Can supplements help?

Dietary supplements are very popular nowadays. According to the Sundose research report "Poles and Dietary Supplements", 72% of Poles take dietary supplements to replace vitamins and minerals that they believe are missing from their daily diet. According to the same report, only 17% consult a doctor, and most people (86%) believe that taking supplements is beneficial to health. In this case, it seems to us that supplements can be taken and are safe and necessary. Last year Poles spent almost PLN 7.7 billion on dietary supplements. Was it worth it?

"Most people have no need for vitamins and are wasting money on supplements that are unlikely to improve their health and may even harm them," says Mike Varshavski, an osteopathic physician. For example, vitamin E was originally thought to protect the heart, but was later found to increase the risk of bleeding when taken in excess. Folic acid and other B vitamins were once thought to prevent heart disease and stroke - later studies not only failed to confirm this, but also showed that in high doses they can increase the risk of cancer.

So why do so many people take supplements? Is it because of their popularity, i.e. we take them because others take them and don't complain? Not necessarily. Dr. Millstein of Penn University says they work in conjunction with a healthy diet. He also points out that their effectiveness can be greatly influenced by their source. The British equivalent of NFZ, the National Health Service, even recommends on its website that supplements such as vitamin D be taken during the winter months when there is less sunshine, and that children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years take vitamins A, C and D daily. In some situations where there is a deficiency, a doctor may prescribe vitamins and minerals.

In summary, while it is well known that a deficiency of vitamins and minerals can have a negative impact on health, so too can an excess. Before we decide to take supplements, it would be worthwhile to have a blood test to see if we really need them. In addition, although supplements are on the horizon, there is no hard evidence that they can help us with serious diseases or conditions, and the best source of vitamins and minerals is still healthy, unprocessed food.