Vitamin Overload

written by Dr. Michael Kaye |

One of my patients told me that every morning he takes his multi-vitamin, a B complex, vitamin C, CO Q 10, some enzymes and then washes down fish oil with a hemp shake.

Can you guess his primary complaint?

He says, “Doc, my stomach hurts every morning.”

I reply, “Well, don’t you think it’s possible that taking all those supplements is causing the problem?”

The patient replies, “Well, I’m told I need all these vitamins to be healthy.”
And herein lies the problem. He really wasn’t “told” at all. Neither his doctor, nor a nutritionist, nor even his personal trainer told him to take these vitamins and supplements . He saw commercials and read advertisements espousing the benefits of the latest and greatest supplement for ________ (fill in the blank). He’s taking a supplement for his eyes as he is older, a vitamin for his heart, a vitamin for his prostate, enzymes for digestion, etc., etc.

There is always the question of what vitamins are the right ones to take. Your current health status, future health goals, and genetic predisposition should be considered when deciding which supplements and vitamins you should be ingesting.

The proper way to determine the type of supplements needed is to have an evaluation with your doctor (if he/she has a background in nutrition) and/or consultation with a certified nutritionist. Before I recommend any supplement or vitamin, I perform blood work to assess vitamin B12/folic acid, vitamin D, and iron levels as well as C-reactive protein and sedimentation rate (blood markers to assess underlying inflammation). Other blood work may also be indicated by the patient’s complaints and relevant family history.

Since certain vitamins and supplements may increase or decrease the potency of your medication, it is important for you to share your medication list with your doctor or nutritionist.

Often my patients tell me they heard or read that there is no need to take any vitamins or supplements because eating the right foods provides all the nutrients we need. The problem with that argument, unfortunately, is that most of America does not eat properly. The rates of adult and childhood obesity and diabetes continue to rise each year. The majority of our food is processed and most fruits and vegetables are loaded with pesticides (unless you buy 100% organic or grow the fruits and vegetables yourself).

Taking vitamins/supplements is akin to investing in a small insurance policy. You are just covering yourself (your health needs) by taking vitamins and supplements .

Sometimes patients report that they don’t feel their vitamins are working. When this problem occurs, I ask the patient to stop taking the supplements for one month to assess how he/she feels. Quite often the patient reports a loss of energy within a couple of weeks and usually returns to taking vitamins.

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