Supplements in all forms have made it convenient for us to access necessary nutrients. It doesn’t mean you need to stock every vitamin and mineral under the sun in your pantry in pursuit of good health. Ease of accessibility is the only bonus point of supplement intake. However, that’s nothing in comparison to all the nutrition you can derive from real foods. Here are 5 reasons why you don’t really need vitamin supplements.
1. Vitamin Supplements Don’t Lower The Risk Of Diseases
Several scientific studies have found that having foods that are rich in antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins can protect you from the risk of metabolic and degenerative diseases and cancer. However, researchers also found out that people who consumed multivitamin supplements on a daily basis instead of real food weren’t insured against diseases at large. In fact, it can increase your risk of diseases as you are more likely to depend on vitamin pills rather than clean eating thereby making you prone to nutritional imbalances.1
2. Supplements Can Mess With Your Health
Prolonged consumption of anything that’s processed will eventually take a toll on your health. Here are the major ways vitamin supplements mess with your health.
- Increases the risk of prostate cancer: Long-term scientific studies have found that men who were on vitamin supplements for a long time were twice more likely to develop prostate cancer than those who didn’t have multivitamins. This risk gets even enhanced if you already have a family history of prostate cancer.2
- Promotes kidney stone formation: Excessive vitamin C supplementation was popularized as a way to boost immunity against colds. On the contrary, scientific studies have proven that excess vitamin C intake was found to associated with an increased risk of kidney stones and iron-related disorders.3
- Deteriorates heart health: Vegans are advised to take vitamin B12 supplements as they are unlikely to consume the good sources of the vitamin. Inadvertently, they are putting themselves at a high risk of developing cancer.4
- Can cause plaque deposition in arteries: Too much of calcium supplementation can lead to plaque buildup in arteries. Long-term supplementation of 400 IU/day of vitamin E has been scientifically proven to increase the risk for heart failure.5
3. Affects The Output Of Exercise
Exercise is one of the best ways to lower insulin sensitivity in human beings. However, studies reveal that having a combination of vitamin C (1000 mg/day) and vitamin E (400 IU/day) hinders the reduction in insulin sensitivity that’s caused by exercise. Many newbies and weight watchers consider supplements to be an important part of their training regime but these have no impact on your endurance or performance levels.6
4. Your Body Will Flush Out The Excess
The body’s detoxification and elimination processes are designed naturally to flush out what’s not needed by it. Vitamins B and C are removed from the body, the moment it feels there’s enough. That’s the reason why your pee appears yellow when you are on these supplements. By purchasing and consuming supplements, you are flushing money too down the drain!
5. You Are Not Getting All That’s Promised
Just because a certain amount is mentioned under composition doesn’t mean that your body will absorb and utilize it every single time. Every time you take a supplement your body needs to have the right amount of water, sugar, electrolytes, and energy to absorb it. These factors cannot be regulated by you as they are intrinsic in nature. Hence, even if you take vitamin supplements, there’s no assurance that your body will reap any benefits from it under these variable circumstances.
Focus on the consumption of real foods derived from plants and animal products to fulfill your dietary needs. They are much safer and will keep you protected from the adverse effects of supplement intake. Ultimately authentic healthy food is better than any supplement any day!
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