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A highly debatable question with plenty of information out there which might just leave you confused in the end. Follow these guidelines if you are stuck up with this important question…
1) If you are pregnant, or nursing a baby, or have some chronic medical condition such as diabetes, hypertension or heart disease consider talking to your doctor before taking any supplement.
Many supplements contain ingredients that can have strong biological effects and can interact with other medications. Also, the safety of many of these supplements is not regulated by the FDA..
2) Some nutritional supplements can have unwanted effects during some surgical procedures, so it is important to notify your doctor about the complete list of supplements including vitamins, minerals or herbal before any elective surgery.
You may be asked to stop taking these supplements at least two or three weeks before the procedure to prevent dangerous interactions between the supplements and drugs.
These could be as deadly as increased bleeding, changes in heart rate or blood pressure which can lead to severe adverse effects to the outcome of the surgery.
3) While combining supplements from different sources, be cautious about the interactions they might cause. It could be either combining supplements with over the counter drugs or within the supplements.
Some of these could be potentially serious like a combination of ginkgo biloba (an herbal supplement), aspirin (an over the counter drug), warfarin (a prescription drug) and Vitamin E (a vitamin supplement) – all of which can thin the blood and increase the risk for internal bleeding.
4) Always check with your doctor or pharmacist before giving any supplements to your child, although vitamin and mineral supplements are considered safe for children.
5) Always remember that while your body needs nutrients to stay healthier and prevent disease, taking megadoses of these nutrients in the form of supplements can be harmful and instead of protecting the body, can cause irreversible damage.
Research and studies have shown that the combination of multiple nutrients found in foods have enough if not more power to protect the body from any free radical damage than do single nutrients taken in the form of supplements.
So, the bottom line for the whole debate is- try to get most out of your nutrition from a healthy, well balanced diet and in addition if you want to take a supplement- a single multivitamin without mega doses of nutrients is the best.
And of course, remember these health guidelines and consult your doctor before changing any of your supplement medications.
Good Luck…leave me your comments.
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