Top 14 Positive And Side Effects Of Supplements On The Body

effects of supplements

Updates: 05/17/2024

Natural foods actually cannot provide your body with all essential nutrients, minerals and vitamins. Therefore, you can supply your body with supplements the body need in certain purposes like health recovery or sport training. Nevertheless, you may get some health problems from side effects of various supplements, including vitamin supplements, weight loss supplements, sport supplements and so on. This article will help you get more information about 14 positive and side effects of supplements on the body so that you can consume them for good.

14 Positive And Side Effects Of Supplements On The Body – How To Take Supplements Right

I. Positive Effects Of Supplements On The Body positive effects of supplements on the body

In general, supplements help provide us more nutrients. Especially, some supplements are essential for kids, old people, pregnant women, people after illness or weak people after surgery recoveries.

Moreover, according to a research from Diabetes Metabolism Research and Reviews in 2024, obese participants who used low-calorie diet including protein supplements los more fat and weight over a year than those who didn’t follow a diet with supplements.

Below are specific good effects of supplement on the body:

1. Vitamin Supplements

There are various vitamin supplements that doctors recommend you investing. Vitamin D is high in egg, meat and fish. However, in case you need to boost your bone health or brain strength, especially for pregnant women and their babies, take this vitamin supplement of 0.01 mg per day.

For children, and the elder, they should have a regular intake of multi-vitamins to grow regularly and stay strong and healthy. There are different groups of multi-vitamin supplements such as supplements of vitamin A-C-D or supplements of vitamin B complex.

2. Protein Supplements protein supplements

In addition to natural foods, people who want to build muscle and sculpt their body can supply their body building diet with protein supplements. Protein has the key role in muscle growth. Protein supplements provide body builders with a higher amount of this nutrient. In general, protein supplement can bring you the following benefits:

Protein supplements help you lose unwanted excess weight and fat while toning your muscle mass. The protein supplements work by reducing carbohydrates in the body and improve blood glucose. Hence, when consuming protein, you may feel full and even reduce triglyceride concentrations.

Protein supplements can aid in reducing cardiovascular diseases. According to scientists, an increased protein supplement intake by 23% can help you lower bad cholesterol. Thus, you can protect your health from some cardiovascular diseases like heart stroke and attack.

Besides, children can add protein supplements to their meals for muscle growth. Actually, this is possible because protein helps increase IGF-1, a hormone to develop muscle.

Protein supplements are also helpful in improving metabolic system. As you take protein, enzymes in the body, which are responsible for lower fatty acid can adjust. Moreover, gluconeogenesis can increase, as well.

In addition, protein supplements can help increase endurance and improve muscle pain or muscle imbalance faster.

3. Iron Supplements

Pregnant women or those who plan to get pregnant are advised to take folic acid supplements (400 micrograms per day) especially during the first twelve weeks of their pregnancy. In fact, not only pregnant woman, but adults should consume about 200 micrograms of iron in natural foods. There are different types of iron supplements, but all of them have an importance role in produce more red cells in the body.

According to scientific reports, taking iron supplements during 12 weeks can help reduce tiredness and fatigue by 50%.

For women, iron supplements are proven to reduce menstrual problems.

Another research on iron supplementation also showed that this nutrient helped increase intelligences of adolescents. The researchers examine 2 groups of 208 participants and 205 other participants in different ages from 12 -15. The result has indicated that people who were lack of iron have lower IQ gain than those who took iron supplements (5.8 IQ point).

4. Creatine Supplements

Researchers in nutrition have proven that creatine can be useful in improve certain health conditions, which are caused by weakened muscles such as heart attack, muscular dystrophy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Huntington’s disease.

Besides, the studies also indicated that creatine supplements can help lower cholesterol in those who suffer from abnormally high levels.

II. Side Effects Of Supplements On The Body

Besides benefits of supplements on the body, people should pay attention to some supplements and right ways or doses in consuming them.

1. Supplements For Pregnant Women supplements for pregnant women

It is good for all pregnant women to avoid using vitamin A supplements during pregnancy because this nutrient can damage the baby development.

Beside vitamin A, expectant women also pay high attention to taking vitamin B6. High doses of this vitamin (over 10mg/day) can cause abdominal pain, even diarrhea.

Similarly, high doses of vitamin C and vitamin D (1,000mg/day) also lead to the same symptoms above for both children and adults.

For these reason, you should be careful when taking vitamin supplements. Ask doctors and describe your health conditions clearly so that they can guide you to consume right doses of supplements and other pills as well. Especially, you should remind kids not taking pills without the guide of adults in all cases.

