If You’re Over 50, Don’t Take These Supplements, Pharmacist Warns

Supplements are so talked about nowadays that almost everyone is on supplements of some sort, both men and women. There is so much coverage regarding the benefits and how good they are for you. 

However, when it comes to actually being healthy, many of them are simply overhyped. And when it comes to people over the age of 50, they should definitely not be consuming any because they could potentially be dangerous and harmful to their health. 

Supplements should not be taken lightly, especially as you grow older, so you have to be very careful about what you consume or put into your body. Your best bet is consulting a doctor and ensuring they are safe for you.

You might be thinking that age is not that important when it comes to supplements since technically they are not medicine, however, experts are saying that with age certain health problems come to light that could require treatment for a longer period of time. 

Perfect examples of that would be heart diseases, high cholesterol, hypertension and perhaps diabetes too. 

Not only that, but age could also alter the way that your body absorbs medicine into your system. Another thing is that most orally consumed medications require the involvement of both kidneys and liver in order to process them properly. 

With time, these organs do not work as fast and if an ingredient is too strong for their absorption then that could cause problems. 

Iron for example is necessary for the wellbeing of any person and this is mostly recommended for women who have an active menstruation cycle because during that time iron is shed from the body. 

When women get to menopause around the age of 50 then that process stops, so naturally iron is not so easily chased out anymore and this is where iron supplements come in. 

However, you should be very careful about your iron dosage because an overdose can cause cancer, heart problems, or even liver damage. This is why you should take those supplements if they are prescribed by a health professional. 

Vitamin A is also a supplement that you should be careful about taking. This vitamin specifically is used to help improve your vision and immunity, as well as growth. 

The issue here is that some patients take OTC eye supplements with vitamin A as the leading ingredient on their list. This, as helpful as it is, can also be dangerous because vitamin A has plenty of side effects like bone thinning, liver damage, skin irritation, and pain in the joints. 

Your doctor or physician can and should be the only one to prescribe this for you with the right dosage you need after assessing your case. 

Last but not least, St. John’s Wort. This one, according to professionals, contains an active ingredient that is meant to fight depression menopausal symptoms.

Even though it has been proven to be effective, it contains a list of ingredients that should be looked into before consuming.