Many people do not know the risks, limits and advertising tricks behind supplements that promise almost everything. Here are five tips from a nutritionist on the consumption of food supplements.
From collagen dust to gums for immunity, food supplements are everywhere: Instagram feed, supermarket shelves and our bathroom wardrobes.
They promise to improve sleep, make the skin luminous, increase concentration or even prolong our lives. They are marketed as rapid solutions to the anguish of modern health.
I am a nutritionist and people often ask me if it is worth taking supplements. My answer is: it depends.
From the statements circulating on the internet, we could think we can take care of almost everything.
Some supplements actually play an important role in certain circumstances. But they are often misunderstood and exaggeratedly marketed.
Many people do not know the risks, the limits and advertising tricks behind the labels.
Here are five points that I would like more people to know before buying food supplements.
1. Start with food, not with supplements
If you can’t get a nutrient in food, the supplement is almost always the best option.
The standard food agency of the United Kingdom defines a food supplement as a product “designed to correct nutritional deficiencies, maintain the correct intake of certain nutrients or support specific physiological functions”.
In other words, there are supplements to help your diet, not to replace real foods.
Whole Foods offer much more isolated nutrients. Orosis fish such as salmon, for example, not only provide omega-3 fats, but also proteins, vitamin D, selenium and other beneficial compounds.
They interact in forms that we do not fully understand and it is difficult, if not impossible, to replicate their combined effects in the form of food supplement.
Scientists tried to isolate “active ingredients” in fruit, vegetables and vegetables to recreate their benefits in capsules without success. Apparently, the advantages come from complete foods, not from separate compounds.
But it should be noted that there are circumstances in which supplements are needed. Folic acid, for example, is recommended before and during pregnancy to reduce the risk of defects of the neural tube in the fetus.
Vitamin D is recommended during the winter months in which sunlight is limited. And the people who follow vegan foods may need vitamin B12, which is mainly found in animal products.
2. You may not realize that you are taking too much
It is much easier to take an excessive quantity of substance with supplements compared to the consumption of food.
In the short term, this can have side effects such as nausea or diarrhea. But excessive long -term use can have serious consequences.
Many people spend years taking supplements without knowing if they are needed or how excessive it is.
Vitamins soluble in fats, such as A, D and K, are preserved in the body and do not excrete. The excess of vitamin D, for example, can generate accumulation of calcium, which can damage the kidneys and hearts and weaken the bones.
On the other hand, high doses of Vitamin A. They can cause liver lesions, defects at birth in case of pregnancy and reduce bone density.
Vitamins soluble in water can also cause problems. Excessive long -term use of Vitamin B6For example, it was related to nerve injuries.
Since most people do not regularly control their nutritional levels in the blood, they often realize that something is wrong when the symptoms occur.
3. Do not trust the Council of Social Networks
Spend a few minutes on the internet and we will probably see food supplements promoted as “Immunity strengtheers”, “natural” or “detoxifying”.
These words may seem convincing, but they do not have a scientific definition. These are marketing terms.
The British food standard agency clarifies that food supplements “are not medicinal products” and “cannot exercise a pharmacological, immunological or metabolic action”. However, many statements found online suggest the opposite.
In English, this type of advertising is often called to Health sinking. It gives the impression that supplements have powers that do not have.
Food supplements are not subject to the same regulation and requirement of anti -drug tests. That is, they can be scarcely formulated, their dosage can be wrong or it can be poorly labeled.
The United Kingdom advertising agency (ASA) defined rules on health advertising, including social networks. But its execution is difficult, especially with influencer marketing and affiliation patterns.
Multilivelo marketing schemes (MMN) or Network Marketing, further increase the complexity of the problem. Suppliers, often without medical training, promote products using personal experiences rather than scientific evidence.
ASA provides specific guidelines on how MMN sellers can announce food supplements. But these rules are often ignored, rarely supervised and often benefit from regulatory failures.
All this brings out truly surprising statements.
4. The supplements sector is more interested in sales than science
The global market of food supplements in total over 100 billion pounds (about $ 731 billion).
Like any other important sector, your goal is to grow and profit. And this influences the way in which the products are developed and marketed.
If a supplement really worked, it would be recommended by doctors, not by influencers.
Some supplements are supported by evidence, but they are often the least flashy, such as iron and vitamin D.
Many others are announced with statements that go far beyond what the research shows and often by people without nutrition or medical care.
5. Some supplements are not sure for everyone
Being on sale does not mean that a food supplement is safe. Products labeled such as “natural” can also interact with drugs or cause damage.
San João, which is sometimes used to treat depression, can have dangerous side effects if taken together with certain antidepressants, contraceptive and high blood pressure.
Vitamin K can also interfere with anticoagulant drugs such as varfarin. And high dosages can cause digestive problems and influence the form of absorption of some antibiotics.
Many food supplements have not been tested to determine their safety during pregnancy. Others, such as high dosage vitamin, are known to be harmful in pregnancy and can have passed on to breast milk.
If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking drugs or care of a health condition, speaks with a pharmacist, a doctor or nutritionist before starting to take a new supplement.
Supplements can improve health in case of specific necessity, but they are not a panacea.
Before spending money on a product with great promises, ask yourself: do I really need it or would it be better to spend money on nutritious foods?
* Rachel Woods is a professor of physiology at the University of Lincoln in the United Kingdom.
This entry was originally published on the academic news website The conversation and republished under the Creative Commons license. Read the original version here (in English).
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