2. Supplements Are Poor in Nutrition

When taking any types of supplements, remember that they just aid in providing extra nutrients for the body, but supplements cannot replace essential foods we eat daily like grains, meats, vegetables or fruits. Thus, if you depend on supplements to stay healthy, you are wrong.

3. Digestive Problems

Fiber plays a great importance in maintain healthy digestion. Supplements are poor in fiber, so do not depend on them. If not, you will get some digestive problems like diverticulitis or constipation.

According to doctors and nutrients, high-protein diets are good for muscle and strength. However, yet in addition to taking protein supplements, we should supply the body with fiber, which is high in vegetables and fruits in order to maintain healthy digestive system.

4. Kidney Risks

If you take supplements regularly, you may develop some kidney problems. According to some reports from centers of disease control & prevention, kidneys are associated with protein absorption, so protein supplements can impair human organs and throw them into the overdrive. The organs have to work harder for expelling excess waste in the body.

5. Breathing Difficulty, Nausea And Rash breathing difficulty nausea and rash

All people, including kids, adolescents and adults should follow doctor’s advice to take right doses of supplements for getting rid of their side effects. In facts, supplements like creatine can cause various health problems if you take high doses like breathing difficulty, nausea, vomiting, stomach upset, rash, anxiety, weight gain, diarrhea, fever, fatigue and headache.

Certain medications may have dangerous interactions with creatine. Combine drugs including creatine, ephedra and caffeine can increase the risks of these side effects above.

It is recommended that pregnant women and children under 18 should avoid taking some supplements and vitamins because they can affect their blood sugar and cause dehydration.

6. Liver Damage

Because supplements must is passed through urine and a dietary supplements go through liver in order to processing, so supplements can be toxic to human vital organs. In fact, many liver injuries require transplants and they attribute to side effects of supplements, even deaths.

The FDA warns consumers about taking some supplements like Kava, Ephedra, Total Body Formulas and some others have been studying.

For more details, in 2002, the FDA warned the world about the use of supplements including Kava. This supplement is used as a natural cure for anxiety, stress and premenstrual syndrome. However, according to the FDA, Kava may cause liver failure.

The FDA has been studying the risk of usnic acid in fat loss. While people lose weight by taking the supplements containing usnic acid, they can also get the risk of some liver diseases and problems, including chaparral, comfrey, bitter orange, germander, black cohosh and niacin.

Vitamin A is also proven to cause liver damage when consumers take high dosages for a long period of time.

7. Hormone Imbalances And Cancers

According to studies on supplements, DHEA and androstenedione can be used in large doses and these supplements work like strong anabolic steroids and contribute to hormone imbalances.

Some people get acne and have oily skin. Men, who take steroid, can have sperm levels drop and the prostate gland enlarges.

Female athletes who consume steroid can get more male-like characteristics such as wider shoulders, thicker waists, broader backs, more facial and body hair, deeper voices and flatter chests. Even, menstrual cycles can be irregular, or stop.

Moreover, taking androstenedione and DHEA may lead to a high risk of infertility, heart disease, stroke, breast development in men and even testicular cancer.

Beside DHEA and androstenedione, there is a wide range of other supplements used in high intensity sports to increase body strength or fat loss also cause hormone imbalances and different cancer, even death. These sport supplements include thermogenics – a fat burner, ephedra – a supplement to boost athletic performance.

8.  Dehydration dehydration

Amphetamines are considered powerful stimulants. It is often abused to enhance strength and improve performance. However, consuming this supplement may increase body temperature, cause dehydration and lead to the deaths of athletes and the consumers. A typical example is Tommy Simpson, a professional cyclist in Great Britain. Nowadays, this supplement is banned by all international sporting organization.

9. Immune System Problems

Some supplements like anabolic steroids, ligaments and tendon, which are used for muscle growth and body strength can cause immune system problems if over-used.

Steroid can increase blood pressure, blood sugar, fat if people take it regularly. Besides, consumers also get behavior problems such as paranoia, aggression, low sex drive, depression and mood swings.

10.  Reduce Height

According to recent researches on taking supplements in adolescent athletes, people who use steroid early can lead to the growth of plates in their long bones. Hence, this growth will close faster than the normal bone development and it cause limited height in these adolescent athletes.

Read more: Grow Taller For Dummies

Actually, you can ask doctors to know effects of supplements before consuming some. This is the best way to get benefits and get rid of side effects of supplements on the body. It’s hoped that these 14 positive and side effects of supplements have shown you clear points about this topic and you have already know how to take supplements.

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