Some common vitamin and mineral supplements can be dangerous to your health if taken for too long, according to the Food Standards Agency (FSA).
The FSA looked at 34 vitamins and minerals, concentrating on the effects of long-term use.
They found that while most supplements are safe, some could have dangerous consequences in the long-term. For instance, high levels of the supplement chromium picolinate may cause cancer.
The agency said that 10 mg a day or less of chromium in forms other than chromium picolinate is safe, but they are considering proposing a ban on chromium picolinate in food supplements.
Also, vitamin C, calcium and iron can all result in adverse effects if taken in large doses, even in the short-term. More than 1,000 milligrams (mg) per day of vitamin C, 1,500 mg per day of calcium or 17 mg of iron may cause abdominal pain and diarrhea in some people. The symptoms stop after the supplement is no longer taken.
Manganese, beta-carotene, vitamin B6, nicotinic acid, zinc and phosphorous were also potentially dangerous in high doses if taken over a long period of time.
The report is aimed at helping consumers make informed choices about supplements. The agency is still deciding what action they would like the supplements industry to take in response to the report.
Food Standards Agency UK May 8, 2003
Most of you know that I am a minimalist when it comes to supplements. When patients visit me initially though, many have been started down a path that has them spending $400 to $500 a month on supplements.
The nearly consistent response form them, however, is that most of the supplements don’t work.
Once I started to appreciate the unique metabolic and genetic variability that each of us have, I realized that the same supplement that would help one person with one disease could devastate the next person with the exact same disease.
If more natural medical doctors appreciated this they would be far more cautious in using supplements.
There are a few supplements that do seem to make sense universally though. One would be good bacteria like Primal Defense, which is especially useful if you are not healthy and have been eating grains and sugars.
Nearly all of us need fish oil because the typical fish sold in supermarkets and restaurants is grossly contaminated with mercury and PCBs. Liquid fish oil from Carlson is what I recommend from a convenience and health perspective in the summer.
If you can’t find this product in your health food store it is available in our site store. We also carry a safe, healthy and delicious brand of Wild Red Alaskan Salmon, the only fish I have discovered, via independent lab testing, to be free of mercury and other toxins.
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