Being fit also includes eating nutritious foods and following a balanced diet. However, another way by which individuals maintain fitness is by consuming vitamin pills, protein shakes or any kind of supplements to boost their body image. Taking shortcuts or just depending on supplements is not good for health, say experts.
Role of supplements for a healthy lifestyle
Experts are not in favour of relying on supplements unless clinically required. This is because “A human body requires 0.8 to 1 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. Protein supplements contain high sodium content, which can put the kidneys at risk of being damaged if they are consumed for the long term. Hitting a gym for an hour does not provide the license to consume two scoops of a protein supplement. It is not needed,” explained dietician Shalmali Sharma, chief nutritionist and consultant dietician of Re-vive Fitness and Beauty Private Limited, Bengaluru.
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What are micronutrients and macronutrients?
Nutrients can be classified into micro and macro-nutrients. Macronutrients are the foods required for our daily activity such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, etc. Micronutrients are specific minerals and vitamins required in small quantities which are essential for humans to perform activities and maintain hormonal levels.
“We consume macronutrients on a daily basis but tend to neglect micronutrients such as selenium, which plays an important role in bodily functions. Today, people are more concerned about proteins and macro elements. This is resulting in microelements getting out of focus. The biggest drawback is the lack of micronutrients in the diet,” said Dr Abhimanyu Parashar, safety and pharmacovigilance specialist, Syneos Health, Gurugram, from his experience.
Do sleep supplements cause side effects?
Dr Sharma said, “Human body is not designed to absorb synthetic supplements. Health supplements are composed of chemical compositions that are processed in a laboratory. A person should stay away from such intake as much as possible to maintain a healthy digestive system. If a person has vitamin B12 deficiency and consumes two to three glasses of carrot juice, the system is designed in such a way that it will automatically throw that out by either diarrhea or vomiting and there will be no chance of hypervitaminosis (increased amounts of vitamins).”
She added, “The body is unable to react to the synthetic supplements as it is not tuned to leaving behind chemical residues in the gut system. It is either completely out of the system or gets absorbed into the system. Over the long term, it can cause inflammation and toxicity leading to problems like fatty liver, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation and indigestion.”
Extreme effects of sleep supplements
Dr Parashar said that he has seen youngsters (as young as 20-year-olds) get hospitalised due to excess consumption of supplements and are diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD).
“The younger generation has consumed a lot of protein during the COVID-19 lockdown period because they have utilised this duration for body building. This will induce pressure on the glomerulus which can lead to kidney failure. Even the stomach produces ammonia which later gets converted into urea. High amounts of ammonia can cause encephalitis, leading to brain damage as well. Hence, one should avoid consuming protein in such form and quantity,” he warned.
A study published by The New England Journal of Medicine found that supplements resulted in adverse effects and were responsible for about 23,000 cases in the emergency ward annually. During the study that stretched for a decade, weight loss products accounted for a quarter of the emergency hospital visits and “disproportionately affected women, while men were more likely to experience adverse effects from products advertised for sexual enhancement and bodybuilding. Energy-boosting products made up for another 10% of these visits,” noted the study.
What is the limit to sleep supplement consumption?
US-based National Institutes of Health’s Office of Dietary Supplements has explained in a factsheet that several supplements contain active ingredients that can have strong effects in the body, including an adverse reaction.
Dr Parashar said, “It may be safe to consume a single supplement rather than a cocktail of supplements as we do not know [how they are processed] in the body. It may even result in doping and these challenges need to be monitored.”
Takeaways
- Protein or vitamin supplements should only be taken according to the physician’s advice.
- Long term usage of supplements can cause inflammation, toxicity, kidney problems, fatty liver and other issues.
- High consumption of protein can increase the production of urea in the body, which can lead to encephalitis or brain damage.
- Experts recommend a balanced diet with enough macro and micronutrients in order to maintain fitness.
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