Who are dietary supplements not suitable for

In fact, there is no universal list of unsuitable groups for all dietary supplements. Whether you can eat a certain product depends entirely on its ingredients and dosage, and whether it matches your physical condition, dietary structure, and current medication. There is no absolute "can't eat" or "can't eat".

When I was doing nutrition science in the community, I met 62-year-old Aunt Zhang. She has stage 3 chronic kidney disease and her blood pressure is usually under stable control. I heard from my elder sisters that potassium supplements can protect blood vessels and lower blood pressure. I secretly bought a supplement containing 800mg of potassium per tablet. After taking it for less than 20 days, I felt my legs were weak and I felt nervous. When I went to the emergency room to check my blood potassium, it was almost at the critical value. The doctor said that if I took it for a few more days, I might develop arrhythmia. For patients with kidney disease, high-potassium supplements are absolutely untouchable. Even if they choose a high-potassium formula for ordinary multivitamins, they are not suitable for them. However, if they are healthy young people whose dietary potassium intake is chronically insufficient, this potassium supplement may be suitable.

Don’t think that only patients with chronic diseases need to pay attention. Many healthy people have many pitfalls. Last month, there was a young fitness guy who often came for consultation. In order to build muscle, he ate 3 eggs, two pieces of chicken breast, and 3 scoops of protein powder every day. Last month, he had a physical examination and found proteinuria. The nephrologist said that his protein intake was almost twice as much, and his kidneys could no longer bear the burden. People like him, whose daily dietary protein has completely met the standard, are not suitable for high-dose protein powder. For people who are usually vegetarians and whose protein intake is seriously insufficient, this protein powder is just in need.

The current debate on the Internet about whether pregnant women should supplement DHA is based on this fact. Some experts believe that as long as you eat palm-sized deep-sea fish 2-3 times a week, DHA intake can fully meet the needs of fetal development. Additional high-dose supplements may increase the risk of bleeding in late pregnancy. Some experts believe that most pregnant women do not eat deep-sea fish frequently. The benefits of low-dose supplementation outweigh the disadvantages. There is no unified standard answer. I have met a pregnant mother who eats salmon and mackerel every week. She followed the trend and took 1000 mg of DHA per pill. The coagulation function was slightly lower at 37 weeks of pregnancy, but returned to normal after stopping. For her, the unsuitable person for this high-dose DHA is herself. For pregnant mothers who rarely eat marine fish, it is more suitable.

In fact, to put it bluntly, dietary supplements are like patches on clothes. If they are damaged, you can mend them. Your clothes are fine. If you forcefully sew patches on them, not only will they not look good, they may also wear out the otherwise intact fabric. Many people think that it is enough to read the "Not Suitable for People" printed on the package. In fact, those are just the most basic explicit taboos, such as universal requirements such as "Not Suitable for Infants and Young Children" and "Not Suitable for Pregnant Wet Nurses". There are also many invisible taboos that are not printed, such as those who are taking warfarin. People who take anticoagulants should avoid vitamin K and high-dose fish oil supplements, otherwise they will offset the effect of the medicine; people who have gout themselves should not take high-dose B vitamins casually, otherwise they may induce an acute attack of gout. These are all judged based on individual circumstances and cannot be generalized.

When I usually give advice to everyone, I always say, don’t just place an order based on someone else’s planting list. Before buying, check your own recent diet, whether you have any underlying diseases, and what medicines you are taking. If you are really unsure, ask a nutritionist or doctor for a few questions. It is much more cost-effective than following the trend and causing problems.