Medical myths: Vitamins and supplements

Medical myths: Vitamins and supplements

The supplement industry is huge. In 2016, the global nutritional supplement sector turned over an estimated $132.8 billion. By 2022, some experts predict that this figure will exceed $220 billion. But are they all that they are cracked up to be? In this edition of Medical Myths, we address a crop of supplement superstitions and misunderstandings.

When it comes to vitamins, more is not always better

In fact, more can sometimes be dangerous

Oxidation is a chemical reaction that occurs as part of many processes in the human body.

Antioxidants are compounds that prevent oxidation, and they include vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, and carotenoids

The term “natural” is meaningless in relation to the safety or effectiveness of a supplement

Some natural plant compounds do have medicinal properties, but there is more to it than that

There is still no consensus on whether vitamin D has a beneficial anticancer effect

A large meta-analysis published in 2019 concluded that, although vitamin D did not reduce the incidence of cancer, it did reduce cancer mortality.

Many claim that supplements do not interact with prescribed medication, but in reality, many of these products contain active ingredients that might interfere with other drugs.

In a 2012 review, researchers investigated “drug interactions and contraindications associated with herbs and dietary supplements.”

Probiotics and Prebiotics

Probiotics are foods or supplements that contain microorganisms (microorganisms) that promote gut bacteria; prebiotics are compounds designed to promote bacteria

A large review and meta-analysis published in 2018 could find no significant benefit.

Overall, the authors conclude: “In general, the data on the popular supplements (multivitamins, vitamin D, calcium, and vitamin C) show no consistent benefit for the prevention of [cardiovascular disease, myocardial infarction, or stroke], nor was there a benefit for all-cause mortality to support their continued use.”

2013 Cochrane review

The authors’ objective was to “find out whether vitamin C reduces the incidence, the duration, or severity of the common cold when used either as a continuous regular supplementation every day or as a therapy at the onset of cold symptoms.”

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