Watch out, supplements can harm

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We all take supplements for all sorts of reasons. People take supplements to replenish the vitamins and minerals the body needs to function optimally. Also, as we age, our bodies produce fewer enzymes, including all the important ones needed to properly digest and assimilate foods. We therefore need appropriate supplements to shore up the dwindling enzymes and boost a lagging libido or sperm health. Again, people take supplements to beat stress and thus strengthen the immune system.

Experts say supplements can help to restore the body to a place of balance. And they are just okay, especially under the supervision of a competent physician.

A consultant nutritionist, Dr. Mayowa Ismail, notes that while nothing will take the place of eating a good and healthy diet, taking quality, whole food-based natural supplements can go a long way towards helping you maintain a better level of health. He also warns that if you have what he describes as “bad habits” such as skipping meals and not eating healthy foods, you need them even more.

He laments that Nigerians “cook the nutrients out of food,” resulting in a massive loss of nutritional values.

“This means far fewer vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and enzymes to go around. What’s more, eating these depleted foods over time creates its own set of health problems. And that’s why taking supplements will help the body recoup whatever nutrients we may have missed in our foods.”

Before you take supplements

But then, are there dangers to taking supplements? Experts urge caution when splurging on supplements. They have their reasons. The Medical Director of Hope Clinics, Dr. David Akinlade notes that most supplements do have side effects.

He gives the example of fish oil which cardiologists say promotes heart health and reduces cancer risk. “Omega-3 fish oil may help to lower blood pressure, reduce triglycerides (a type of fat found in the blood), slow the development of plaque in the arteries, reduce the chance of abnormal heart rhythm, reduce the likelihood of heart attack and stroke, and lessen the chance of sudden cardiac death in people with heart disease.”

However, experts say you can overdose on omega-3 fish oil supplements if you are not guided by a physician! Akinlade says, “The oil can cause stomach upset, nausea, gastric issues such as heartburn, and belching that’s combined, unpleasantly, with a fishy aftertaste.”

Another supplement is the ginkgo biloba. Researchers say the plant has a number of therapeutic properties and contains high levels of flavonoids and terpenoids — antioxidants that provide protection against oxidative cell damage from harmful free radicals.

In recent years, ginkgo supplements have become increasingly popular and experts say they are currently among the top-selling herbal medications.

A professor of chiropractic and Chairman, Natural Health Practitioners in Nigeria, Bishop Magnus Atilade, says ginkgo biloba extract is collected from the dried green leaves of the plant and is available as liquid extracts, capsules, and tablets. He adds that the dried leaves of the plant can also be used to make tea.

Again, the Institute for Natural Products Research says ginkgo biloba is also useful in increasing sexual energy, soothing bladder irritation, treating intestinal worms and gonorrhoea.

A study published in the journal, Pharmacopsychiatry, also claims that clinical efficacy of the ginkgo indicates that people with dementia can benefit from taking it, and that it can improve thinking and memory.

Another peer review journal, JAMA, similarly found that ginkgo biloba “is safe and appears capable of stabilising and, in a substantial number of cases, improving the cognitive performance and the social functioning of demented patients for six months to one year.”

Researchers believe that it improves cognitive function because it promotes good blood circulation in the brain and protects it from neuronal damage.

However, its negative influences include nausea, diarrhoea, dizziness, headaches, stomach ache, restlessness, and vomiting. It could also thin blood, making it dangerous for anyone on blood-thinning medications (or anyone getting surgery — even a dental procedure) to take.

Again, experts warn that ginkgo leaves contain long-chain alkylphenols, which are highly allergenic. “Therefore, people who are allergic to poison ivy and other plants with alkylphenols, are advised to completely avoid taking ginkgo,” they conclude.

In addition to its supplement form, we also have the ginseng tea and coffee, all of which are thought to boost memory, improve thinking, concentration, work efficiency, physical stamina, depression, chronic fatigue, boost the immune system, and for fighting particular infections in a lung disease called cystic fibrosis. Athletes are also said to love it because it makes for endurance.

Experts also say some people use ginseng to help them cope with stress and as a general tonic for improving well-being.

The dangers are there, nevertheless. For one, scientists say ginseng products are not always what they claim, and that the contents of products labeled as containing ginseng can vary greatly, and many contain little or no active ingredient.

Scientists say ginseng is possibly safe when taken by mouth for most adults and when used for less than three months. It is possibly unsafe when taken long-term, researchers say; adding it may have some hormone-like effects that could be harmful with prolonged use.

“Other possible side effects include insomnia, menstrual problems, breast pain, increased heart rate, high or low blood pressure, headache, loss of appetite, diarrhoea, itching, rash, dizziness, mood changes, and vaginal bleeding,” they warn.

Uncommon side effects that have been reported include severe rash called Stevens-Johnson syndrome, liver damage, and severe allergic reactions.

Pregnant women are advised to stay off it, as a chemical in it could cause birth defects; and breastfeeding mothers are also warned against taking it. Using the product for babies and older children has been linked to poisoning that can be fatal.

Again, experts say ginseng seems to increase the activity of the immune system and make auto-immune diseases worse; it could interfere with blood clotting, affect heart rhythm and blood pressure slightly on the first day it is used.

“In people with diabetes who are taking medications to lower blood sugar, adding ginseng might lower it too much; while those who have conditions that can be made worse by exposure to estrogen such as breast, uterine and ovarian cancers, endometriosis, or uterine fibroids are advised against it, as ginseng contains chemicals (ginsenosides) that can act like estrogen,” they say.

So, consult your doctor before you take any supplement.