Get the balance right
Medical advances have made our lives easier. There is a wide range of nutrients available in convenient pill form, but that doesn't mean that we should give up a healthy, balanced diet in favour of stocking up on vitamins and minerals from the pharmacy.
Taking health supplements has become part of everyday life. People take anything from vitamin C to boost their immunity to calcium to strengthen their bones.
However, registered dietician Priscilla Lau Li-yi from Holistic Nutrition Consultants says taking supplements improperly could lead to unexpected health risks. For example, taking Omega 3 and vitamin E pills together increases blood thinning.
'If someone has a chronic disease and takes supplements, there could be interaction with their medication.
'People with heart problems often take aspirin to thin their blood. If they take excessive vitamin E at the same time, it could double the blood thinning effect, which could lead to problems if the person was bleeding after an accident or needed surgery as their blood may not clot,' she says.
Ms Lau says supplements cannot replace food and warns if you take extra nutrients, you must be careful not to overdose. Follow the recommended daily intake on the label.
William Chui Chun-ming, education director of the Society of Hospital Pharmacists, says alternative medicines - also known as homeopathic remedies - are becoming more and more popular with young people.
Some of the most commonly used include melatonin for sleep disorders or jetlag, cranberry extract to prevent urinary tract infections and St John's Wort to lift the mood and fight depression.
Mr Chui says nutrients from real food are as effective as those from vitamins, but health supplements can be useful when used to treat a properly diagnosed deficiency.
Lau Ka-yi, a personal trainer, says taking supplements has become a habit. 'I take vitamin B to reduce the risk of getting pimples. I also suffer back pain sometimes. So I take two collagen pills every day to strengthen my bones,' she says.
'I seldom eat fruit . . . so I also take vitamin C solubles.'
Although vitamins can be conveniently bought over the counter, Mr Chui says you should check with your doctor first, especially if you are already taking medication.
Side-effects of vitamin overdose
Vitamin C: nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, kidney problems
Zinc: nausea, vomiting, metallic taste in mouth, kidney problems
Melatonin: daytime drowsiness, headache, dizziness, mild tremors, mild anxiety, gastrointestinal discomfort
Cranberry: gastrointestinal upset, diarrhoea, risk of kidney stones
St John's Wort: insomnia, vivid dreams, anxiety, gastrointestinal discomfort, diarrhoea, fatigue, dry mouth, dizziness
