The Danger of Supplements

Are Your Supplements Harmful?

One of the most common questions I’m asked, and a question that continues to circulate through the healthcare community is, “Are supplements safe?” The answer to this is far from cut and dried, which is why there hasn’t been a definitive answer and likely never will be. There are groups advocating that natural substances are always safe and pharmaceutical drugs are always bad (neither of which is true) and others, primarily special interest groups that want to control them for financial gain, hiding their intentions by acting like regulation would be for the public good.

The truth is that supplements can either work very well or end up being a complete waste of money. In some cases they can even be harmful. When it comes to nutrition bioavailability, or absorbability, supplements that are closest to whole foods tend to perform better for general absorption, but can also lack the levels of nutrients needed to be effective. The less processed, the better the enzymes and probiotics in the body can recognize them, interact with them, and metabolize them. Conversely, the less processed they are, the lower the nutrition density can be so it requires a balance of processing and density to formulate an effective supplement. 

Comparing supplements to food, supplements can be the more convenient and effective option to deliver nutrients. Many of the foods we pick up at the grocery store are deficient in basic nutrients, so no matter how much a person eats they will not get the proper nutrition. Organic foods tend to fare better, but there’s still no guarantee that the soil they were grown on was of proper quality. If the soil is depleted, the plant will be depleted whether it’s grown organically or not. Additionally, it’s important to know how the supplement was processed, how long and in what condition it was stored before processing, how the company determines the expiration date, whether they track batches and have an easy reporting process in the case of reactions, and the credentials of whoever determined the formulation. 

Pesticides can kill digestive enzymes and slow or partially paralyze functions in the digestive process, further cutting down a food’s nutrition delivery. The same can happen to supplements and in some cases, pesticides, nitrates, and other toxins can be found at significantly higher levels in supplements because of the fact that they are condensed during processing. Health threats come from potential drug interactions, which are rare but can occur. For instance, someone taking St. John’s Wort for depression or anxiety who is also on a prescribed blood thinner is at an increased risk of stroke. Detoxification supplements, especially essential oils, can interfere with chemotherapy or radiation therapy rendering them less effective or, in worst case scenarios, interfering with the effectiveness of the treatment and even damaging the patient’s health. 

Then, there are natural stimulants that can interact with prescribed stimulants and various other combinations that interfere with psychiatric medications. Furthermore, due to the lack of regulation, there’s generally no standard for verifying the claims of what companies put on their labels. As for fillers, a good company will use as few as possible in order to stabilize a supplement’s components. Most are relatively harmless but there is always the chance of an adverse or allergic reaction. These can be so minor that they’re barely noticed and build up over continued usage, or they can show up in a variety of other symptoms such as flushing, itching and hives. A small percentage of people will be affected. For instance, if someone has a silicone allergy, they may have a reaction to substances that use silicone dioxide as a binding agent.

Now, the question surrounding whether supplements work or not gets another twist. Various combinations can either help or hinder the absorption of the others, so simply taking Vitamin D3 without the proper proportion of K2 vastly decreases vitamin D’s absorption. Combining supplements effectively requires a lot of study, practice and more than simple book smarts, as does utilizing various brands together. For natural health practitioners, D3 and K2 is a common combination but clinically, it’s surprising how few patients know about it. Then, certain supplements will work for some people and not for others. As an example, CLA can be found in dairy, animal fats and eggs but it’s difficult to get enough in natural foods to trim belly fat and increase muscle strength. Genetically, some people benefit from it and it does nothing for others. So does CLA work? Yes, if you have the right genetics. The same logic should be applied to other supplements as well.

This is why it’s best to work with someone who has studied safe, effective supplement usage. Some of the ways to know if the so-called “natural” brands are safe and effective are to use companies that subject themselves to independent verification. There are companies that only allow licensed healthcare practitioners with nutrition in their scope of practice to order them. This maintains the reputation, safety, and effectiveness of their products. Working with a licensed practitioner with a history of successfully treating conditions with supplements is the easiest way to guarantee you’re getting high quality supplements. Otherwise, it requires many hours extensive research on the patient’s part. 

Unfortunately, most of the supplements on the market aren’t very effective. Companies can be very unscrupulous about making claims since there is virtually no regulation in what they can say. On the flip side, there are excellent companies that maintain the highest standards. Without an expert practitioner, figuring out which is which is a time consuming process that is like throwing a dart in the dark at a continually moving target.

In good health,

Dr. K

Ambassador and President, Modern Naprapathy

[email protected]

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