Good Lifestyle

If you feel that your diet fails, the best thing to do is to diversify, Healthy meal plan This fills nutritional gaps. Indeed, although a third of all American adults are currently taking additional vitamins, the research has made mixed results on their effectiveness. In some cases, taking daily multivitamin with certain ingredients can even cause more harm than good, which has led many doctors to advise their use.

"In general, I would not recommend taking over -the -counter multivitamin supplements (OTC) which do not target specific deficiencies or achieve particular objectives", explains Thomas Pontinen , MD, a double-sided certified doctor and co-founder of Center Center for Pain Control . "The best supplementation approach is to consult a doctor to develop a personalized diet according to your specific needs . ""

However, if you plan to continue to take multivitamins, the next best thing is to review the list of ingredients and make sure you are not going too far on one thing. What do you wonder looking for on the label? These are the six main ingredients to take notes, say the doctors.

In relation: 12 supplements that you should never take together, say medical experts .

Ambins Amber , MD, a double certified board Family and lifestyle medicine , said you should never buy multivitamins with excessive quantities of calcium.

"For some who have high calcium levels, adding more calcium to their diet can lead to harmful side effects," explains Robins Better life . "" Kidney stones , constipation and altered mental state are all symptoms of having high levels of calcium. ""

According to medical experts from Mont Sinai , "Any ingredient in a multiple vitamins supplement can be toxic in large quantities." However, they note that calcium is one of the two ingredients - iron being the other - which comes with "the most serious risks".

For people without iron deficiency, taking a multivitamin with added iron can cause potentially serious side effects.

"In healthy people, taking high doses of iron supplements (especially in an empty stomach) can cause stomach aches, constipation, nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea, "explains the National Health Institutes (NIH). "Large quantities of iron can also cause more serious effects, including inflammation of the mucosa of the stomach and ulcers. High iron doses can also decrease the absorption of zinc." AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB

"Although iron can be important if you have iron deficiency anemia, everyone may not need it in their daily multivitamin if their blood count is normal," adds Robins.

In relation: 5 surprising advantages of taking vitamin B-12 every day .

Pontinen says that, like calcium, other metallic elements such as copper can be problematic when found in multivitamins in high doses.

"There are recommended quantities of specific admission to these nutrients, and the human body is based on a careful balance of traces of minerals to fulfill basic health functions," he explains. "Too much copper can make you sick and even harm the kidneys, the liver, the heart and the brain. The two minerals [calcium and copper] are crucial for the function of life, but I recommend avoiding them in supplements unless that you don't know you need it . ""

Vitamin A serves a wide range of functions in the body. To know, this can help you maintain healthy organs, a healthy immune system , reproductive system and view.

However, experts say you should be able to get all vitamin A that you need thanks to your diet and that too much vitamin A can cause negative effects in some.

"It is particularly advisable for pregnant women to be wary of taking supplements with pure vitamin, because it has been shown that too much vitamin intake causes certain problems of fetal development," notes Pontinen. "You can rather opt for beta-carotene, which is a precursor of vitamin A that the body must first treat."

In relation: What happens to your body if you take vitamins on an empty stomach .

Sugar is an inactive ingredient found in some multivitamins. "This can be included in the pills and moaning. In order to avoid useless additional sugar consumption, it is useful to try to take multivitamins that have no sugar or have limited quantities," says Robins.

Pontinen also recommends products that contain sugar alcohols. "Sugar alcohols, such as sorbitol and xylitol, are sometimes added to multivitamins to improve taste or texture. However, they can cause digestive problems such as bloating and gas in some people, and some of the new alcohols of alcohols Sugar on the market have not been sought enough to properly determine long-term security, "he said.

Finally, Pontinen recommends against multivitamins containing DL-Alpha-Tocopherol, a synthetic form of vitamin E, commonly found in many multivitamin supplements.

"Although it shares the name of vitamin E with other forms, such as the RRR-Alpha-Tocopherol Natural, it is absorbed much less effectively by the body and can cause side effects such as nausea and digestive problems", he said.

Best Life offers the most up -to -date information for high -level experts, new research and health agencies, but our content is not supposed to replace professional advice. Regarding the medication you take or any other health issue you have, always consult your health care provider directly.