Vitamins and Dietary Supplements: What Amounts Are Safe For Me?

Elevate Christian Network :: Health and Wellness

Vitamins and Dietary Supplements:  Millions of people in North America are regular vitamin users.  The question is what do you actually need? In this video by Sunnybrook Hospital, Registered dietitian Daphna Steinberg says that for most adults under 50, a balanced diet is the best place to start, rather than the vitamin aisle. Rather than trying to guess what’s best for you, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or registered dietitian to know for sure.

 

 

Vitamins and Dietary Supplements: What Amounts Are Safe For Me?

According to Brett Lechtenberg, we use vitamins and dietary supplements for many different reasons, to help us grow, digest easier, and to help nerves function more efficiently. There are 13 different vitamins that your body needs: Vitamins C, A, D, K, E, and the B vitamins.

The AAFP cites two categories of vitamins:

1. “Water-soluble vitamins are easily absorbed by the body, which doesn’t store large amounts. The kidneys remove those vitamins that are not needed.”

2. “Fat-soluble vitamins are absorbed into the body with the use of bile acids, which are fluids used to absorb fat. The body stores these for use as needed” (http://www.fda.gov/forconsumers/consumerupdates/ucm118079.htm).

What amounts are safe for me?

There are certain vitamins that can be dangerous in high doses compared to other vitamins. Because there are vitamins with high risk means you need to be aware when it’s ok to take more or when it is not. One way to make sure is to look at the tolerable intake level of the vitamin.

“This is to caution against excessive intake of nutrients (like vitamin A) that can be harmful in large amounts. This is the highest level of daily consumption that current data have shown to cause no side effects in humans when used indefinitely without medical supervision” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietary_Reference_Intake).

Tolerable Intake Level

Sometimes the recommended dose is much lower than the tolerable intake level (UL), so reading the labels is very important. You want to use vitamins as a way to help your body and make it easier for your body to function; you don’t want vitamins to turn into something harmful for your body.

This also goes the other way where some vitamins are more high risk than others. The tolerable intake level (UL) is very close to the recommended daily limit, so it’s easier to take too many of those vitamins. For example, vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin and with vitamins like that they stay and can possibly build up in your body in a harmful way and can be toxic.

Dietary Supplements

Vitamins are designed to help enhance your diet. Taking dietary supplements does not equal good health. You also need to be eating a healthy and well balanced diet and taking vitamins to fill in any nutritional areas. A multivitamin is always a safe bet to provide most things your body needs. But, depending on you specifically, you might need more or less than what is in a multivitamin.

You also need to be aware of the nutrients you are getting from food as well as vitamins. Your daily intake could include food and vitamins or one or the other. If you are looking for your allotted daily intake the best way is to go onto a government regulated website to find that information because not all bottles take the food factor into consideration.

List of Nutrients

You won’t find the UL on food nutrition labels or on your vitamin bottle. It’s not a number that most people know about. But it is available on government web sites – and a complete list of nutrients with ULs is listed at the end of this article.

Most likely, the average person will not take too many vitamins that are harmful to them so don’t worry. It’s always a good idea to consult your dietician for your specific nutrient needs. Especially if you’re going to use supplements in high doses or for a long period of time.

Works Cited: 1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietary_Reference_Intake 2. http://www.fda.gov/forconsumers/consumerupdates/ucm118079.htm

Brett Lechtenberg is Utah’s top expert on safety. He has trained thousands of people to empower themselves both physically and mentally with his fitness programs at Personal Mastery Martial Arts and iLoveKickboxing-Sandy. Learn more at Brett’s websites Sandy Kickboxing Classes and Karate Classes Sandy Utah.

 

 

More resources:

Vitamins and Supplements: The WebMD Lifestyle Guide
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/lifestyle-guide-11/
Find the information you need about top vitamins and dietary supplements in this useful WebMD guide. … Dietary Supplements FAQ. Article. Supplement FAQ Guide …

Thinking ahead: Vitamin B for brain health – Chiropractic Economics (press release) (blog) One hundred billion nerve cells in the brain act as a communications device, governing thinking, learning and the five senses, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. To preserve brain health, a 2016 study showed that the eight B-vitamins …

Dietary Supplements: The Smart and Safe Use of Vitamins and …
http://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/dietary-supplements.htm
There are different types of dietary, or nutritional, supplements. Vitamin and mineral supplements are types of dietary supplements containing micronutrients  …

Young People With Chronic Migraines May Lack Vitamin D – Health.com “Further studies are needed to elucidate whether vitamin supplementation is effective in migraine patients in general, and whether patients with mild deficiency are more likely to benefit from supplementation,” said lead study author Dr. Suzanne Hagler …Tech TimesJilard Health DigestHindustan Times

Supplements: Nutrition in a pill? – Mayo Clinic
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/supplements/art-20044894
Before taking vitamin and mineral supplements, understand what they will and … So depending on your situation and your eating habits, dietary supplements …

Vitamins & Minerals Handbook

A guidebook to vitamins, minerals, and other food supplements such as ginseng and fish oils that are beneficial for their “wellness insurance,” or ability to help maintain health, includes tips on maintaining good health and alleviating the symptoms of common ailments.

 

• Find more  vitamins and supplement solutions at Elevate Christian Network – Health & Fitness Store. Visit our Health & Wellness Channel at Elevate Christian Network.

 

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