7 Popular Supplements With Hidden Risks | Everyday Health

Healthy or risky? Find out about limitations of these popular supplements before you pop that pill. Women'sHealth7PopularSupplementsWithHiddenDangersHealthyorrisky?Here’swhatyouneedtoknowaboutpossibleharmfuleffectsbeforeyoupopthatvitamin,mineral,orherbalpill.By AmyKraftMedicallyReviewedby KellyKennedy,RDNReviewed:May13,2019MedicallyReviewedYoumaybetakingmorerisksthanyourealizewithcertainsupplements.GettyImagesWhenitcomestosupplements,there’ssomuchhypeabouttheirpotentialbenefitsthatitcanbehardtoseparatefactfromfiction.Whileit’struethatvitaminsandmineralsareessentialtohealth,it’snottruethattakingtheminpill,capsule,orpowderform—especiallyinmegadoses—isnecessary,orwithoutrisks.Foronething,dietarysupplementscansometimesinteractwitheachother,aswellaswithover-the-counter(OTC)andprescriptionmedication.Inaddition,unlikedrugs,theU.S.Food&DrugAdministration(FDA) isnotauthorizedtoreviewdietarysupplementsforsafetyandeffectivenessbeforetheyaremarketed.It’suptomanufacturerstoensurethattheirproductsdonotcontaincontaminantsorimpurities,areproperlylabeled,andcontainwhattheyclaim.Inotherwords,theregulationofdietarysupplementsismuchlessstrictthanitisforprescriptionorOTCdrugs.Yet,accordingtoa studypublishedinOctober2016intheJournaloftheAmericanMedicalAssociation,morethanone-halfofAmericanstakeherbalordietarysupplementsdaily,makingtheseproductsaboomingindustrywithsalesreaching$128billionyearlyworldwide,accordingtoareportpublishedin2018bytheNutritionBusinessJournal.Morethan31percentofthosesalestakeplaceintheUnitedStates.Usedproperly,somesupplementsmayimproveyourhealth,butotherscanbeineffectiveorevenharmful.Forexample,TuftsUniversityresearchpublishedApril9,2019,inthejournalAnnalsofInternalMedicine linkeddailydosesofmorethan1,000milligrams(mg)ofcalciumtoahigherriskofdeathfromcancer.Furthermore,thedatashowedthatpeoplewhotookinadequateamountsofmagnesium,zinc,andvitaminsAandKhadalowerriskofdeath—butonlyiftheygotthosenutrientsfromfoodratherthansupplements."Buyerbeware,”warns JoAnnManson,MD,chiefofthedivisionofpreventivemedicineatBrighamandWomen’sHospitalinBoston,andprofessorofepidemiologyattheHarvardT.H.ChanSchoolofPublicHealth.“Manysupplementsonthemarkethavenotbeenrigorouslytested.Veryfewsupplementshaveshowntobeofbenefit,"saysDr.Manson.And,shesays,manycarry unsubstantiatedhealthclaims.Confused?NationalInstitutesofHealth(NIH)factsheetscanprovidedetailedinformationonthebenefitsandrisksofindividual vitaminsandminerals,aswellas herbal supplements.Highlightedherearesevensupplementsthatyoushouldtakecarefully,ifatall.1.VitaminD:TooMuchCanHarmYourKidneysVitaminDpromotescalciumabsorptioninthebody,andgettingenoughis centraltohealthandwell-being,offeringthepromiseof protecting bones andpreventingbonediseaseslike osteoporosis.SupplementalvitaminDispopularbecauseit’sdifficult(ifnotimpossible)togetenoughfromfood.Also,asthe CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention(CDC) notes, ourbodiesmakevitaminDwhenbareskinisexposedtosunlight,butincreasedtimespentindoorsandwidespreaduseofsunblockhasminimizedtheamountofvitaminDmanyofusgetfromsunexposure.ButenthusiasmforvitaminDsupplementsisoutpacingtheevidence.Asitturnsout,whenhealthywomentakelowdosesofvitaminD(upto400internationalunits,orIU)itdoesnotnecessarilypreventthemfrombreakingbones,accordingtoaU.S.PreventiveServicesTaskForce reportpublishedinMay2013inthejournal AnnalsofInternalMedicine.Andtakinghighdosesisnotagoodoption.Inhealthypeople,vitaminDbloodlevelshigherthan100nanogramspermilliliter(ng/mL)cantriggerextracalciumabsorption—andleadtomusclepain,mooddisorders,abdominalpain,andkidneystones, notestheClevelandClinic.Itmayalsoraisetheriskofheartattackandstroke.