It is estimated that 20 million Brits take supplements, but in a crowded market and amid a mass of conflicting information it’s hard to know if you’re wasting your cash.
In a bid to cut through the confusion, Dr Ariana Medizade, a pharmacist and social media influencer, has provided her top three supplements to avoid.
The supplement industry has boomed post the pandemic with over 70 per cent of people now taking at least one.
Yet in a TikTok video video viewed over 160,000 times Dr Medizade claims there are pills she ‘would never take as a pharmacist, even if my own kid asked me to.’
Read on to find out which ones made her blacklist…
Supplements have been on the rise since the pandemic, with one in three saying they started taking them because of the pandemic
One survey revealed that 60 per cent of Brits take the supplement
Vitamin D3
Commonly used to improve bone health it is also used to boost the immune system, enhance mood and muscle function
One survey – by the Health Food Manufacturers’ Association – revealed that 60 per cent of Brits take the supplement.
However Dr Medizade warns that most people aren’t taking it properly, which could have dangerous consequences.
‘There should be a warning label on supplements for this, but I would never take Vitamin D3 by itself,’ she says.
‘You always have to take vitamin D3 with K2 otherwise when your body absorbs calcium it will be deposited in all the wrong places.’
She explains that, instead of going to your bones, it’ll likely go to your arteries.
This can cause calcification, a process in which calcium builds up in body tissue, causing the tissue to harden, and other long-term issue.
St John’s Wort
The pharmacist warns that the supplement can potentially nullify other medication that you are taking
Produced from a common yellow flower, this herbal medicine is often used to treat mental health problems including anxiety and depression.
The pharmacist warns that the supplement can potentially nullify other medication that you are taking.
‘Never take St John’s Wort. Especially if you are on oral birth control pills, or any other type of medication,’ says Dr Medizade.
‘St John’s Wort is known to be something called a CYP3A4 inducer, which induces the metabolism of medications in your body, causing them to be at lower concentrations in your bloodstream, as if you never even took the medications in the first place.’
Zinc with Magnesium together
Many people take the combination in the hope it will help their metabolism and muscle function
A supplement that is commonly used to boost your immune system and strengthen your bones.
The pharmacist warned that these two minerals compete for absorption when you taken them together.
She does admit that their are benefits to the supplements individually
Instead, she advises, separate taking them by two hours, make sure you take zinc with food and if you do have a supplement that combines the two, make sure that it’s dose-optimised.
This means a 1-10 or 1-15 ratio of Zinc to Magnesium.