Dietary supplements are causing thousands of people end up in the emergency room each year. Because the FDA classes supplements as food rather than medicine, it can be difficult to know what is safe and what is not. “This has huge consequences for the entire dietary supplement category, from vitamins, minerals, probiotics and all sorts of new ingredients.” says Pieter Cohen, MD, an internist at Cambridge Health Alliance and an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. “What it means is that the manufacturer can put anything on the market that they think is safe. The FDA’s job is to identify products that cause harm after they’ve been on the market and remove them from store shelves. … Because the FDA is not investigating these products before they appear on store shelves or on the Internet, what happens is that they can present unpredictable risks.” Here are five supplements doctors want you to avoid. Read on and to ensure your health and the health of others, don’t miss these Sure signs you’ve already had COVID.
Despite the explosion of COVID-19 “miracle” cures and quackery products, there is no product that can prevent or cure the virus. “Taking quercetin, zinc, or vitamin D and other nutritional supplements cannot prevent or treat coronavirus infection or COVID-19.” says Lisa Maragakis, MD, MPH, and Gabor Kelen, MD. “The same goes for essential oils: they are not effective in preventing coronavirus disease. The best ways to stay safe from COVID-19 are to get vaccinated, wear a mask (especially in closed or crowded settings), keep clean hands and practice physical distancing.
There’s a big difference between drinking a cup (or three) of coffee and taking energy supplements that can contain dangerous levels of caffeine. “I think it’s important to note that caffeine is generally safe at the doses most people consume,” says Jeffrey Goldberger, M.D., a cardiologist at the University of Miami. “But it has the potential to be dangerous in extremely high doses, and there are people who have some sensitivity.”
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Kava is extremely toxic to the liver and has been banned in the UK. “More than 100 cases of liver toxicity related to kava use have been identified, some leading to liver transplantation and others to death.” says Robert Ashley, M.D.. “There are many reasons for liver damage. For one thing, kava depletes glutathione, a major antioxidant, within the liver. It also inhibits enzymes involved in the metabolism of many drugs. Many of the cases of liver toxicity were seen in people who had liver disease or used alcohol in addition to kava.
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Do you want to lose weight? Don’t waste your money on useless and often dangerous weight loss supplements. “Many weight-loss supplements contain ingredients that are contaminated, ineffective, dangerous or, in fact, illegal.” says clinical toxicologist Rose Ann Gould Soloway, RN, BSN, MSEd, DABAT. “Some people get sick after taking these products. Some have drug interactions. It can be hard to get your money back. Worst of all, these products often don’t help.”
“Weight-loss products accounted for a quarter of all single-product emergency department visits and disproportionately affected women.” says Susan Farrell, M.D..
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Using male enhancement supplements can do more harm than good, especially since product labels may not be accurate about ingredients. “These supplements may contain the active ingredients found in prescription erectile dysfunction medications, yet are manufactured illegally without any quality control, or they may contain one of more than 45 chemical agents that have never been tested in humans.” says Pieter Cohen, M.D.
