Do health supplements work or are they rather just a waste of money? It may be time to start saving your money on vitamin, mineral and herbal supplements. It has been reported that 53 percent of American adults take some kind of supplement on a regular basis. This is a huge spike from 30 percent 20 years ago. Americans currently spend $30 billion a year on supplements per Hannibal Courier Post.
Three new studies published in the Annals of Internal Medicine have failed to prove any benefit with taking supplements. They studied the effect of supplements on cardiovascular disease, cancer, mortality, and cognitive decline, yet found no difference in the groups who took the vitamin supplements and those that did not. They found that the general population who have no clear evidence of a deficiency do not benefit from vitamin supplements.
Many opt for turning to herbal supplements as a substitute for taking prescription drugs or to improve their health. So many in fact, that it has become a $5 billion a year industry. Another reason for herbal supplements? Because they are advertised as both “natural” and “organic” and are legally sold in just about every drug store. What most are unaware of is that there are an estimated 50,000 adverse effects reported annually associated with the use of herbal supplements.
The human body is designed to use only so much vitamins and minerals. Once that limit is reached, excess water-soluble vitamins are simply excreted in urine. Excess fat-soluble vitamins get stored in our fat, and can become dangerous for us. Too much vitamin E has proven to increase the risk of prostate cancer, too much vitamin A increases the risk of osteoporosis and hip fracture, and too much beta-carotene has been linked to increase the risk of lung cancer in smokers.
The next time you are at the drug store picking up your weekly household supplies and look towards the vitamin aisle, remember that health supplements may be a waste of your money.
Article Source: http://americanlivewire.com/health-supplements-work-study-shows/
Many opt for turning to herbal supplements as a substitute for taking prescription drugs or to improve their health. So many in fact, that it has become a $5 billion a year industry. Another reason for herbal supplements? Because they are advertised as both “natural” and “organic” and are legally sold in just about every drug store. What most are unaware of is that there are an estimated 50,000 adverse effects reported annually associated with the use of herbal supplements.
The human body is designed to use only so much vitamins and minerals. Once that limit is reached, excess water-soluble vitamins are simply excreted in urine. Excess fat-soluble vitamins get stored in our fat, and can become dangerous for us. Too much vitamin E has proven to increase the risk of prostate cancer, too much vitamin A increases the risk of osteoporosis and hip fracture, and too much beta-carotene has been linked to increase the risk of lung cancer in smokers.
The next time you are at the drug store picking up your weekly household supplies and look towards the vitamin aisle, remember that health supplements may be a waste of your money.
Article Source: http://americanlivewire.com/health-supplements-work-study-shows/
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