A dietitian on TikTok has raised concerns about the potential risks of taking common supplements.
Maintaining optimal health can be challenging, and a dietitian has recently cautioned individuals who frequently use supplements.
Nichole, known as oncology.nutrition.rd on TikTok, warned that overconsumption of supplements or exceeding recommended daily allowances might increase cancer risk.
In a video posted on the platform, she cautioned against the use of common supplements like vitamin C and IV vitamins.
She stated: “Supplements increase cancer risk. Hi, my name is Nichole and I am a cancer dietician, let’s talk more about this.
“A lot of people will take high-dose supplements to try to reduce risk of cancer or improve their health. People will say ‘vitamin C or IV vitamins or things like that are better for you, give your body more’… that is incorrect.”
She also challenged the notion that excess supplements are merely excreted in urine.
She added: “You don’t just pee out excess supplements your body has to process it, specifically your liver. When you have high levels, like 200 percent of daily value… and check those supplements they will say like 10,000 percent daily value, 8,000 percent, 25,000 percent daily value.
https://www.tiktok.com/@username/video/7443846570497379627
“That high level of excess will then become a free radical and start to damage and break down your cell DNA. It will harm your cells at high levels. You are never going to reach those high levels with food, never.
“You can sit down and have 25 kiwis. You are never going to be able to reach that high level of supplement that is in all those supplement pills. Eat foods to get your micronutrients deficiencies unless you have a prescription from your doctor, food is enough.”
However, some people on social media were skeptical, citing instances where supplements were beneficial.
It’s important to note, this doesn’t necessarily mean they were not at an increased risk of cancer.
One user commented: “The key here is the daily value (like you briefly mentioned), especially for pregnant (or in my case TTC) people, I think there’s a ton more nuance than ‘supplements are harmful’.
Another user remarked: “This isn’t specific enough. Yes, high dose vitamins can cause cancer. However, taking a broccoli extract supplement, for example, to reduce the risk of prostate cancer, has shown efficacy.”
While some expressed doubts, Nichole’s warning is supported by previous studies, such as one by the University of Colorado, which found that taking additional vitamins and minerals could lead to health issues.
The 2015 study revealed that exceeding the recommended dosage of beta carotene, often suggested to enhance the immune system, could elevate the risk of lung cancer and heart disease by up to 20%.
According to The Guardian, Prof Tim Byers, associate director for cancer prevention at the university’s cancer center, stated: “We have discovered that taking extra vitamins and minerals do more harm than good.
“We found that the supplements were actually not beneficial for their health. In fact, some people actually got more cancer while on the vitamins.”