The possible dangers of supplements

[Isilme]

I received the newsletter from Stonebridge today where she has posted a link to a very interesting blog post. I thought many of you might be interested since it talks about biotin and about the possible danger of taking it as a supplement.

I think it proves that we should be very careful about eating huge amounts of vitamins, minerals and so on which haven't been classified as 100% safe. Everything in moderation:) Amazing blog by the way!

Here you go:
http://igorsbelltower.blogspot.co.uk/p/infamous-biotin-rant.html

[HintOfMint]

This is the big reason I haven't tried biotin and the like. I'm not big on taking supplements in general but that has more to do with my horrible ability to stick to a schedule.

[Amapola]

Great blog. I remember reading about how people can actually overdose on things like antioxidants and vitamins. They think, well, if some of this is good for me, a whole ton of it will be even better! Not always true...

[SurferB]

Oh yes!! I always tell my patients to buy only from trusted sources, health food stores, etc. Synthesized vitamins are not good for the body, whatsoever.

[Silverbrumby]

Oh yes!! I alweys tell my patients to buy only from trusted sources, health food stores, etc. Synthesized vitamins are not good for the body, whatsoever.

Agrees with getting it from rep. Source. My onion peeling nails changing over.six months to thicler stronger nails is not placebo. This is an obvious and welcome change. In a recent study it was was noted that human bacterial gut colonys are as.unique as the human finger print. I have found real benefits with biotin. I probably only need a 500mcg dose and not the 5000 I take but for now Im ok with the risks of rare side effects. I dont get acne or other common problems. I also dont get increased growth rate but better quality hair.

[Nae]

Yep, Igor's blog is pretty awesome. And her hair? There are not words to describe the awesomeness of her hair. Just saying.

ETA: I find that taking Biotin is a waste of time and money and I heartily disapprove of any sort of superdosing. If you "need" it you are in a pretty bad state nutritionally and you better start fixing that before worrying about taking supplements. (Just my two cents.)

[ladylowtide]

Well I'm convinced. As someone who was gradually taking less and less biotin (because the increase in growth I saw, though huge, tapered off dramatically...perhaps it is the placebo effect at work...), I am ready to put them down. I can be stubborn, but I am not going to not listen to sound logic.

[Silverbrumby]

Yep, Igor's blog is pretty awesome. And her hair? There are not words to describe the awesomeness of her hair. Just saying.

ETA: I find that taking Biotin is a waste of time and money and I heartily disapprove of any sort of superdosing. If you "need" it you are in a pretty bad state nutritionally and you better start fixing that before worrying about taking supplements. (Just my two cents.)

I am far from being in a pretty bad state I can assure you. Igor has lovely hair. Genetically blessed. Some people are and some are not. You should look at the threads like the thin/fine thread. Most of us there need help. For some it involves the basics like getting a better routine or to stop smoking etc. Others can and do benefit from diet changes, exercise, iron supplements, changing medication or getting thyroid tested. Some even with the best of care are never going to have a flowing beautiful head of hair.

I eat an organic diet filled with locally grown organic meats, fruits and veggies with nuts, greens and fresh veggie juices.

Biotin did make a difference to my nails. Even while being ultra healthy and clean they peeled, for the last 44 years they peeled and never grew. Now they don't, they look thicker and are strong. They snap off and that's not placebo. Hair and nails are made up of the same building blocks.

Frankly I was more concerned driving in LA traffic than I have ever been taking biotin. LA drivers are nuts. ;)

[jacqueline101]

I know iron is something you have to watch.

[Tristania]

I was taking zinc for a while to help my acne, but all it did was make me violently ill (5mg/day with a meal). Now I'm trying Biotin, and I've heard some horror stories about cystic breakouts, etc. I'll give it a few months and see how it goes.

[carolinaberry]

Oh yes!! I always tell my patients to buy only from trusted sources, health food stores, etc. Synthesized vitamins are not good for the body, whatsoever.

I don't take Biotin-but in general, how does one know if a particular brand of supplement is natural/not synthesized. I've found that pretty much all brands claim to be "all natural".

[christyrose]

Ok just a thought... Just because your body is only recommended to have a certain amount by drs doesnt mean thats all your body will use. I have experience with drs telling me to take more vitamin d than recommended because it is water soluble, and we live on the oregon coast were there is a deficiency here. Since taking more than recommended the whole family went from getting sick twice a month from not getting sick since. All we changed is vitamin d! I have went off it, got sick a month later and we went back on! We have been taking it for a year now. Biotin isnt just for hair growth, its also proven to help with mild depression or anxiety. More natural drs would possibly prescribe a 5,000mcg tablet twice a day for this. Although drs are telling people thats all the need now, whose to say it wont change in a couple years. I personally have been dealing with feeling super tired and worn down, with 2 kids and staying home with them almost all the time some days and weeks and months get hard! I have been taking either 5-10mg of biotin a day and my husband has even noticed the difference in my energy level and just my stress level after only a week of taking it. Anyone should talk to their dr though about it before taking it. Also if you read the things that can happen when you are biotin deficient its definitely something you want to make sure your getting enough of!

