Vitamin myths and facts: Debunking the Top 5 Myths About Vitamins

Myth#1 Increasing the dose of a Vitamin would benefit you more

This is a very popular misconception that if you eat vitamins it is beneficial for you but if you eat more vitamins then it will more benefit you instead exceeding a recommended daily dose of vitamin will actually could harm our body only needs vitamins in smaller amounts like for e.g the vitamins D, A, K and E are fat-soluble, which can be stored in the body. Unless you have a medically diagnosed deficiency, consuming high doses of these vitamins, especially vitamin A, over a long amount of time can increase its harmful levels in the body.

A few of the water-soluble vitamins like B6 can also cause side effects in high doses. For example, vitamin B6 has been linked with nerve damage when consumed in large doses.

 Myth #2: Vitamins do not have any side effects

Vitamins should be taken with proper consultations with your doctor according to deficiency we might have for some pre-defined period of time otherwise taking vitamins we don’t need and for an indefinite time can cause some potential side effects like Too much vitamin C or zinc do have the side effects like stomach cramps or nausea and diarrhoea. Too much selenium could lead to gastrointestinal upset, hair loss,  fatigue and mild nerve damage so we should take care in deciding which vitamins actually need according to the medical condition we have.

Myth #3: If I take vitamins, I don’t have to worry about diet or exercise.

If you think that just depending on vitamins is enough and will improve your health so that you don’t have to worry about diet or exercise is totally wrong in fact vitamins are the nutritional supplements that complement a balanced diet, active lifestyle i.e exercise and enough sleep so that they have an ideal environment to prosper and benefit you.

Myth #4: It’s best to take vitamins on an empty stomach

It’s a false belief that any vitamin can be taken on an empty stomach actually vitamins are nutritional diet source of energy extracted from different sources so it is recommended to take them after meals for easy absorption by our stomach otherwise they would be difficult to digest and might trigger digestion issues

 Myth #5: Supplements never interact with drugs

Vitamin Supplements especially herbal can interact with drugs you take making them ineffective or can cause side effects for example if you are taking blood-thinning medicine and taking vitamin K which promotes blood clotting can interfere with it. Taking some medications and supplements together can cause side effects so you should consult with your doctor first when taking medicines with supplements together.