What are the benefits of dietary supplements? Are they suitable for long-term use?

The core function is to make up for the nutritional gap in the daily diet. There is no absolute good or bad in itself, and there is no unified standard answer to "can it be eaten for a long time?" - when the dietary intake is insufficient, it is beneficial to eat as needed. If you blindly eat it for a long time if you have sufficient nutrition, it may cause health risks.

A while ago, I accompanied my best friend who often eats takeout for a physical examination. She rarely touches green leafy vegetables and seldom eats animal livers. A blood test showed that her serum folic acid level was only half of the lower reference limit. The doctor asked her to take 100 μg of ordinary folic acid tablets every day for three months before rechecking. Last month, when she checked again, her indicators had returned to the normal range. Even her previous ailment of always feeling tired has improved a lot. There are actually quite a few similar scenarios: Strict vegetarians are prone to vitamin B12 deficiency, and dietary supplementation is extremely inefficient. Small-dose supplements can solve the problem. ； People who sit in offices early and come home late all year round without exposure to sunlight generally have low vitamin D levels. It is better to supplement with some D than to interfere with calcium absorption. To put it bluntly, the supplement at this time is like a power bank when you forget to bring the charging cable when you go out. It is more efficient than anything else in filling the gap.

There is actually no unified conclusion in the industry on whether long-term consumption is acceptable. Many health management colleagues will recommend that people who cannot change their diet should take low-dose basic multivitamins as a "nutrition guarantee" for a long time. I know a friend who runs a marathon. He usually trains a lot and consumes a lot of energy. He eats a basic multivitamin every day for five or six years. Every year, the vitamins and trace elements in the physical examination are within the normal range, and there are no abnormalities. But the opposition to blind long-term eating has always been clear: excessive nutrition is no less harmful than malnutrition. Two years ago, I met a beauty seeker. I heard from a blogger that taking a large dose of vitamin C can whiten and resist oxidation. After taking two 1000mg effervescent tablets a day for eight months, the physical examination showed urine crystals, which may develop into kidney stones later. I stopped and gradually improved. ； There are also people who blindly supplement fat-soluble vitamins A and E. Long-term overdose will accumulate in the liver, and eventually hair loss, dizziness, and abnormal liver function are not uncommon.

In fact, to put it bluntly, the core of whether to take it long-term is never how good the supplement itself is, but whether you have corresponding needs. Just like if you drink enough water every day, there is no need to drink extra water to increase the burden on the kidneys. If you sweat a lot and drink less water that day, it is right to drink two more cups. My own habit is to add vitamins and trace elements to my physical examination every year. If any item is found to be low, I will take targeted supplements for two or three months. If the re-examination is normal, I will stop. I usually try to maintain a balanced diet: eat one pound of vegetables and half a pound of fruits every day, whole grains account for one-third of the staple food, and eat deep-sea fish two or three times a week. I can get enough nutrients through meals, and I don’t have to spend extra money on supplements.

Oh, by the way, if you are pregnant women, the elderly, or special groups with underlying diseases, it is best to listen to your doctor as to whether, how much, and how long you should take supplements. Don’t blindly buy internet celebrity products. After all, although supplements are not medicines, taking them wrong can be quite deceptive.