Nowadays you see many promotions with the name “ orthomolecular food supplements ”. These supplements are said to help keep your body healthy, but how do they differ from regular supplements, and do they work?
In this article we look at what orthomolecular nutritional supplements are and whether they are a better alternative than regular supplements.
What are Orthomolecular Dietary Supplements?
Orthomolecular food supplements are supplements that contain a high dose of vitamins and minerals. Often more than the recommended daily allowance (RDA). This comes from a theory ( orthomolecular medicine ) that the body needs more vitamins to prevent and cure common diseases and ailments.The therapy on which orthomolecular nutrition is based comes from the idea that nowadays we get too few vitamins and minerals because the air and soil are too polluted with harmful substances. Crops, therefore, contain too few nutrients, which makes us sick. To counter this, one should eat more organic and organic food with nutritional supplements to support it.
Are orthomolecular nutritional supplements effective?
As described above, orthomolecular nutritional supplements contain a very high dose of vitamins and minerals. In theory, these should help the body to stay healthy and prevent disease, but scientific research contradicts this.
Too many vitamins harmful
For example, an excess of vitamins can hurt your health. The effects of this vary per vitamin. Too much vitamin C can cause stomach pain and diarrhea, but too much vitamin B6 can eventually cause nerve and liver damage, research shows. It also depends on the solubility of vitamins how harmful an overabundance can be.
Water-soluble vitamins are often not stored in the body, which makes it easier to pass out too much. This still has risks, but less than with fat-soluble vitamins. These are stored in the body, so too much can quickly lead to harmful side effects.
No scientific substantiation
In addition, the theory on which orthomolecular nutrition is built is based on natural medicine. Although plants can relieve complaints, plants cannot prevent serious diseases. This has to be done with the help of modern medicines and hospitals.
The studies that recommend orthomolecular food supplements are often carried out on a very small scale. In addition, a test group is regularly missing. The results of these studies are therefore not reliable.
Other studies have shown that the use of orthomolecular nutritional supplements causes little to no changes in the health of the subjects so that the overuse of vitamins can be not only harmful but also ineffective.
Can I use orthomolecular food supplements?
If you are interested in the use of orthomolecular nutritional supplements, it is a choice that you can best make yourself. Research has shown that it has little effect on your health. However, it is possible that you feel good when using these supplements.We do, however, recommend that you only use these supplements in consultation with your doctor, to prevent you from ingesting a harmful amount of vitamins.
