The fact remains that our diet is varied and not exactly healthy; we often do not provide our body with the daily dose of vitamins and minerals that it requires in order to function seamlessly. Given this, it should not come as a surprise that many underage and elder patients are exhibiting symptoms of vitamin deficiency and this can lead to the person developing serious health issues as lack of requisite vitamins can impact the way your body functions, from, cognitive and motor functions, speech, sight, cardiovascular, and even your skeletal structure. This is why it is important that we ensure that we get the daily dose of vitamins or at least, include the same as part of our daily diet. But there’s a downside to taking one too many vitamins; that’s why it is important for us to review some of the positive and negative impacts of vitamin supplements.
The positive impact of vitamin supplements
- Helps prevent deficiencies: Multivitamins are engineered to provide your body with the requisite vitamins and minerals in a neat little pill for faster absorption into your body. Given the fact that most of us tend to eat processed food which contains minimal vitamins and minerals, it is important to complement our regular diet with a dose of vitamins that our body requires to function seamlessly. For example, we are required to consume at least 200 gms of folic acid each day but most of us just don’t and that’s why pregnant women are often directed by their physicians to consume at least 600 gms of Folic acid in the initial days of the pregnancy. The point being that consuming a daily dose of various vitamins can help you avoid developing various vitamin related deficiencies’ which if left unchecked, can lead to serious health issues.
- Boosts energy and concentration: Certain vitamins like B vitamins such as B 12, Folic acid among others can help boost your energy and concentration. It can help you to focus better on certain key tasks and even help boost your performance. You may want to consult your healthcare worker, for their advice on the same before including these vitamins as part of your daily diet.
- Stress: as your body takes on greater physical stress and strain due to either physical activity, you are bound to experience discomfort and pain. Taking certain vitamins can help offset this as it helps your body to adjust to the additional stress and pain; for example, children and elderly patients are often prescribed calcium supplements as a way to help them strengthen their bones so that it is able to withstand any stress that is placed on the same.
The negative impact of vitamin supplements
- Overdosage: As hard as it may be believed, the fact remains that you can overdose on certain vitamins. In actuality, consuming anything in excess will have an impact on your body. And moreover, taking in too many vitamins can cause you to experience several symptoms ranging from mild nausea to fatigue, vomiting, insomnia, diarrhoea, and even excess sweating. Some of the severe side effects of consuming one too many vitamins can include, heart palpitations, respiratory distress, kidney failure and a host of other serious conditions. This is why it is important for you to consult your doctor before opting to take vitamins regularly.
- Inefficient: Various studies have pointed out the fact that vitamins, especially in the pill format are less easily absorbed by the body rather than chewable tablets and liquid tonics. For example, chewable calcium tablets were provided to young children in disaster-prone areas to help them boost their immune system and strengthen their bones. It was found that this method of delivery was much more effective rather than the pill format as the chewable tablets were directly absorbed by the body.
- Additives, chemicals and allergies: Some of the vitamins may contain additives in the form of an outer covering or as part of the main ingredients; similarly, the vitamin in question may also be of a lesser strength. This is why it is important that you opt for organic multi-vitamins which list out the main constituents of the vitamins as that can help you make an informed choice. You may also develop certain sensitivity to certain vitamins. So if you develop mild to severe allergic reactions on taking certain vitamins please consult your doctor right away for medical care and treatment.
These are some of the positive and negative impacts of vitamin supplements and why we need to pay attention to the same to help boost our health.
- Tulip Mania – The Story of One of History’s Worst Financial Bubbles - May 15, 2022
- The True Story of Rapunzel - February 22, 2022
- The Blue Fugates: A Kentucky Family Born with Blue Skin - August 17, 2021
