Health and wellness has seen a surge in the past few years. The pandemic has forced people to take action on their health and, as a result, they are looking for products that are easy to buy and implement.
This has led to a dramatic increase in interest in vitamins and supplements. Dietary supplement sales in the United States increased by 50% between 2018 and 2020, and according to a 2023 study, sales in 2020 exceeded $220 billion. study The study was published in the journal Nutrients.
Additionally, online health influencers often promote supplements as a one-stop shop for curing specific ailments.
“Social media has had a major impact on people’s interest in taking various vitamins, with influencers frequently promoting the new ‘it’ vitamin and making claims of powerful health benefits from their purported supplement regimen,” says a Washington, DC-based nutritionist. Caroline Thomason, RD“This constant promotion raises awareness of trends, but it can also lead to misinformation, unnecessary supplements and even harmful health risks,” USA TODAY reported. “Influencer endorsements often prioritize trends, social engagement and popularity over scientific evidence, and they make blanket statements that may not be appropriate for everyone.”
While vitamins and supplements, if used correctly and taken correctly, can be a beneficial addition to one’s health and wellness routine, some health experts are concerned that online influencers recommending specific vitamins to achieve specific health outcomes could lead to people trying to fix what’s not broken, or even worse, actually creating new problems.
So how should we navigate the world of vitamins and supplements? Here’s what health experts recommend:
“What vitamins should I take?”
Unfortunately, there’s no single answer, and this question is best answered by discussing it with your doctor, who can check your vitamin levels with a blood test in the first place. He or she, or a licensed nutritionist, can give you individualized advice if you have a vitamin deficiency.
“There is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to vitamins, and if someone makes this claim as if it were true, that’s a big red flag,” Thomason says.
Unless your doctor diagnoses you with a specific vitamin deficiency, it’s best to aim to get important nutrients through your diet first, rather than through supplements. Notes Office of Dietary Supplements of the National Institutes of Health.
“If you don’t have a deficiency, by making varied food choices you can meet your vitamin and mineral needs without taking supplements in your diet,” Thomason added.
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What vitamins should you not take every day?
There can Too much of a good thing can be bad, which is why health experts urge consumers to be careful about regularly taking supplements that a health care professional hasn’t told them they need.
Certain vitamins, such as the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, minerals like iron, and electrolytes like potassium and calcium, should not be taken regularly without consulting a nutritionist or doctor due to the risk of toxicity or harmful interactions. This is not to say that they are inherently dangerous; they are all necessary for the body, but they can be dangerous if not naturally deficient.
Should I take vitamins every day?If so, which ones? Benefits, what you need to know about marketing
“Depending on the type of vitamin and the amount taken, taking too much can lead to serious health problems,” says Thomason. In addition to the toxicity mentioned above, there are also risks such as liver damage, dangerously high calcium levels, bleeding, and kidney stones. It’s also important to check with your doctor to make sure any supplements you add won’t interact negatively with any medications you’re taking.
