[ad_1]
January 26, 2022 – Are you thinking of adding supplements to your diet? Although supplements can be helpful in some cases, they can be very slippery and consumers should proceed with caution, says one registered nutritionist.
Jamie Lee McIntyre, a nutritionist and nutrition consultant at JamieLeeRDN.com, says he sees more interest in supplements every January with New Year’s resolutions. But there is also year-round curiosity, she says, especially since the pandemic began, which makes it even more important to understand the risks and benefits.
First, it is important to note that the FDA does not regulate supplements.
“Although they are sold without a prescription, they can be as dangerous as the medicine. “The least dangerous worst case scenario is losing money,” McIntyre said. “For example, megadoses of water-soluble vitamins are literally flushed down the toilet when there is no medical need or a real nutritional deficiency in the person taking them.
“The most dangerous worst-case scenarios could be the interaction of food and drugs, such as vitamin K, which interferes with blood-thinning drugs, or the toxicity that can occur with fat-soluble vitamins and others,” she said.
Reading certification labels can help, but it’s another place where education is essential. Many additive manufacturers will choose to be tested by a third-party operator to demonstrate high quality and demonstrate that what is on the label is really what is in the bottle.
McIntyre recommends that you seek an Informed Sport, NSF Certified for Sport, or USP certificate if you are checking.
In addition to reading labels, it is important to understand your actual needs before releasing pills or adding powder to your drinks. Liberal use of supplements can cause several problems, McIntyre said.
“One of my first patients I met as a new nutritionist was a man who was hospitalized for gastrointestinal bleeding because of his regular use of a list of vitamin supplements,” she said. “Many labels even warn about this. While toxicity and food and drug interactions are the most dangerous complications, less dangerous but undesirable problems may arise, such as masking various deficiencies or undiagnosed health conditions or creating a new problem or symptom from taking an unnecessary supplement.
For those who want to increase fitness gains through supplements specifically for this purpose, the slope can be just as slippery.
“I often see clients take pre-workout supplements or ‘energy boosters’ with large amounts of caffeine,” says McIntyre. “This can lead to diarrhea, a fast and irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure and dizziness, among other problems. Another common side effect is gastrointestinal distress and upset stomach.
How to do it right
If you are wondering if you need a supplement and want to add it to your diet in a safe way, there are steps you can take to achieve this. The first and best way to take supplements is to start with your doctor or registered dietitian.
“First, I make a full assessment of nutrition, complete with a review of past medical history, allergies, current and past drug use, current use of supplements, laboratory work (most often chemical, chemo and lipid panels) and, of course, a review of diet using food diaries or food questionnaires to find out where they stand in terms of current nutrient intake, “says McIntyre.” The labs I would order separately from the panels I mentioned will be iron and total binding capacity, ferritin , B12 and folic acid, as well as vitamin D. “
Depending on your lifestyle, this approach may vary.
“For certain populations, such as athletes considering low-risk supplements, laboratory work may not be necessary to administer a product such as creatine monohydrate. Or if I know that a client is having difficulty meeting their protein needs on a vegan diet, a plant-based protein powder with minimal ingredients may be at low risk, ”says McIntyre. “As with all things nutrition, it comes down to the individual and what it takes to determine the best approach that is truly specific to them.”
How about a simple multivitamin? Do you need to consult a doctor or a registered nutritionist about this?
“A multivitamin, in the absence of other nutrients and serious health conditions, can be a good insurance plan,” says McIntyre. If a person has decided to take a multivitamin, I recommend looking for one that has been tested by a third party, contains a dosage of nutrients specifically for human needs based on gender and age, has good bioavailability of key nutrients, is convenient and sold at a reasonable price. “
Some multivitamins are targeted at specific populations, such as postmenopausal women. Although this may seem like the right idea, you need to step carefully again before taking one. For example, be careful with supplements that promise hormonal balance or are otherwise not standard practice, without first getting a full evaluation of the diet and a proven medical need for such a supplement.
This is also true at the moment of the pandemic. Misinformation about what supplements can and cannot do to prevent or treat COVID is widespread.
“You can’t and wouldn’t want to boost your immune system with supplements,” warns McIntyre. “Yes, it is true that some nutrients support immune health. Vitamins A, C and E and minerals such as zinc play a role in the functioning of the immune system.
However, “you don’t need to take supplements if you eat a balanced diet, so the recommendation should be to include these foods in your daily diet for essential nutrients that support your immune system.”
And in an ideal world, you will do just that – get the nutrients you need without supplements.
“If there is a perceived, specific need for supplements, it’s always best to review your interest with your doctor, dietitian and pharmacist so that they can best help you navigate and choose what’s right for you,” he says. McIntyre.
[ad_2]
Source link