“Moreisnotnecessarilybetterwhenitcomestomicronutrientsupplements,”saysManson.Theoutlookisdifferentforwomenwhoareoverage71,deficientinvitaminD,liveininstitutions,orhavedarkskinpigmentation.Forthem,the NationalAcademyofMedicinereports,vitaminDsupplementsprescribedbyadoctorarebeneficial.ToachievevitaminDrecommendations—600IUperdayforpeople1to70yearsoldand800IUperdayforindividuals71orolder—includewholefoods,suchassalmon,tuna,milk,mushrooms,andfortifiedcerealsinyourdailydiet.Youcanalsospendabrieftimeinthesunwithoutsunblock— about10to15minutesaday, accordingtotheNIH.2.St.John’sWort:AvoidDrugInteractionsSt.John’swortisaplantusedasateaorincapsulestotreatmilddepression,anxiety,andsleepdisorders.SmallstudieshaveshownSt.John’sworttobeeffectiveattreatingmilddepression.Forexample,areviewpublishedMarch2017intheJournalofAffectiveDisorderslookedatof27clinicaltrialswithatotalof3,808patientsandconcludedthattheherbalremedyworkedaswellascertainantidepressantsatdecreasingsymptomsofmildtomoderatedepression.But, saysDeniseMillstine,MD,aninternistinthedepartmentofintegrativemedicineatMayoClinicin Phoenix,Arizona,“ThebiggestissuewithSt.John’swortisitsmedicationinteractions.”AstudypublishedinJuly2014intheJournalofAlternativeandComplementaryMedicinefoundthat28percentofthetimeSt.John’swortwasprescribedbetween1993and2010,itwasadministeredindangerouscombinationswithantidepressantoranti-anxietymedication,statins,theblood-thinningdrugwarfarin,ororalcontraceptives.Forexample,combiningSt.John’swortwithanantidepressantcancauseseriouscomplications,includingalife-threateningincreaseinthebrainchemicalserotonin, accordingtotheNationalCenterforComplementaryandIntegrativeHealth.TakingSt.John’swortmayalsoreducetheeffectivenessofothermedications—including birthcontrolpills,chemotherapy,HIVor AIDSmedication,andmedicinetopreventorganrejectionafteratransplant.It’simportanttoreaduponpotentialdruginteractionsandtalktoyourdoctorbeforetakingSt.John’swort.3.Calcium:TheExcessSettlesinYourArteriesCalciumisessentialforstrongbonesandahealthyheart,buttoomuchisnotagoodthing.Infact,anexcessofcalcium,whichisdescribed bytheNIH asmorethan2,500mgperdayforadultsages19to50,andmorethan2,000mgperdayforindividuals51andover,canleadtoproblems.According totheClevelandClinic,“ResearchersbelievethatwithoutadequatevitaminDtohelpabsorbit,theextracalciumsettlesinthearteriesinsteadofthebones.”Inaddition,ananalysisof10yearsofmedicaltestsonmorethan2,700peopleinafederallyfundedheartdiseasestudy,publishedOctober10,2016,intheJournaloftheAmericanHeartAssociation,suggestedthattakingcalciumsupplementsmayincreaseplaquebuildupintheaortaandotherarteries.Incontrast,adiethighincalcium-richfoods,suchasdairyproductsandleafygreens,appearedtobeprotective.