Youtubers, bloggers, magazines and many other platforms are promoting the use of daily supplements to make you beam from the inside out. But what they fail to mention is, “too much of a good thing is a bad thing.” Now, bear with me…we are going to get into a little science.
Our bodies produce a lot of essential vitamins and minerals, and some of those we have to consume ourselves because either our body doesn’t make enough, or it doesn’t make them at all. Vitamins and minerals are what keep our body running. They can be used as antioxidants (yay possible reduction of chronic diseases), as enzymes, and can help our body function properly.
For example, Vitamin C keeps our immunity up, helps our body absorb iron, and helps wound healing. Iron helps us transport oxygen around our body, and B12 keeps our energy levels up (through a long chemical process that we don’t have to get into). But all these vitamins and minerals have an ugly, not so sexy side to them. Repeat after me, if you aren’t deficient in something you don’t need to take that supplement.
(Gif Courtesy of GIPHY)
Our bodies are pretty amazing, and they are good at realizing how much is too much. The old trick of pounding Vitamin C if your throat hurts can be harmful to our bodies. Vitamin is water soluble, meaning it gets flushed out of our bodies pretty fast. So, taking too much can cause some serious stomach issues, and problems with our kidneys as our body works to get rid of it. Taking an iron or B12 supplement you picked up at CVS because you “feel tired” isn’t the best option for regaining your energy. Too much iron for long periods of time can lead to the onset of some chronic diseases.
It all comes down to eating a healthy and balanced diet. Chances are, if you are a healthy human and eat regularly you probably don’t need to load up on supplements. Even if you don’t eat that healthy, our food system has artificially fortified everything to have vitamins and minerals in it, so you’re probably good too.
One of my favorite professors, who also happens to be a Nutritional Epidemiologist, once said “you can’t eat a crappy diet and then just pound supplements, it doesn’t work that way unfortunately.” So, it all leads back to the balance of our diets and what we choose to fuel our bodies with. But hey, a collagen powder smoothie or biotin supplement here and there isn’t bad! Be aware, be smart, do your research and always consult with a healthcare provider if you are unsure! Just because one person needs to take a supplement doesn’t mean you need to too.