Limit values ​​are often exceeded up to a health risk – Naturopathy & Naturopathic Treatment Portal

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Recommended maximum quantities for vitamins and minerals are not adhered to in many dietary supplements, report researchers from the University of Education Schwäbisch Gmünd and the HAW Hamburg in a current study, which was recently published in the specialist journal “Current nutritional medicine” has been published.

Nutrient supplements are very popular

According to the scientists, 31 percent of all women and 24 percent of all men in Germany regularly take food supplements – and the trend is rising. The market has been growing for years and has grown into a huge business with ever increasing sales.

Dietary supplements are a matter of trust

Since these products are not drugs, dietary supplements do not have to go through such strict controls. Here, consumers mainly trust the information provided by the manufacturer.

As a guide, the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) published maximum quantity proposals for vitamins and minerals in food supplements in January 2018. However, there are no controls to check whether these suggestions are being followed. A current study has now examined the extent to which manufacturers of supplements adhere to the specifications.

106 supplements put to the test

As part of the study, the research team analyzed 106 over-the-counter food supplements that are offered in various health food stores, supermarkets and drug stores. Above all, the dosage of the micronutrients was checked. The results were compared with the maximum amount proposed by the BfR.

Every second dietary supplement is overdosed

As the researchers report, only 48 percent of the food supplements examined adhered to the recommended limit values. 55 of the 106 preparations exceeded the maximum recommended amounts for at least one micronutrient. In the case of multivitamin and multi-mineral preparations in particular, the limit was exceeded particularly frequently. According to the study, 80 percent of the multinutrients were overdosed.

The deviations from the limit values ​​vary greatly depending on the micronutrient. According to the research team, the limit values ​​were exceeded from 20 percent for potassium to 700 percent for vitamin B12.

Health risks from high-dose preparations

“The study shows that more than half of the examined food supplements from the stationary retail trade exceed the maximum recommended quantities for vitamins and minerals”, sums up Professor Dr. Petra Lührmann from the research team. This is worrying, as health risks arise from regular consumption of high-dose vitamin and mineral supplements.

Should there be binding guidelines?

The researchers recommend that consumers should be made aware of the possible risks associated with the consumption of dietary supplements. “Binding maximum amounts and EU-wide uniform guidelines for maximum amounts of micronutrients in food supplements could therefore be useful,” suggests Lührmann. (vb)