As a rule, with the beginning of spring one can hear more often that the body lacks vitamins. Doctors point to the need to support the body with useful substances in the transition period, but many of us tend to solve the problem in a simpler manner – we go to the pharmacy and buy vitamins. Meanwhile, scientists warn that the uncontrolled use of these medications can cause serious damage to health.
Vitamin A
15 years ago, the experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) expressed caution that carotenoids should not be taken without prescription as their activity in the human body is able to influence the processes leading to cancer. One should be careful due to the fact that accurate data about their effect are still unknown to science; there are separate studies that make the doctors treat synthetic vitamin A with caution.
The works, which have been carried out by scientists in recent years, only confirm the possibility of excessive unnatural beta-carotene doses to provoke the growth of tumors.
Vitamin E
It is often referred to as “the vitamin of youth and beauty” for women; it prevents wrinkles and produces a positive effect on the condition of hair and skin. But many do not know that excessive amounts of fat-soluble vitamin can badly affect the functions of the cardiovascular system – as evidenced by a number of overseas studies.
Calcium
Calcium prevents osteoporosis and disability – the normal levels of this mineral in the body are associated with high life expectancy. However, scientists have found that chronic use of calcium by elderly people can lead to such a state as hypercalcemia. It is characterized by vascular fragility, calcium deposits in kidneys and blood vessels.
Vitamin D
As many people know, vitamin D helps prevent rickets in children, and in the adult body this vitamin helps to better absorb calcium. At the same time, it has a disadvantage – the excessive intake of vitamin D can cause an increase in blood pressure, nausea and weakness, and disrupt your normal appetite.
Vitamin C
There is a popular prescription for the treatment of colds and flu. As you notice the first signs of this disorder, take the “shock” dose of vitamin C (sometimes even doctors recommend it). The idea of such therapy has arisen due to Nobel laureate Dr. Linus Pauling, who was confident of the wonderful properties of excessive doses of vitamin C. However, many modern scholars suggest that taking large quantities of vitamin C is not safe – there is a risk to cause a bowel disorder, allergies and serious damage to the vessels.
How to compensate for the lack of vitamins?
So what should we do? Should we let the organism decide what to do with the lack of vitamins? In fact, it is necessary to support it during a complicated period, but it is better to do it with caution. The American Dietetic Association advises to supply the body with vitamins – but only at the expense of food. Regarding the use of ready-made vitamins, the experts believe that taking them should depend on the individual assessment of nutrition. It is necessary to be tested for blood chemistry – it will help to understand what vitamins one really lacks.
