cautious with fat-soluble vitamins. Why? And what is the difference between fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins?
Water soluble vitamins vs fat soluble vitamins
Water-soluble vitamins, such as vitamins C and B, are quickly dissolved and processed by the body. They are not saved. “You pee out excess amounts of water-soluble vitamins,” says Alice Lichtensteindirector of the cardiovascular nutrition team at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University.
This works differently with fat-soluble vitamins. These vitamins are stored in your liver and in the fatty tissue of your body. That can be useful. For example, your body stores vitamin D in the summer to compensate for the fact that you are less exposed to sunlight in the winter months. But it also means that fat-soluble vitamins can build up to potentially unhealthy levels in the body.
There are four fat-soluble vitamins, but caution should be exercised especially with vitamins A and E.
Too much vitamin A: why is it harmful?
Vitamin A is important for normal growth, the immune system and your eyes. This vitamin is commonly found in animal products, but also in sweet potatoes, spinach and carrots. If you get enough vitamin A through your diet, this is considered safe and healthy.
But too much vitamin A is not good for your body. The Nutrition Center states that eight hundred micrograms of vitamin A for men and 680 grams for women is a healthy amount. The safe upper limit is three thousand micrograms per day.
Because large amounts of vitamin A increase the risk of birth defects of the eyes, heart and other organs, pregnant women are advised not to take vitamin A supplements. It is also better to avoid liver products during pregnancy.
‘Vitamin A supplements can also cause side effects for those who are not pregnant. In the long term, high doses of vitamin A can cause liver disease, elevated cholesterol, bone and muscle pain and visual problems,” says Kate Zeratsky, a dietitian at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, USA. ‘Early symptoms of too much vitamin A include dry skin, nausea, headaches, fatigue and hair loss.’
The controversy surrounding vitamin E
And then there is fat-soluble vitamin E, which is perhaps even more controversial. When this vitamin occurs naturally in food, for example in fish, avocado and nuts, it is a strong antioxidant. But experts are not yet convinced that vitamin E supplements are as healthy. Why do they doubt? There are different forms of vitamin E and not every variant has been equally researched.
“There are eight chemical forms of vitamin E, but most supplements contain the synthetic alpha-tocopherol,” says Yufang Lin, physician at the Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Integrative Medicine. And this form of vitamin E appears to carry more risks. ‘That could be an argument for choosing food rich in vitamin E instead of supplements.’
Grab a handful of nuts instead of a vitamin pill
So next time you’re in the supermarket, it’s better to throw a bowl of nuts or an avocado in your basket instead of vitamin pills. “It’s a common misconception that vitamin supplements are beneficial for everyone,” says dietitian Jen Messer. ‘They may be healthy for some people in certain circumstances, but nutritional supplements are not necessary for everyone. In addition, they can be expensive and not always taken without risks.’
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2023-11-24 10:42:10
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