7 Supplements a Men Should Never Take

Supplements are products or medicines that are used to supplement diet or to overcome any dietary deficiency.  These supplements comprise of different nutrients, vitamins and minerals along with other vital ingredients to play a fundamental role in maintaining physical and sexual health as well as fulfilling the dietary deficiencies of your body.

With declining nutritional quality of food and growing trend of junk food /fast food; the dietary supplements have become a significant need for people these days. Many people in US take supplements on a daily basis. According to an estimate about 47% of US population consume at least one dietary supplements on a regular basis.

However, the question is whether these supplements are good for you or not? What is the right supplement choice for your body? The selection of supplements is very important. Because many of these supplements are not FDA approved and their safety is questionable.

Why people take nutritional supplements?

Usually a man takes supplements for any of the following reason.

• To boost their sexual and general health.
• To increase energy levels.
• To fulfill nutritional deficiencies.

There are many supplements about which we don’t have any idea whether they are actually beneficial for us or not. Some of them are dangerous for your health.

Supplements a Man should Avoid by all means:

• Beta Carotene and Vitamin A: Beta carotene is yellow, red or orangish pigment that is naturally present in different foods and dietary supplements. It is categorized as a carotenoid which is responsible for vibrant color of many fruits. Beta carotene is basically an antioxidant and once consumed, our body converts it into Vitamin A which plays a significant role in improving the health of our eyes, skin and immunity. However, over consumption of this vitamin is not good for health especially for peoples who smoke. It increases the risk of lung cancer because high doses of vitamin A causes toxicity since body stores excess amount rather than excreting it.
• Selenium: Selenium is a soil-based trace mineral that occurs naturally in poultry products, bread, grains, fishes etc. Primarily it was considered to be beneficial for maintaining physical and cardiac health. However, it has been proved after extensive research that excessive use of selenium for a longer period of time can result in the re-emergence of cancer especially skin cancer. Also, it doesn’t play any role in decreasing the risk of developing prostate cancer in fact, it increases the prostate cancer risk in susceptible individuals.
• Vitamin E: Vitamin E is also an antioxidant that is present in various foods like nuts, seeds and vegetable oil. Previously it was believed that vitamin E is good for cardiovascular health. However, recent research shows that it does not exert any positive impact on cardiovascular health.
• Yohimbe: Yohimbe is a tree grows in western Africa. Its bark extract is used as a supplement to treat erectile dysfunction and fat loss. But it is noteworthy that unsupervised use of this supplement is associated with numerous disadvantages such as increase in B.P or heart rate, dizziness and nausea etc.
• Horny Goat Weed: A plant known as horny goat weed consist of an edimedium which is used as dietary supplement. Edimedium has been used to treat erectile dysfunction. The name horny goat weed is given after observing increased sexual activity in goats who had eaten it. As it is not an FDA regulated product, we don’t know a lot about this supplement and its adequate dose since, sexual enhancement product consists of contaminants which is harmful if consumed in large amounts.
• Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA): Our body makes an endogenous steroid hormone which is converted into testosterone i.e. male sex hormone. When we turn 30 its production starts to diminish due to which many men may start taking exogenous supplements of DHEA in order to enhance sex drive and libido. However, it has many adverse effects on our health such as onset of palpitation and reduced level of good cholesterol.
• Tribulus Terrestris And Tongkat Ali: These two supplements are well-known testosterone enhancing supplement; however, no laboratory test proves it and no improvement in testosterone level is seen among the people who use it.

Conclusion;

There is no good reason to use any of the above supplements. And it is highly recommended to avoid taking such supplements without doctor prescription