Doctor says there are four ‘dangerous’ supplements you should avoid

Many people rely on supplements to ensure they get the vitamins and minerals needed to stay healthy.

While a lot of what our bodies require can be gained through a healthy, balanced diet this is not always achievable for everyone.

Although taking certain supplements is advised by health bodies, you should still be careful. You should ensure they are definitely right for you, one expert has warned.

A doctor took to the social media platform TikTok to advise against taking four supplements due to their potential health risks.

Speaking to his 1.7 million followers, Dr Charles MD, said: “These are the four supplements you should never take as they’re actually dangerous.”

The four supplements he warned against were:

• Vitamin A
• Vitamin E
• Iron
• Biotin.

Vitamin A

Also known as retinol, vitamin A is essential for healthy vision and growth as well as reproduction and immunity.

It is also high in antioxidants, which could aid in the fight against heart disease and cancer.

But Dr Charles said: “People think that it helps your skin and your eyes but it actually build up in your body and cause liver damage.”

The Mayo Clinic in the US, supported this claim, although advised only “high doses” of vitamin A could cause this.

It said: “Taking high doses of vitamin A supplements can cause liver damage. Combining high doses of vitamin A supplements with other drugs that can damage the liver could increase the risk of liver disease.”

However, the clinic added that taking more than 200,000 mcg of vitamin A can lead to nausea,
Vomiting, vertigo and blurry vision.

In the long term taking too much vitamin A could also cause issues such as bone thinning and birth defects, it warned.

Vitamin E

Dr Charles explained: “People love it for its antioxidant effects but it’s actually been linked to higher rates of cancer.”

Over a number of years there have been various studies looking into the link between vitamin E and cancer.

Some have warned it could specifically increase the risk of prostate cancer in men.

The Committee on Carcinogenicity (COC) in the UK said in a 2015 report: “Vitamin E may influence the development of cancer through several mechanisms.”

But it concluded there was not enough evidence to prove this, saying: “Overall, the committee concluded that the available evidence does not indicate that vitamin E supplementation increases the risk of prostate cancer.

“The committee has not reviewed possible associations with other types of cancer.”

Iron

Iron is hugely important in the body and a deficiency can lead to anaemia, which can become debilitating.

But Dr Charles said: “Unless your doctor specifically says to take iron it can actually damage your heart.”

Interestingly some research shows providing iron intravenously can help patients with heart failure.

But one study, published in eLife in 2021, raised concerns about the prolonged use of iron supplements in people with heart failure.

Study author Dr Jumpei Ito told Medical News Today: “Our results suggest that the release of iron can be detrimental to the heart.

“It can lead to unstable oxygen levels, death in heart cells and ultimately heart failure.”

Biotin

Biotin is a popular supplement taken to improve hair and nail strength but it has been shown to result in inaccurate lab test results, which could be dangerous.

“Number one is biotin because it can interfere with your lab tests,” Dr Charles added. “You don’t actually need to supplement this for your hair and nails.”

Harvard Health states: “The FDA warns that taking too much biotin can interfere with lab tests, such as hormone tests and tests for markers of heart attacks (like troponin). An inaccurate lab result can have dangerous consequences.

“For example, the FDA reports that one person taking high levels of biotin died after a falsely low troponin test result. The FDA also notes it’s seeing an increase in reports of biotin interference in lab work.”

It adds: “The bottom line: Always tell your doctor which supplements you’re taking.”