Vitamins and minerals play an essential role in human health. While consuming a nutritious diet is best way to ensure our bodies receive enough, many individuals also supplement with multivitamin/mineral (MVM) or single nutrient supplements.
Minerals are inorganic substances found both in water and soil. Some minerals, like calcium, magnesium, potassium and iron, are required in large quantities while other elements like chromium, copper, iodine zinc selenium are only required in smaller amounts.
Benefits
Mineral supplements provide our bodies with much-needed vitamins and minerals not available through diet alone. Unfortunately, taking high doses without following a balanced diet can result in vitamin and mineral overdosing, potentially leading to serious health complications. Furthermore, some medications can alter mineral absorption.
Most people who take mineral supplements take multivitamin/multimineral (MVM) products – the most popular types. In large and well-designed randomized clinical trials (RCTs), MVM use has not been linked with improved outcomes for populations suffering from various chronic diseases.
Studies have demonstrated that some mineral supplements may provide some advantages; in particular, iron and zinc supplements can help treat or prevent an iron deficiency, and magnesium can decrease one’s risk for high blood pressure. Unfortunately, evidence is insufficient to support whether MVM supplements improve health conditions like diabetes that increase cardiovascular risks, such as high blood pressure.
Risks
Many people take vitamin and mineral supplements, including multivitamins and mineral tablets, but high dosages of vitamins and minerals may pose potential risks. Vitamin A, D and E in particular can be toxic at extremely high doses while water soluble vitamin overdoses could interfere with certain tests (eg, blood glucose levels). Calcium may induce vascular and soft tissue calcification as well as secondary hypoparathyroidism while magnesium supplements may cause diarrhoea, nausea and constipation while also blocking absorption of certain drugs such as levothyroxine and tetracyclines).
If you consume fortified breakfast cereals, energy bars, bottled juices or enriched pasta on an ongoing basis, you could exceed the daily recommended allowance of some vitamins and minerals – possibly leading to symptoms ranging from headaches to nausea and black bowel actions (poo). Clinical trials have also demonstrated that long-term use of mineral supplements does not seem to protect against cardiovascular disease events.
Interactions
Vitamins and minerals play an essential role in many bodily processes. While most people get enough from diet alone, others use supplements to meet daily requirements – leading to potential drug interactions; potassium may interact with antihypertensive agents such as angiotensin II receptor blockers that induce hyperkalemia or may interact with diuretics like thiazides that produce hypokalemia.
Vitamins and minerals are generally safe when taken as recommended by a healthcare provider to treat or prevent a deficiency state, though taking random combinations of supplements increases the risk of vitamin-mineral interactions. Calcium supplementation when combined with magnesium or iron derived from food or supplements may decrease absorption due to formation of an insoluble complex; similarly, taking selenium along with certain diabetes drugs could void its antidiabetic benefits – it’s best if these substances are separated by at least two hours.
Side Effects
As children, we were often encouraged to treat multivitamins like candy. Unfortunately, too much can be harmful; too many trace minerals can lead to toxicities if too many supplements are consumed at one time.
Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academies has set acceptable upper intake levels (ULs) for many vitamins and minerals. When people exceed these limits, they may experience side effects that range from mild headaches to even death.
Long-term supplementation of zinc and copper poses serious risks, as they work together in the body to form enzymes that regulate blood sugar, cholesterol levels and iron stores. Excess copper or zinc intake can lead to argyria — an incurable skin disease characterized by discolored skin patches across eyes, lips, nails and lips – while excessive vitamin E could interfere with body clotting mechanisms leading to hemorrhages; for this reason it’s wiser to get essential vitamins and minerals through eating healthily balanced meals rather than supplements alone.
