Vitamins – how many is too many?

With so many supplements available these days, it can be hard to choose the right one and difficult to avoid doubling-up on nutrients unnecessarily.

While only a few nutrients are potentially dangerous in higher doses, it is best to choose supplements wisely as taking too much of a single nutrient, while it may not cause actual harm, could be a waste of money.

Nutrients you need to watch out for include selenium, zinc and iron.  Each of these has a recommended maximum daily dose and supplements made by reputable companies fall within that.  What you need to watch out for is taking two or three formulas at the same time and forgetting you might have iron in each one, for example.

So, if you are the sort who has a handful of supplements with your breakfast each morning, make sure your daily supplemental selenium intake doesn’t go above 150 micrograms, zinc – 40mg and iron – 45mg.  In fact, you should only take iron at high dose if you have had a blood test showing you actually need it.

If you are on prescribed medications, you should also check for a potential interaction with a supplement.

Some tips to avoid interactions or taking too much of a single nutrient are:

• Check with a health professional. This may be the pharmacist, your doctor or naturopath.  The Blackmores Naturopathic Advisory Line on 0508 75 74 73 can also assist
• Consider a well-formulated multivitamin instead of individual nutrients. Blackmores multivitamins contain evidence-based formulations, with balanced levels of nutrients and sometimes, herbs
• If you have had a blood test that reveals a specific nutrient deficiency or a health concern that requires support from a single nutrient, liaise with your health professional to find the best formula for you
• Choose a formulation made by a reputable brand that has scientifically validated formulations and can offer assistance where necessary. Blackmores has more than 80 years of history and a strong traditional basis in natural healthcare.  Its formulations are evidence-based, based on the latest scientific knowledge and its ingredients are tested for safety, purity and efficacy.

For more information, please phone the Naturopathic Advisory Line on 0508 75 74 73 or click here to visit the Blackmores website.