Pros And Cons Of Vitamin Supplements

Multivitamins are designed to provide the essential vitamins and minerals required for smooth functioning of the body, along with balancing the recommended daily intakes that are otherwise missing from everyday consumption. These usually come in the form of pills and the micronutrients are typically the essential vitamins and minerals that our bodies do not get in a balanced routine, on a regular basis. For some people with deficiencies, vitamin supplements may prove to be useful; some, however, tend to prescribe these medicines or buy them over the counter without comprehending the side effects or the body’s necessities beforehand. The trick to staying healthy, and for the body to absorb and use enough vital vitamins every day, is to have a healthy, balanced diet regime. A regular diet covering all major food groups is sufficient to provide your system with the right sort of vitamins and minerals. Having junk food on a regular basis and then topping it off with a bunch of vitamin pills is not going to help in any way. Therefore, it is important to understand your body before you resort to these ‘magic pills’, and understand the pros and cons of vitamin supplements before you head out to the local drugstore again.

Vitamin Supplements 

Pros

Those with severe medical and vitamin deficiencies are usually prescribed Vitamin supplements to make up for the lost vitamins in the body. Vitamin pills do protect the body from diseases and people with certain deficiencies, such as anemia, are asked to consume those that have a certain percentage of Vitamin B-12 or B-3. There are other disorders, such as the lack of iron or the inability to convert sun’s light into Vitamin D, which can also be tackled with Vitamin supplements rich in Iron and Vitamin D.

Some pregnant women do not get the recommended vitamins or minerals that protect them during the gestation period or post-child birth. Some of these vitamin supplements are recommended by doctors that can even help prevent defects in new born babies. Post child birth, women who are breastfeeding are recommended to consume food with higher level of nutrients to help in the lactating process. However, some vitamins and nutrients are not properly absorbed by the body and in this case, prenatal vitamins or iron vitamins may be consumed to make up for all the lost nutrients in the body.

Vitamin supplements also help slow down the aging process. This does not mean that you can breeze into a drug store and pick up any vitamin supplement of your choice to replace that all-expensive Botox procedure. Certain vitamin supplements such as Vitamin C, A and E, are known to be efficient anti-oxidants that protect the body against various deficiencies, along with giving the skin a radiant glow. According to recent studies, these vitamin supplements are extremely beneficial in terms of slowing the process of Alzheimer’s disease also.

Vitamin supplements are absolutely recommended for those who do not have a balanced diet on a regular basis and for those who miss out on important proteins, calcium and other minerals. These supplements are prescribed for those who have a lack or a deficiency of any of these vitamins and, along with tackling the deficiency these, vitamin supplements also act as ‘top-up’ pills if you find it difficult to eat a balanced, healthy diet every day. In this case, multivitamins or specific vitamin pills are prescribed to deal with any missing vital vitamins and for the smooth functioning of the chemical processes in the body.

Most children are known to be fussy eaters and usually spend majority of their time playing outdoors or being physically active. A regular intake of vitamins is usually recommended for children who not eat properly or in the right amount. Children between the ages of 1-5 years are provided with supplements other than pill form, to ensure proper growth, sufficient absorption of the right vitamins and minerals. If however, your child eats properly and enjoys a healthy and varied diet, then these health supplements would be hardly necessary. 

Cons

Sure, vitamins may be good for us, but taking too much of anything could end up being costly- in terms of money, and also health wise. Having a healthy meal at home, with the right food from all food groups, is easier than blowing your wallet on unnecessary, expensive pills that could potentially scar your system with side-effects, unless of course, the supplements are absolutely necessary.

Some people prefer pills over food and are under the misconception that pills can make up for not eating right! Beware, for taking excessive supplements can increase the chances of mega-dosing that come with serious health implications and side-effects such as nausea, reduced vision, fatigue, heart ailments and other serious illnesses. So unless it is absolutely necessary, it is not safe to overstuff or overdose your system with pills that your friends take. If that is what you really want, then it would be best to consult a doctor first.

If you are already on other medications and you mix vitamin supplements with your regular pills, they can interfere with the metabolism of your regular drugs and slow their effect on your system, inhibiting proper treatment or functioning of your body. Therefore, it is always advisable to consult your local physician or personal doctor before you start consuming additional vitamin supplements.

An over dosage vitamin supplements can lead to serious health implications apart from the regular side effects. Studies show that excessive consumption can lead to liver, heart and neurological diseases. This not only leads to a slower reception of each of these organs, it also lowers their metabolism and, in some cases, ends up clotting the system paving way for fatal health problems. In some cases, an excessive consumption of vitamin supplements by pregnant women also results in deformities in the new born and other health implications.

Hence, it is important to gauge the body type and its needs before medicating yourself with vitamin supplements. If they are recommended to you, then please feel free and have them the way you like. However, it is always advisable to understand both sides to the coin before investing in something that could potentially make or break your life in terms of health and wellbeing.