Are Supplements Harmful for You?

Are Supplements Harmful for you? This is the most common question you would be asking yourself when you hear the word “supplements”. So now you are thinking; either about taking supplements for the first time or are already taking them but want to check whether they hold a cost to their promises.

But before we jump onto the real talk. Lets take a detour first; to understand what supplements actually are, so you don’t confuse them with other drugs.

What are Supplements?

Supplements or formally known as dietary supplements are products that are orally consumed to maintain the homeostasis condition of the body. Supplements tend to have vitamins or amino acid that aim to compliment ones diet.

The food that you consume has certain natural nutrients including; carbohydrates, fats, fiber, minerals and proteins. When we are consuming our meals throughout the day it is very difficult to maintain a consistent level of all the nutrients. To counter such deficiency problems, people tend to consume supplements.

Supplements as the name suggests, are their to complement your daily meals. They strictly should not replace your routine 3 meals a day. The goal should be to complement the existing diet plan through supplements.

A little disclaimer that I would like to present to you right now is; “it is always best to consume natural vegetables and homemade food (so you would know exactly what is in there). To get the best results. If still, getting some proteins in your body would be more difficult than you should sought supplements to get the optimal results.

On the contrary there are some exceptional cases when supplements could be harmful.

Certain medical conditions don’t allow the freedom of consuming supplements. Some Kidney diseases or even a damaged kidney could allow the nutrients to stack up within the body rather than get processed. As we mentioned before; the target to consuming such supplements is to reach a balanced intake of nutrients. Potassium is an example of such accumulation. So one should be in constant check for potassium levels in his/ her blood. Though kidney safe supplements do exist but we would recommend you checking it up with your doctor first.

We also see that with an increase in age the body functions tend to deteriorate. Therefore making consumption of such products difficult to adapt to or even digest, which could result in further problems that might be injurious to one’s health.

Things to Consider Before Using Supplements

Supplements are not officially categorized as drugs or medicine. Though you should consume them as if they are. It is important that you consume according to your needs.

• Learn the Ways of the Supplement

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is a very tedious task, with multiple steps. You would need to educate yourself on the supplements that are present in the market. Being consciously aware of products and what ingredients they have, such knowledge would allow you to overcome any obstacles. Educate yourself about your body and become self aware, this would allow you to make better decisions about your body and what it needs. 

• Read Before you Eat

If you take supplements, vitamins or any complementary dietary product. You should always read the packaging it comes with. Reading it would allow you to know what is in it and discuss it with your doctor, nurse or even your gym trainer.to ensure that consuming them would not result in any reaction with your current prescribed medicine or a medical condition that you might have.

Better Safe Than Sorry.

• Gluttony is a Sin

Always make sure (and I can’t emphasize this enough!) that you are not overdosing on your supplements. They are and should always be a complementary diet rather than something to depend on solely.

To make it easier for you guys to understand, below is a table that shows to safe limits of various nutrients. Make sure that you are in the safe zones at all times, to not risk any problems.

• Buy Supplements from Well Known Suppliers

That someone you know can vouch for. (People like Nadir “The Hulk” Baloch and Bilal Mehsud can Vouch for Gladious.com, which not only takes pride in providing genuine high quality imported products but rather aims to unify people for the fitness revolution)

• Keep an Open Eye for “Warnings”

Supplements tend to have a warning mark on theme to identify, whether using this would cause any side effects. People with medical conditions (heart or kidney problems) to check 

The All Natural Way to Intake Nutrients

There are a lot of different ways to intake nutrients and the best way without a question is to intake them through natural, non- processed food.

Have a look at the table below to see what would work for you.

Conclusion

There are various studies showing the positive impact of using supplements and getting results but you would need to be cautious about what you are aiming to achieve after consumption of such supplements. Clarity in goal would make it easier for you to gauge on what products to buy and what would suit your body type.

A good diet plan followed by supplements, while maintaining a rigorous Gym routine. This is the secret to obtain the best results.

There is a misconception in our society that “Supplements and Steroids are the same thing”.Which they are not. We would be posting about the difference in our upcoming blogs so you better stay tuned for that.

Disclaimer

The data has been gathered from credible sources such as, Harvard Health Publishing. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.