In your local supermarket, pharmacy or health food shop you will see a huge variety of vitamins, minerals and other nutritional supplements in a bewildering range of doses, and combinations.

What are supplements?

As the name implies, supplements (dietary / nutritional) are any product that aims to ‘supplement’ the diet with nutrients that could potentially be missing. Popular supplements include vitamins D, C and B12, minerals like iron and calcium, herbs like echinacea and products like fish oils and probiotics. Dietary supplements are available in a variety of forms, including tablets, capsules, gummies, spray and powders. In most cases supplements are not as effective as a balanced diet.

Who needs supplements?

People take supplements for a wide variety of reasons. The most common of these is wanting to maintain or improve their health. However, it may be better to focus on improving your diet before considering supplements. You can do this by eating:

• Plenty of fruits and vegetables – aiming for a variety and at least 5-a-day.
• Some starchy foods such as bread, potatoes, rice and pasta with each meal. Wholegrain options are healthier choices.
• Some milk and dairy foods (or suitable dairy free alternatives which are fortified with calcium, such as fortified soya, coconut or oat-based products). Adults need two to three servings per day to reach the recommended amount of calcium.
• Some beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat or other foods rich in protein – two portions per day. Try to replace meat with pulses once or twice a week.
• Limiting foods which are high in salt, sugar and fat.

It is important to note that there is no supplement that provides the same nutritional benefits of a healthy balanced diet.

There are certain groups of people who may benefit from taking supplements as follows:

Vitamin D

The following table from www.healthpromotion.ie is a useful guide to help you decide on vitamin D supplementation.

Folic acid

400 micrograms of folic acid daily from pre-conception until 12 weeks of pregnancy. Women who are pregnant, trying to conceive or could become pregnant. Folic acid supplementation helps reduce the risk of neural tube defects in the unborn baby.

People following a vegan diet

10 micrograms of vitamin B12 daily and up to 150 micrograms of iodine daily is also recommended for anyone following a strict vegan diet to prevent deficiency of these nutrients.

Other

People who suffer from certain medical conditions for example iron deficiency anaemia, or if you have had stomach surgery. Supplements are needed to prevent or correct a deficiency.

If you think you are not having enough of one or more nutrients and are thinking about taking a supplement, always consult your doctor, or ask to see a dietitian.

Choosing a supplement

• Always buy supplements from a reputable source - for example, your local chemist, pharmacy or supermarket, and not from an unknown company on the internet.
• Check the label – it should tell you the amount in each dose and should have an expiry date.

What are the risks of taking a supplement?

Quality - Internet products may not meet EU standards and may not have gone through the same checks as products from a more reliable source. If you want to buy supplements via the internet choose a recognised high street retailer that also trades online.

Quantity - Taking too much of a vitamin or mineral can be dangerous. You can make sure you don’t take too much of any vitamin by only ever taking the recommended dose on the label (unless advised by your doctor). Also check that the supplement does not provide more than the daily recommended. You can see this on the label where 100% of the supplement meets all my requirements. Anything more than this is an excess.

If you take more than one supplement, make sure that you are not doubling up on any nutrients. For example, if you take a multivitamin tablet which includes vitamin D, don’t take an additional vitamin D supplement unless advised to by a health professional.

Other risks:

• Wasting your money! Supplements can be expensive and a lot of them have no proven benefits at all. They may claim to delay ageing, boost your metabolism or make you slimmer but in fact there is little or no evidence to back up many of these claims.
• Supplements may have interactions with some medication and some are unsafe if you suffer from certain medical conditions. This is why it is important to talk to your doctor before taking any supplements.
• If you are pregnant you should not take fish liver oil as it contains vitamin A, which can be harmful to babies in large amounts.
• If you have cardiovascular disease, avoid vitamin E supplements as these can increase the risk of further heart attacks.
• The term ‘natural’ doesn’t always mean safe. Some natural botanical products can damage the liver. The safety of a supplement depends on a number of factors, including how it is prepared, how it works in the body and how much of it you consume.

Top tips:

• There is no nutritional supplement that can have the same benefits as a healthy balanced diet.
• We should all consider a Vitamin D supplement, especially during winter months.
• All women who are planning pregnancy should take a folic acid supplement, and continue until 12 weeks gestation.
• Vegan diets may need supplementation with Vitamin B12 and iodine.
• Be cautious where you are buying your supplements from. Unlicensed or unregulated websites may not be safe.