You may be one of the millions of Americans who take a vitamin or supplement each dayOr you may be one trying to fight a vitamin deficiency or perhaps lower your risk of certain ailment, or you may want to be health proactive and pop a supplement that promises better health.
Whether you are spilling out of your medicine cabinets, you are not alone if you are one of the many people who take prescription vitamins every dayFrom Vitamin D, Fish oil, or green tea – With so many supplements popular in the market, how can you tell which one is the best and which ones are safe?
Vitamins and minerals are substances that our body needs for normal functioning and growthSome vitamins give chemical reactions, while some act as building blocks for the body.
However, recent researches suggest that a daily vitamin is a waste of money and there is growing evidence that some old prescriptions may even cause more risk to your health.
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Here are the Five Facts About Supplements That You Need to Know:
Some Supplements come in Many Forms.
The goal of dietary supplements is often the same, whether in pill or liquid form, to give you enough nutrients and improve health.
Supplements have at least one dietary component: vitamins, herbs, minerals, amino acids, botanicals, and even enzymesOne of the most common supplements comes in a multivitamin in which you can take one pill instead of a dozen pills a dayYou can also buy a standalone supplement.
The most common denominator of these dietary supplements includes Calcium, Vitamin E, Vitamin D, Ginseng, Green tea, Echinacea, and more.
Some Supplements are Ineffective.
Some supplements are effective, while some do not workDespite the amount of research done on supplements, the National Institutes of Health has spent billions studying the effectiveness of vitamins and minerals, although the evidence remains unclearSome studies claim that multivitamins do not promote life longevity or lower chances of getting the disease such as diabetes, heart disease or cancer.
However, some supplements still benefit health which includes:
- Folic acid reduces the risk of congenital disabilities takenpregnant women.
- Vitamin B12 helps keep nerves and blood cells produce healthy DNA and stops anemia.
- Fish oil helps support heart functions.
- Vitamin A slows down the loss of vision.
- Zinc that promotes healthy skin and slows down the loss of vision due to age-related macular degeneration
- Calcium helps develop healthy bones.
Some Supplements are Unsafe.
More often, multivitamins do not have any health risksHowever, it would be best if you were more careful of anything you put into your body.
Doctors say that supplements may interact with other medicines you are taking or can cause more harm than good when you take other certain medicine for conditions like liver disease or when you are going to have surgery.
Some supplements that may cause danger or risk include:
- Gingko which causes thinning of the blood
- Vitamin K lessens the effectiveness of the blood thinners.
- Herbal medicines that may damage your liver
Talk with Your Health Care Provider before you Start Taking Supplements.
Before you start buying or taking supplements, you must know first that not all supplements are equally createdOne major reason is that pills are not regulatedthe United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), like regulating the prescribed medicines and supplementary foodsA dietitian claims that supplements may pose a risk as inaccurate dosing and it may have contaminated ingredients.
That is why it is important to be smart and talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure of the ingredientNot only that, some supplements may have unproven claims that are not wellsubstantiated or have no scientific claim.
A Healthy Diet is still the Best Form of Nutrient Source.
One thing for sure, no matter what goal you set and what supplement you take, there is nothing that can replace a nutrient-dense healthy diet.
Supplements can never replace the nutrients of real foodA nutrient found in real food cannot be compared to a pill.
Supplements are meant to be supplementary, meaning they are made to enhance the benefits already providedhaving a well-balanced dietMost people eat healthy to get all that is recommended, while others need an extra boost.
Insurance Coverage for Vitamin Supplements
The United States of America is taking steps to ensure that dietary supplements like prescribed medicines would be included in health insurance coverageThe American Senate ensures that health insurance plans would include vitamins, minerals, and other specialty supplements.
According to Senator Tom Harkin, a dietary supplement with a prescription under the US Tax code will advance the existing health care policyThe current policy is seen to have been failing to take full accountability on the goal to improve health and the health care costs through preventive healthcare practices for consumers.
On the other hand, some health plans cover certain over-the-counter vitamins when the prescription is presented.
Takeaway
Having nutrients from a pill may sound easy, but these supplements do not mean they sufficiently deliver the promise of providing better healthSome can cause risk, and some can be extremely dangerous, especially when taken in large dosesFurther research is done to find more essential nutrients such as magnesium and potassium to get all the nutrition needed to be coveredinsuranceMany take supplements to fill what is missing and hope to give one’s body an extra health boost or prevent disease coveredinsurance.