[christyrose]

Oh and also... I hate when people write articles acting like experts on things and dont cite references or anything else... Where is she getting this info from, is she making it up, or did she read it somewhere and believe she remembered what she read correctly. Even drs quote references!

[spidermom]

Iron is especially dangerous because there's a condition caused by too much iron that has the same symptoms as iron deficiency anemia.

[Amapola]

Oh and also... I hate when people write articles acting like experts on things and dont cite references or anything else... Where is she getting this info from, is she making it up, or did she read it somewhere and believe she remembered what she read correctly. Even drs quote references!

She did quote a source. It's in the middle of the post, not at the end, maybe that's why you missed it.

[christyrose]

She did quote a source. It's in the middle of the post, not at the end, maybe that's why you missed it.
Yeah that must be why I did. I am glad she posted one.



Yes iron can be very dangerous to get too much of! I have always had to add more especially during pregnancy!

[heidi w.]

I am far from being in a pretty bad state I can assure you. Igor has lovely hair. Genetically blessed. Some people are and some are not. You should look at the threads like the thin/fine thread. Most of us there need help. For some it involves the basics like getting a better routine or to stop smoking etc. Others can and do benefit from diet changes, exercise, iron supplements, changing medication or getting thyroid tested. Some even with the best of care are never going to have a flowing beautiful head of hair.

I eat an organic diet filled with locally grown organic meats, fruits and veggies with nuts, greens and fresh veggie juices.

Biotin did make a difference to my nails. Even while being ultra healthy and clean they peeled, for the last 44 years they peeled and never grew. Now they don't, they look thicker and are strong. They snap off and that's not placebo. Hair and nails are made up of the same building blocks.

Frankly I was more concerned driving in LA traffic than I have ever been taking biotin. LA drivers are nuts. ;)

I've driven in a few different locales with very different driving habits, and I must confess, that for me the worst driving culture was Boston, Massachusetts. These people make up lanes, and don't signal when switching lanes, and cross directly in front of you, no curving in at a slant, but just a straight across move. They yell and gesture a lot, and it's frankly a scary situation. Doesn't help that the things are also not set up like a grid as they are somewhat on the West Coast. On the East the circle is far more dominant a format for road design and there's a long history of roadmaking on the East Coast, and there's lots of historical leftovers, including roundabouts and the like.

For me, driving in Boston was entirely stressful to me. I thought I was going to get hit a lot, but thankfully, I made it.

heidi w.

[heidi w.]

Iron is especially dangerous because there's a condition caused by too much iron that has the same symptoms as iron deficiency anemia.

Absolutely correct. I've only ever been on iron supplements under doctor instructions. Iron can actually build up in the system and become toxic if there's too much taken. It can be very dangerous so I always advise that if someone is worried about anything iron or anything anemia or the like, to seek a doctor's supervision and counsel about how to proceed. If you must, get a second opinion. But don't go it alone and take supplements on your own, and don't give kids iron supplements unless you have a specific why and a doctor's instruction and guidance. You can make your kids really sick if you don't know what you're doing. It's very dangerous.

I believe this is covered in baby books, sometimes. Not sure though. I've never had a kid nor cause to look at these kind of books a lot.

Info on too much iron. It's actually fairly easy to find out about too little or too much iron. It's a well-known subject and fairly well documented, too.

Here's a simple link regarding too much iron and how it's fat-soluble and can store in the fat cells and build up in toxicity in the body...
http://www.livestrong.com/article/369699-signs-symptoms-of-iron-overload-in-a-body/

heidi w.

[henné]

I wonder how much biotin is in the pregnancy horse-pills. :bigeyes:

[dollyfish]

Hmm...well damn, I'm convinced. I guess I can stop taking my enormous choke-worthy biotin pills. My hair growth has practically doubled, but that might just be the other vitamins I've been taking, and the fact that I've been eating healthier. Not to mention finger combing my hair instead of brushing it from top to bottom with a hard plastic brush!

ETA: I take iron because I have a heavy tendency towards anemia. Plus, thanks to good ol' depo provera I've had my period almost constantly for nearly a year now. But yeah, most children don't need iron, and men definitely don't need it. Iron overdose is very scary.

[Humbug454]

This post should be renamed to "The possible dangers of Biotin"! Not ALL supplements are bad for you - however, if you choose to mega-dose as much of "X" supplement then it may well have negative side effects.

After reading a long time ago that biotin was water soluble and if your body has too much you'll just pee it out I stopped taking it. As the blog said - why take a supplement that you will pee out? If you get your RDA for that supplement from your food anyway!

I'm taking MSM (and not just because it's supposed to promote hair growth) but I'm sticking to what the tablet bottle recommends per day. It never even crossed my mind that overdosing would be beneficial for me :P Maybe just because I'm a cheap skate and want the bottle to last longer!!

[Silverbrumby]

I took iron for a.few months after my blood test came back very low. Only took the plant based ones because of concern I had about taking too much. It stopped me feeling so breathless and tired.

Lol about the traffic story Heidi. I live in SF where mellow seems more the norm.