{"id":7823,"date":"2025-04-10T12:18:16","date_gmt":"2025-04-10T12:18:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/7823\/"},"modified":"2025-04-10T12:18:16","modified_gmt":"2025-04-10T12:18:16","slug":"gp-flags-3-supplements-you-should-never-take-including-one-thats-linked-to-early-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/7823\/","title":{"rendered":"GP flags 3 supplements you should NEVER take – including one that’s linked to early death"},"content":{"rendered":"

Those who take a daily multivitamin could be at increased risk of early death, a GP has warned.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In a social media alert about ‘risky and useless’ supplements, Dr Asif Ahmed highlighted studies showing the ‘all in one’ capsules can increase mortality risk.<\/p>\n

Last summer, a study by scientists from the National Cancer<\/a> Institute in Maryland<\/a> found that taking a daily multivitamin was associated with a four per cent increased risk of death over the course of the 20-year study.<\/p>\n

The researchers found no evidence that the vitamin pills served any benefit for prolonging life.<\/p>\n

‘These supplements aren’t going to work, you’re just wasting your money,’ Dr Ahmed told his 84,000 Instagram followers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As well as the potential risks, he said it’s unlikely that the body will be able to absorb all of the nutrients in the tablet.<\/p>\n

‘With all these vitamins and minerals in one place they’re competing for absorption so you end up absorping none of them and just waste them.’<\/p>\n

The second popular supplement that Dr Ahmed<\/a> recommended avoiding is a vitamin drip.\u00a0<\/p>\n

These celebrity-backed infusions, which can cost up to \u00a32,000, claim to\u00a0boost immunity, improve fitness and even cure hangovers.<\/p>\n

They often contain multiple vitamins and minerals, and are said to deliver a more potent and effective dose directly into the bloodstream, compared to oral tabets.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But Dr Ahmed said the only benefit they serve is offering hydration, due to the amount of water that’s pumped into the vein.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘Often people say after they’ve had it they feel better,’ he said. ‘That’s likely because they’re getting the hydration that they needed.<\/p>\n

‘The dumping of a large amount of vitamins and minerals into your bloodstream is never going to be a good thing.’<\/p>\n

He also flagged the risk of\u00a0anaphlayxis \u2014 a life-threatening allergic reaction that requires immediate medical attention.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Excessive amounts of certain vitamins such as B and thiamine are known to trigger this in some who’ve never experienced an allergic reaction before, studies have found.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘I say don’t bother its not going to be of any benefit,’ Dr Ahmed concluded.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The NHS says most people should get all the nutrients they need by having a varied and balanced diet\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Model <\/p>\n

Model Chrissy Teigen posted about using an IV drip on Instagram in 2015 and wrote:\u00a0‘Hello body meet vitamins’ (left). Doctors say the treatment serves no benefit and could be harmful.<\/p>\n

‘And finally number three, in my opinion is one of the worst scams out there, is weight loss powders,’ he added.<\/p>\n

These supplements claim to combine with a special low-calorie diet to boost weight loss.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dr Ahmed gave a special mention to a popular brand of powders called Unicity, which, when added to a fasting diet, are said to ‘help extend the time between dinner and your first meal of the following day’.<\/p>\n

A testimony from one obesity specialist on the Unicity website reads: ‘I can honestly say this is by far the most succesful method I have found in my 30 years of practice.’<\/p>\n

But according to Dr Ahmed, ‘If you’re going to\u00a0lose weight it’s because of the fasting. The powder is unlikely to do anything.’<\/p>\n

It’s certainly not worth the \u00a3200 a month price tag, he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Around half of all UK adults currently take a vitamin, mineral or food supplement on a regular basis, according to a Food Standards Agency poll.<\/p>\n

Yet studies have consistently found the pills serve little benefit.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In 2018, a major study published in the\u00a0Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that the most popular supplements \u2014 multivitamins, vitamin D, calcium, and vitamin C \u2014 made no difference to the risk of heart disease, stroke or early death.<\/p>\n

Folate \u2014 found in leafy greens and eggs \u2014 and other B-vitamins were seen to offer some reduced risk of heart disease, although the authors noted that the evidence for this was ‘low to moderate quality’.<\/p>\n

The NHS advises that most people should get all the nutrients they need fom a varied and balanced diet.\u00a0<\/p>\n