The tendency to overuse supplements arises from the belief that natural products are completely safe. Image used for representational purposes only
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Vitamin supplements were first considered essential medical treatments but now they serve as ordinary products that many people have used at one point or another. Most pharmacies display multivitamins that can be bought over the counter, and many of these supplements claim to be immunity boosters or are promoted as vital products.
Sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy eating patterns are contributing to our disease burden and this, in turn, is leading to people consuming dietary supplements, wanting to address their health problems, sometimes without fully understanding what needs to be addressed and how.
The impacts
The common belief that vitamins are completely safe in all quantities is false. The body stores excessive amounts of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K which can lead to the development of hypervitaminosis. Fat-soluble vitamins get stored in the liver and fatty tissues of the body, which can result in increasing toxicity risks developing over time.
Excessive vitamin A consumption results in three main health problems: liver damage, headaches and vision problems. People who take excess vitamin D for bone health purposes may develop critical health issues as their body could experience extremely high calcium levels, which can lead to nausea , kidney and heart rhythm disorders. Taking extremely high doses of vitamin C, which people commonly use as a supplement, could cause digestive issues, while increasing the chances of developing kidney stones. The use of high doses of vitamin E supplements could result in blood clotting problems and an increased possibility of bleeding.
Risks to everyday health
The tendency to overuse supplements arises from the belief that natural products are completely safe. People believe supplements are safe because they function as wellness products that do not require medical prescriptions. The regulatory system for dietary supplements lacks the strict dosage controls and long-term safety testing requirements that apply to medicines. People who take multiple supplements should be aware that their intake could exceed safe limits when they use both multivitamins and separate vitamin D and calcium and iron tablets. People can easily exceed their daily intake limits because fortified foods and beverages may increase their total consumption as well.
Furthermore, dietary supplements have the potential to interfere with pharmaceutical treatments, causing changes to their therapeutic efficacy. The body absorbs excessive calcium, which determines its capacity to take in vital minerals such as iron and zinc, while high vitamin K doses disrupt blood thinning medications. People who have chronic health conditions such as diabetes or hypertension or kidney disease should avoid taking supplements without medical supervision because it could create dangerous health risks.
Who needs supplements?
The reality is that most healthy individuals with a balanced diet do not require routine supplementation. Whole foods deliver complete nutritional requirements because they contain complex combinations of vitamins, minerals, fibre and antioxidants, which supplements cannot duplicate. Targeted supplementation is beneficial for specific groups of people. This group consists of pregnant women who need folic acid and iron, and older adults who require vitamin D and B12, as well as people with dietary restrictions and those who have clinically diagnosed deficiencies. Qualified healthcare professionals should guide supplementation in these situations and clinicians should use laboratory test results for their decisions.
Maintaining a balance
Personalised, evidence-based prescription of supplements should be the way forward. Vitamin assessment requires medical consultations and blood tests to determine actual deficiency before starting on a supplement. The following basic health practices can decrease supplement requirements: maintaining hydration while performing physical activities, consuming a variety of foods that include fruits, vegetables, whole grains and proteins and taking “megadoses” only when a doctor has specifically recommended it.
(Aditi Prasad Apte is senior clinical nutritionist at Aster RV Hospital, Bengaluru. aditi.apte@asterhospital.in)
Published – March 28, 2026 07:01 pm IST
