5 common myths about supplements, busted

Always buy vitamins and supplements from a reputable source such as your local chemist or high street pharmacy. Internet products may not meet UK standards and may not have gone through the same checks as products from a more reliable source. One analysis of 30 dietary supplements with claims related to immune health sold on Amazon.com found that 17 had incorrect labels, 13 had been misbranded and 9 had extra components found but not stated on the label.

Myth 3: Supplements make up for a poor diet 

Whole foods contain a mixture of vitamins, minerals, fibre, and antioxidants all in one package that we can’t replicate in a pill.  It is becoming increasingly clear that food is more than the sum of its parts and that nutrients function better when consumed as part of a whole food rather than pills. 

When we look at long-term data on what behaviours helps people live longer, healthier lives – it’s eating a healthy balanced diet, not supplements that have robust evidence. In fact, a large analysis of of 21 multivitamin-multimineral supplement clinical trials failed to find any benefit of improved life-expectancy or lower risks of heart disease or cancer from taking supplements.

So the TLDR is: Supplements are just that – a supplement to an already balanced diet and lifestyle, not a replacement for.

Myth 4: Supplements prevent you from getting ill 

Show of hands how many times you have been told to load up on vitamin C when you’ve been feeling a bit run down with a cold or the flu? 

Research has found that Vitamin C supplementation does not actually reduce your chance of catching a cold – although it may do in certain population groups (i.e. those undergoing intense physical stress, such as marathon training). Regular supplementation may potentially reduce the length (by about half a day) and the severity of the common cold. The same benefit was not found in therapeutic supplementation (i.e. taking vitamin C after the cold starts).

Getting enough vitamin C is typically not an issue for most people – foods like citrus fruits, peppers, broccoli, strawberries, and potatoes. My advice would be to load up on food-based sources first before worrying about supplements. 

Myth 5: IV supplements are harmless

Commercially marketed IV supplements are on trend at the moment and claim to boost immunity, detox, and cure hangovers – and while they my hydrate you, it’s a pretty expensive – not to mention risky – hangover cure. 

In this case, IV stands for intravenous, i.e. into your vein. Oral multivitamins are generally safe to use, when used appropriately, however administering something intravenously is completely different to popping a pill. As doctors we carefully weigh up the risks and benefits before prescribing anything IV and always review patients who are on IV medication or drips to see when we can step them down to the oral equivalent. The risks of anything administered intravenously include; increased risk of toxicity, risk of infection, risk of bleeding, inflammation of the vein and electrolyte abnormalities. 

IV supplements may be administered by a registered health professional, such a nurse, but that does not eliminate the risks listed above.