MIAMI.- Many people believe that vitamins They are natural and, consequently, taking them on your own, without medical control, are harmless and sometimes beneficial to relieve certain ailments, but a group of neurologists warn that this is not the case.
“People will continue to take vitamins and supplements no matter what their doctors tell them, but it is important for patients to tell their doctors about everything they are taking, since some supplements can interfere with medications,” the neurologists noted in a statement. article published in the magazine Brain&Lifefrom the American Academy of Neurology.
The trend of taking vitamins and supplements uncontrollably is on the rise. Since 1994, the number of supplements has increased almost 20-fold, at least, and the US supplement industry was expected to exceed $68 billion by 2023, according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Concern of neurologists
But neurologists express concern that Very few vitamins and supplements are tested with the kind of rigor required for drugs, such as large, multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled trials that show that a particular vitamin or supplement will provide a specific benefit, according to the publication.
And sometimes they are taken without a doctor’s prescription. The use of vitamin D to treat multiple sclerosis is cited, for example. An article about the effects of this vitamin, published in The Lancet in 2023, indicates that it has not been proven that vitamin D as a complementary therapy reduces relapses, indicates neurologist Barbara Giesser, from the Pacific Neuroscience Institute in Santa Monica.
“There is simply no data on supplements having a disease-modifying effect,” said Giesser, who encourages his patients to get vitamins and minerals from food “as much as possible” and to take supplements only if they are deficient. documented, the article refers.
The specialist also mentioned that St. John’s wort or yellow grass, popularly used in the form of tea, tablets, liquids and topical preparations against bacteria, dermatitis, skin lesions, and menstruation, can interact negatively with antidepressants.
Possible adverse effects of vitamins
And the effectiveness of vitamin B on Parkinson’s disease is also not proven. What’s more, it can cause adverse effects, according to specialist doctor Jori Fleisher.
Fleisher, an associate professor of neurological sciences at Rush University in Chicago, called the results of studies on the beneficial association between vitamin B and Parkinson’s “unconvincing.” And she warns that high doses of B6 can cause neuropathy, that is, weakness, numbness or pain in the hands or feet, so she suggests her patients eat more foods that contain vitamins and minerals.
“Many of my patients believe that supplements are ‘green’ or ‘natural’ and therefore cannot harm them,” he said, cautioning about the uncertainty of their effects. Comparing vitamins to pharmaceuticals, he explained that unlike supplements, medications are tested, regulated so people get the right amount, and their effects are known.
“We can’t do that with supplements because manufacturers don’t have to prove that what they say is on the bottle or that their claims are true.”
Source: With information from Brain&Life magazine, eldebate.com, mayoclinic.org