“Get calciumfromyourdiet ifyoucan,”advisesDr.Millstine,notingthatresearchshowsthatcalciumisbetterabsorbedthroughfoodthanthroughsupplements.The NationalInstitutesofHealth(NIH)recommends 1,000mgofcalciumadayforwomenages19to50,and1,200mgadayforwomen51andolder. Therecommendationformenages19to70is1,000mgaday,and1,200mgadayformen71andolder.AccordingtotheU.S.DepartmentofAgriculture(USDA),6ouncesofplainlow-fatyogurtcontainsabout311mgofcalcium,alittlelessthanone-thirdofthedailyrecommendations.Othergoodcalciumsourcesincludetofu,nonfatmilk,cheese,fortifiedcereal,andjuices.Calciumdeficiency,orhypocalcemia,maybedetectedbyroutinebloodtests.Ifyouhavelowcalciumbloodlevels,yourdoctormayprescribeacalciumsupplement.4.MultivitaminsandMultiminerals:NoSubstituteforaHealthyDietThinkthatahealthylifestylerequiresnotjusteatinggood-for-youfoods,exercising,andgettingenoughsleep,butalsotakingadailymultivitamin-multimineralsupplement?Youmaybesurprisedtolearnthatthejury’sstilloutonwhetherthosesupplementsaretrulyhelpful.Onesurprising studypublishedinthejournalJAMAInternalMedicine,whichexamineddatafromnearly40,000womenover19years,foundthat,onaverage,womenwhotooksupplementshadanincreasedriskofdyingcomparedwithwomenwhodidn’ttakesupplements.Multivitaminsalsodidlittleornothingtoprotectagainstcommoncancers,cardiovasculardisease,ordeath.However,morerecentresearchhasfoundbenefitstotakingmultivitamins.Forexample,astudypublishedAugust9,2017,inthejournalNutrients concludedthatfrequentuseofmultivitaminandmineralsupplementshelpedpreventmicronutrientshortfallsthatmightotherwisecausehealthproblems.Forwomenofchildbearingage,takingprenatalvitaminswithfolicacidisrecommended bytheAmericanCollegeofObstetriciansandGynecologiststohelppreventbirthdefects.Multivitaminsmightalsobeprescribedbyyourdoctorifyouhavemalabsorptionsyndrome,aconditioninwhichthebodydoesnotproperlyabsorbvitaminsandminerals.Butforhealthypeople,Mansonsays,“asupplementcanneverbeasubstituteforahealthydiet."5.FishOilSupplements:ChooseFishorFlaxseedInsteadRichinomega-3fattyacids,fishoilhasbeentoutedasameanstoreduceheartdisease.However,moreandmoreevidenceshowsthatfishoilsupplementshavequestionableheartbenefits.Astudypublished January3,2019,in The NewEnglandJournalofMedicine(NEJM) foundthatomega-3fattyacidsupplementsdidnothingtoreduceheartattacks,strokes,ordeathsfromheartdiseaseinmiddle-agedandoldermenandwomenwithoutanyknownriskfactorsforcardiovasculardisease.Anearlier study,published inMay2013inNEJM,lookedatpeopleathighriskforcardiovasculardiseaseandalsoreportednobenefit.AccordingtotheNIH,omega-3deficiencyis“veryrareintheUnitedStates.”Still,manypeoplefailtoconsume enoughomega-3sdailyforoptimalhealth.Thebestwaytogetadequateamountsisbyeatingavarietyoffoodsthatarerichinthem,including:Fishandotherseafood,especiallycold-waterfattyfish,suchassalmon,mackerel,tuna,herring,andsardinesNutsandseeds,suchasflaxseed,chiaseeds,andwalnutsPlantoils,suchasflaxseedoil,soybeanoil,andcanolaoilFortifiedfoods,suchascertainbrandsofeggs,yogurt,juices,milk,andsoybeverages6.Kava:OveruseCanHarmYourLiverKavaisanherbthatinconcentratedformshasbeenusedtotreatgeneralanxietydisorderwithsomesuccess.AnAustralianstudypublishedonlinein2015inthejournalTrialsfoundthattheSouthPacificplantcanbeaneffectivealternativetreatmenttoprescriptionmedicationforpeoplediagnosedwithgeneralizedanxietydisorder(GAD).Anearlier,smallerstudy,publishedinOctober2013intheJournalofClinicalPsychopharmacology,alsoshowedthattakingkavasignificantlyreducedanxietycomparedwithaplaceboinpeoplewithGAD.However,takingtoomuchkava,ortakingitfortoolong,hasbeenlinkedtoseriousliverdamage,includinghepatitis,cirrhosis,andliverfailure.Asaresult,accordingtotheNIH,the FDA