Beware Of That Dietary Supplement You Ingest

Do you take dietary supplements? Beware! From nausea to heart murmurs, cancer and death, these health boosters may cause more harm than you think.
Millions of people take dietary supplements (herbs) to get stronger bones, smoother skin, or glossier hair. It could be to ease joints, stem nausea or for one reason or the other. But too much of some of them can have devastating effects on health.


Let pill-poppers beware some of these capsules could have a devastating impact on your health. And yet, they do not need NAFDAC approval. A dietary supplement can be sold without research on how well it works.

Vitamins and dietary supplements are among  the fastest growing categories of products  in consumer health as a whole. These products are widely available in health food stores, pharmacies, the Internet, by mail, in retail outlets including normal retail channels such as supermarkets, independent small grocers and open markets. There is also strong marketing and promotion by major players.
According to Wikipedia, dietary supplements are substances you eat or drink.

They can be vitamins, minerals, herbs or other plants, amino acids (the individual building blocks of protein), or parts of these substances. They can be in pill, capsule, tablet, or liquid form. They supplement (add to) the diet and should not be considered a substitute for food. People commonly take them for health-related reasons. Common dietary supplements include vitamins and minerals (such as vitamin C or a multivitamin), botanicals (herbs and plant products, such as St. John’s wort), and substances that come from a natural source (such as omega-3 fatty acids).

Makers of dietary supplements cannot legally say that dietary supplements can diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. But they can say that they contribute to health maintenance and well-being.
Historically, people have used herbal medicines to prevent illness, cure infection, relieve fever, and heal wounds. Herbal medicines can also treat constipation, ease pain, or act as relaxants or stimulants. Research on some herbs and plant products has shown that they may have some of the same effects that conventional medicines do, while others may have no effect or may be harmful.

Researchers have studied some natural products and have found them to be useful. Omega-3 fatty acids, for example, may help lower triglyceride levels.
Researchers have found that some supplements do not help prevent or treat certain health problems. For example, beta-carotene and vitamin E do not lower risk of heart disease or heart attack.
People have used the active ingredients in dietary supplements for thousands of years to help health and to treat illness. Sometimes those supplements are the basis for some of today’s common medicines. For example, people have used willow bark tea for centuries to relieve fever. Pharmaceutical companies eventually identified the chemical in willow bark that relieved fever and used that knowledge to produce aspirin.

According to Daily Mail, an independent panel of doctors analyzed the products to assess their safety levels. It depends on your well-being, any existing medical conditions, how much you take, and how long you were exposed to it.
The dangers include liver damage, nausea, heart problems, inflammation, or even death. From vitamins and probiotics to weight loss and anti-anxiety boosters, these are the most dangerous products on the list.
In particular, there are some herbal products that you should avoid, according to a new study by Consumer Reports.

CAFFEINE POWDER
A teenage boy recently became headline news after fatally overdosing on caffeine powder. It is the raw substance found in drinks like coffee that give you a buzz. But it can be fatal.

WHAT IT’S MEANT TO DO: Improves attention, enhances athletic performance, weight loss

DANGERS: Seizures, heart arrhythmia, cardiac arrest, possible death; particularly dangerous when combined with other stimulants
GREEN TEA EXTRACT POWDER

There is no end to the gushing praise of green tea, and its slimming qualities. But this is the raw extract, which can poorly affect your health if taken in great quantities.

WHAT IT’S MEANT TO DO: Weight loss

DANGERS: Dizziness, ringing in the ears, reduced absorption of iron; exacerbates anemia and glaucoma; elevates blood pressure and heart rate; liver damage; possible death.

RED YEAST RICE
A substance extracted from rice, fermented with a particular kind of yeast.
It is also used as a food coloring. It can be taken in capsule form.
WHAT IT’S MEANT TO DO: Lowers LDL (‘bad’) cholesterol, prevents heart disease

DANGERS: Kidney and muscle problems, liver problems, hair loss; can magnify effect of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, increasing the risk of side effects
Are dietary supplements safe?

Not all herbs and supplements are safe. If you are unsure about the safety of a supplement or herb, talk to your doctor, pharmacist, or dietician.
Always tell your doctor if you are using a dietary supplement or if you are thinking about combining a dietary supplement with your conventional medical treatment. It may not be safe to forgo your conventional medical treatment and rely only on a dietary supplement. This is especially important for women who are pregnant or breast-feeding.

When using dietary supplements, keep in mind the following.
Like conventional medicines, dietary supplements may cause side effects, trigger allergic reactions, or interact with prescription and nonprescription medicines or other supplements you might be taking. A side effect or interaction with another medicine or supplement may make other health conditions worse.
The way dietary supplements are manufactured may not be standardized. Because of this, how well they work or any side effects they cause may differ among brands or even within different lots of the same brand. The form of supplement that you buy in health food or grocery stores may not be the same as the form used in research.

Other than for vitamins and minerals, the long-term effects of most dietary supplements are not known.

Sunnews