Login

A vitamin tablet in the morning, calcium after lunch, vitamin D at night, and perhaps an herbal capsule before bed. For many people, taking several supplements has quietly become part of a daily health routine. The thinking is usually simple: if one nutrient is good for the body, adding another should make things even better.But the body does not work like a shopping basket where more nutrients automatically mean more health.Taking several supplements together can sometimes create unnecessary duplication, interfere with the absorption of medicines or nutrients, or push certain vitamins and minerals beyond useful levels. The problem can become harder to spot when a person takes a multivitamin without realising that the separate calcium, iron, vitamin D or other tablets contain some of the same nutrients.“While supplements are beneficial in certain circumstances and in treating certain medical conditions if there is a true nutritional deficiency or a health need, multiple supplements without medical supervision may have more harmful than beneficial effects,” said Dr (Col) Vijay Dutta, Director, Internal Medicine & Respiratory Services, ISIC Multispeciality Hospital.That does not mean supplements are bad. They can be important when a deficiency or medical condition genuinely calls for them. The bigger concern is taking several products simply because they are easily available, marketed as natural or seem to promise better energy, immunity, hair, bones or fitness.