They are supposed to support the immune system, keep diseases away or strengthen the bones, some manufacturers even promise protection against corona or cancer: According to market studies, vitamin preparations are currently selling “like hot cakes”. Since the beginning of the pandemic, more and more people have been turning to such products.
A third of the population takes vitamins as dietary supplements at least once a week, according to a survey by the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR). One or one in six even takes pills or powders with vitamins every day.
Expensive urine or even harmful?
“With a balanced and varied diet, the body receives almost all vitamins in sufficient quantities. Most people can do without food supplements,” says BfR President Andreas Hensel.
“Those who take high doses of vitamins without needing to do so run the risk of oversupply and adverse health effects.” In the best case, you produce “expensive urine” by taking vitamins unnecessarily, says nutritionist Wiebke Franz from the Hesse consumer advice center.
In the worst case, you damage your health. Beta-carotene, a precursor to vitamin A, can increase the risk of lung cancer in smokers. Too much vitamin D can lead to headaches, nausea and kidney calcification, for example. Excessive intake of vitamin C for a long time can cause bladder and kidney stones.
“The fact that some dietary supplements are booming is likely to be related to the Covid 19 pandemic,” says Thomas Heil, Vice President Consumer Health at IQVIA. “Consumers expected a certain protection against infection by taking the preparations.” “There are no known studies that prove that taking vitamin D preparations protects against infection with this virus or against triggering the disease,” according to the BfR.
No protection against Corona
Austria is definitely not a vitamin-deficient country, says internist Dietmar Hubner from the Wels-Grieskirchen clinic. The vast majority of people are adequately supplied with a normal diet.
“It is only recommended to take it in exceptional cases, for example during pregnancy, after removal of parts of the stomach and intestines, in the case of osteoporosis, serious illnesses or in some cases for people who eat exclusively vegan.”
What is really proven: Vitamin supplements are a very lucrative business. In 2020 alone, eleven percent more were sold in Germany than in 2019.
Source: Nachrichten