haswarnedthatpeople,especiallythosewithliverdiseaseorliverproblems,orthosewhoaretakingdrugsthatcanaffecttheliver,shouldtalktotheirhealthcarepractitionerbeforeusingkava.Inaddition,theNationalCenterforComplementaryandIntegrativeHealthreportsthatheavyconsumptionofkavahasbeenassociatedwithheartproblemsandeyeirritation.7.SoyIsolate:CarefulWiththeEstrogenTofu,tempeh,andsoymilkareallgoodsourcesofprotein,fiber,andanumberofminerals.Somewomenalsotakesoyinsupplementformbecausetheplantcontainsestrogen-likecompoundscalledisoflavonesthatmayhelprelievesymptomsofmenopause.However,concernshavebeenraisedthattheisoflavonesinsoysupplementsmaycontributetoanincreasedriskof breastcancer.Thegoodnewsisthatlarge-scalestudieshavenotshownanyincreasedbreastcancerriskfromeatingwholesoyfoods,suchastofuandedamame,accordingtotheDanaFarberCancerInstituteinBoston.Infact,atleastonestudy,publishedMarch6,2017,inthejournalCancer,whichlookedat6,235breastcancersurvivors,linkedeatingtheequivalentofoneservingofsoybeansaweektoa21percentlowerriskofdeathfromallcausesduringthenearly10-yearfollow-upperiod.Butnotenoughresearchhasbeendoneonsoyproteinisolate(SPI)—thepowderformedbyremovingtheproteinfromtherestoftheplant—toknowitseffectonbreastcancerrisk,Millstinesays.(Inadditiontosupplements,SPIisoftenfoundinpowerbars,veggieburgers,andsomesoups,sauces,smoothies,andbreakfastcereals.)Thebottomline:“Ifyou’reconcernedaboutbreastcancer,stayawayfromsoysupplementsandsoy-basedprotein,”Millstineadvises.“Soyintakefromfoodshasnotbeenshowntobeofconcernthough.”NEWSLETTERSSignupforourWomen'sHealthNewsletter!EnteryouremailSubscribeBysubscribingyouagreetotheTermsofUseandPrivacyPolicy.TheLatestinWomen'sHealthEverydayHealthPoll:Roev.WadeAdraftopinionrecentlymadepublicfromtheU.S.SupremeCourtwouldstrikedownthefederalrighttoabortionguaranteedbythe1973decisioninRoe...ByMay20,2022IsThistheEndofRoev.Wade?WhatWouldaSCOTUSDecisionMeanforReproductiveHealth?AdraftopinionfromtheU.S.SupremeCourtstrikesdownthefederalrighttoabortionguaranteedbythe1973decisioninRoev.Wadeandwouldleave...ByLisaRapaportMay3,2022MoreThanHalfofWomenOverAge50HaveThinningHairResearchfindsthatfemalepatternhairlossiscommonandassociatedwithlowerself-esteem.ByBeckyUphamMarch2,2022HormoneReplacementTherapyMayReducetheRiskofCOVID-19DeathinPost-MenopausalWomenNewresearchhasfoundthatwomenwhoweretakingestrogenwerelesslikelytodieofCOVID-19thanwomenwithnaturalestrogenlevels.ByBeckyUphamFebruary23,2022MoreThanHalfofU.S.WomenHavePoorHeartHealthBeforePregnancyTopriskfactorsincludeoverweightorobesity,highbloodpressure,anddiabetes.ByBeckyUphamFebruary22,2022NewStudyShowsIncreasedRiskofHeartDiseaseandDiabetesinWomenWithIrregularPeriodsExpertssaylinksbetweenmenstrualdisordersandmetabolichealthoftenoverlooked.ByBeckyUphamDecember23,2021MenopausalSymptomsMayPredictRiskofHeart,MemoryTrouble:NAMS2021NewsByBeckyUphamOctober8,2021ToBoostYourSexLife,TryGettingBetterSleepAnewstudyconfirmsthatsexualdysfunctioninmidlifewomenislinkedtopoorsleepquality.ByMerylDavidsLandauApril21,2021HypertensionSymptomsOftenMistakenforMenopauseinMiddle-AgedWomenOnein2womenmaydevelophypertension,orhighbloodpressure,beforeage60.ButagroupofEuropeandoctorswarnthatmanyofthesewomenmaymiss...ByLisaRapaportMarch15,2021AHigh-FiberDietMayHelpLowerDepressionRiskAdietwithmorefiber-richfruits,vegetables,andwholegrainsmaypromotementalwell-beinginwomen,suggestsnewresearch.ByBeckyUphamJanuary12,2021MostHelpfulTopSupplementsforUlcerativeColitisTastyWaystoIncorporateMorePrebioticsIntoYourDietHowtoSelecttheBestFishforaHeart-HealthyDiet