What about Iodine?

Iodine is a very essential component for the functioning of the Thyroid Gland, which plays a role in many aspects of the normal functioning of your body and mind. Salt has been iodized to prevent iodine deficiency and is usually good enough. However if you do not consume salt either on medical advice or due to personal preferences, you can take iodine supplements, which are usually a part of a number of multivitamin pills.

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I have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism? Will iodine supplements work?
Hypothyroidism can be due to various causes. Commonly in hilly areas, iodine deficiency is a cause and can be corrected by iodine supplements. However excess iodine can also cause reduced thyroid functions. So do check with your physician if you need iodine supplements.

What are supplements for?
Dietary supplements, often containing vitamins, are used to ensure that adequate amounts of nutrients are obtained on a daily basis, if optimal amounts of the nutrients cannot be obtained through a varied diet.

So can I take a vitamin supplement every day?

Remember that though vitamins are essential for your wellbeing, taking more than what is essential will not do you any good. A meta-analysis in 2006 suggested that Vitamin A supplements not only provide no tangible health benefits for generally healthy individuals, but may actually worsen your health status. So in general a Vitamin A supplement must be avoided unless specifically prescribed by your doctor.
Are there known issues of supplements?
It is already known that beta-carotene supplements can be harmful in smokers. A few studies seem to indicate that anti oxidant supplements can cause lung cancers in smokers.
What are the side effects of vitamin overdose?
At high enough dosages some vitamins cause side effects such as nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting. However in a study done in 2005, there were 53 ‘major’ disorders reported to be caused by vitamin overdose, many of which were in children under the age of 6.
So should I be taking vitamin supplements regularly or not?
Like most issues, the best person to decide that would be your doctor. Discuss with a wellness physician your diet and lifestyle and your health conditions and let him advice you on supplements. A healthy diet will usually provide all the vitamins that your body needs. If you have specific conditions such as very high oxidative stress it can be detected by some tests based on your lifestyle risk.

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What about other supplements?
The side effects and safety profiles vary from supplement to supplement. The other common supplements are protein, calcium and iron supplements. In developing countries, iron deficiency is a very common disorder while lack of calcium is apparent in the post menopausal age group. However there are many causes of such deficiencies and each patient has to be treated by merit and therefore your doctor is the in an ideal position to determine your supplements requirements.

Our collaborator, is preventive care and wellness physician, Dr. Wasim Mohideen. A medical professional with an MBA and Post Graduate training in Allopathy as well as Alternative medicine, he strives to bridge the gap between modern medicine, traditional treatments and healthcare management.