A new expose brought to public attention by Dr. Ken Spaeth,  director of the occupational and environmental medicine center at the North Shore-LIJ Health System sheds light on a new public danger. Taking vitamin supplements may be causing you potential harm.

The  FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration), has discovered that certain vitamin supplements produced on Long Island have been contaminated with anabolic steroids. This joins other foods that have been consumed (like beef from cows fed with steroids to plump them up) which have led to ailments like precocious puberty.  The question you most ask yourself in the light of this discovery is whether the benefits gleaned by these vitamin supplements outweigh the potential risks.

Contaminants found within vitamin supplementsIn the past, by the FDA include:

  • Mercury
  • Lead
  • Prescription drugs

Because vitamin supplements have been classified as food products instead of medications, they do not undergo the same high scrutiny and approval by the FDA as traditional drugs do.   Perhaps it is time to hold them accountable to the same standards.

The issue is further compounded by the fact that since people don’t consider vitamins and supplements as drugs, they don’t list them as medications when questioned by their physicians.  This leads to a whole buy a ventolin inhaler online variety of problems including:

  • Enhancement of results with medications by certain supplements leading toward toxicity from overdose
  • Rendering certain medications ineffective by counteracting results with some medications.  The doctor then prescribes more leading to toxicity
  • Toxic interaction between supplements and anesthesia
  • allergic reactions
  • Cause of abnormal coagulation times leading to blood clotting problems

         “Targeted Use for Vitamin Supplements

Clearly, doctors recommend vitamin supplements for certain patients. For example, obstetricians often encourage pregnant women to take folic acid because scientific studies have proven it to be beneficial for the mother and  developing child.

For the average person, though, there is slight basis for encouraging the use of dietary supplements, because there is little science that proves they’re helpful. An otherwise healthy person who takes a multivitamin won’t likely find meaningful benefit. A healthy diet and regular exercise, on the other hand, are proven to promote good health.”

By viewing supplements for what they are (which is medication) and consulting with your doctor about them, many harmful affects can be avoided.

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