Page 33 - Cosmopolitan - UK (April 2020)

m ove h e al t h

F ruity gums that make

your hair shine, fizzy
Psst…
Don’t forget to tablets that stop a
cold in its tracks and
consider consulting
a doctor or moreish syrups to
pharmacist before boost energy when you’re burnt
you start taking out… these days, supermarket
a supplement. supplement aisles look more
like wellness sweet shops.
It’s a market that’s booming.
According to research,* 59%
of Brits took vitamins, minerals
and supplements in 2018,
with 38% of women likely to
pop a pill every day.
But do we really need them?
Or are we pouring our money
into something that, at best,
is simply a placebo and, at
worst, is actually harming us?
Most experts agree that if you
already have enough of a
nutrient in your body, taking
extra via supplements cannot
add any health benefits. And
a US study estimated that
†
23,000 patients a year
attended accident and
emergency departments after
suffering adverse events related
to dietary supplements between
2004 and 2013 – with one in
four being young adults aged
20 to 34. Plus, supplements
need a medicines, meaning “a product
aren’t as strictly regulated as

only has to contain a tiny
amount of a certain ingredient
to make a health claim about
it,” explains Simon White,
chief nutritional scientist at
supplement brand Lyma. “The
for that? cheap, and contain harmful
rest of the ingredients can be

fillers to bulk out the product.”
More worryingly, they can also
clash with prescribed medicines.
But surely a £442 million UK
market isn’t built on nothing?
Are there times when you
should pop a pill? We spoke to
the experts to get the lowdown
More of us are buying and popping supplements in the UK than ever, but are they doing more harm than good? Amelia Jean Jones investigates on the most common ailments,

supplements, and more. ›

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