Pills that can enhance your mood, lead to a better night’s sleep, help you get a dose of vitamin D when it’s winter and not so sunny outside… For millions of Americans, supplements have become part of the daily routine. Some estimates show that as many as 74% of U.S. adults consume supplements, with around 55% categorizing themselves as regular users. And for many it’s not just one pill. They may be popping a daily multivitamin along with taking supplemental vitamin D, magnesium, probiotics, protein powders, or herbal blends.
Globally, supplements are a billion-dollar industry, with a 2024 market size of $192.65 billion and projections that it will reach $414.52 billion by 2033. You can’t go on social media these days without hearing biohacking influencers, fitness enthusiasts, and functional health providers raving about fueling up on supplements left and right.
This can make purchasing an array of supplements an appealing idea. But before popping a pill with big claims attached, it’s important to understand the effect it could be having on your body.
Supplements affect your body as a whole
There may be benefits to many supplements. Some help correct deficiencies, while others support bone health, immune function, or improve sleep. But supplements aren’t just “extra nutrients” that impact one particular part of the body.
Once swallowed, supplements enter your bloodstream and become part of your body's biological system. They get broken down by your liver, filtered by your kidneys, and are either stored in tissues or eliminated in urine.
And just because a supplement is “natural” doesn’t mean it comes without potential risks. Even when they have positive effects, supplements can have a widespread impact on your body. They may influence bloodwork, place added demands on organs like the liver and kidneys, can accumulate to unsafe levels over time, or may interact with other supplements or medications in ways that lead to unintended consequences
A look at some common supplements with unexpected effects
Here’s a look at how some popular supplements may impact the body.
Vitamin D: Vitamin D is important for a variety of reasons. It may help to maintain your body’s calcium balance, assists in keeping your bones strong, and is important for your nervous system and immune health. Globally, around 1 billion people are said to be deficient. Thus, there can be viable reasons to supplement with Vitamin D.
Vitamin D is one of the fat-soluble vitamins, which also includes A, E, and K. Unlike water-soluble vitamins, excess amounts are not simply excreted in urine. Instead, they can be stored in fat tissue and the liver. In some cases, too much vitamin D can lead to:
- A buildup of calcium in the body known as hypercalcemia
- Kidney stress and kidney stones
- Constipation
- Dehydration or excessive thirst
- Muscle weakness
- Vomiting
- High blood pressure
- Frequent urination and increased amounts of urination
- Fatigue, confusion, and irritability
Though some people may experience symptoms, blood levels can rise without people being aware.
Related: The “too much of a good thing” conditions you should know
B Vitamins (especially B6, B12, Niacin): The B vitamins consist of thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), pyridoxine (B6), biotin (B7), folate (B9), and cobalamin (B12). They may play many roles in the body, helping with energy production, brain function, red blood cell formation, and nerve health. While most B vitamins are water-soluble, meaning they are not stored in the body and require regular dietary consumption, regularly taking these in excess, especially for long periods of time, can still have unintended consequences.
High-dose B6 (pyridoxine), for instance, can be linked to symptoms that include:
- Nerve damage
- Loss of muscle control or coordination
- Painful and unsightly skin patches or lesions
- Sun sensitivity
- Nausea
- Heartburn
- Numbness
- Reduced ability to feel pain or extreme temperatures
Excessive Niacin (B3) can also take a toll on the body, with potential symptoms including:
- Rough skin that reddens or browns in the sun
- A bright red tongue
- Depression
- Headaches
- Extreme fatigue
- Hallucinations, loss of memory, apathy
- Diarrhea, constipation, or vomiting
Vitamin B12: While deficiency can have neurological effects, elevated serum B12 levels from supplementation can cause symptoms like:
- Acne or facial redding
- Anxiety or heart palpitations
- Heaches
- Insomnia
- Nausea and vomiting
- Difficulty sitting or staying still
- High blood pressure
- Red tinted urine
It’s also important to note that B12 levels can look high on bloodwork without actually reflecting better health. In some cases, that may make it harder to spot underlying problems.
Herbal supplements: Herbs can potentially perform a variety of functions. People use St. John’s Wort to help elevate their mood, echinacea to reduce the duration of colds, and chamomile to help them sleep. Herbal supplements, like these, can come in pills, powders, or drinks. And while some can have benefits, other combinations may result in some side effects like:
- Interactions with other supplements or prescription medications
- Kidney or liver damage
- Heavy metal exposure
- “Natural” does not equal inert
- Complications related to not getting the dosage right
- Bleeding or blood clotting risk
- Cardiovascular complications
Protein powders and performance supplements: Protein powders and performance blends are widely used to support muscle growth, recovery, and athletic performance. Many people turn to them for a way to increase protein or enhance training results. But protein powders and performance supplements may also have some negative effects on the body, such as:
- Kidney strain or injury due to hyperfiltration, where the kidneys increase filtration rate in response to high protein intake.
- Overconsumption of sugar as some can contain as many as a day’s worth of sugar in one scoop
- Heavy metal exposure, especially in plant-based protein powders
- Can influence kidney markers and liver enzymes
- Exposure to additives and contaminants in these ultra-processed foods
Related: What the science says ultra-processed foods do to your body
Supplements can throw off your bloodwork
Supplements don’t just influence how you feel. They can also alter what may show up on your lab results. In some cases, they can artificially raise or lower biomarkers, mask deficiencies, or even complicate how results are interpreted.
Supplementing creatine, for instance, can raise your serum creatinine levels, which is a marker that’s often used to assess kidney function. Elevated levels when supplementing may falsely lead to assumptions of kidney damage, even if it’s not there. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned that biotin can significantly interfere with certain labs and cause incorrect test results, potentially causing various issues to go undetected. And folic acid supplementation can mask the diagnosis of vitamin B12 deficiency, which could allow neurological damage to progress unnoticed.
Taking supplements can raise your blood levels of certain nutrients without necessarily reflecting improved tissue utilization or functional outcomes. In some cases, blood serum levels may appear elevated simply because intake of a certain vitamin has increased, not because an underlying health issue has actually been corrected.
Some supplements may also influence liver enzymes, kidney markers, or inflammatory markers, especially if healthcare providers are not aware of your supplementation habits.
They may also impact organ health
Most supplements are metabolized through the liver and filtered through the kidneys. Long-term or high-dose usage of certain supplements and herbs may cause stress to the liver and overwhelm its ability to process them. In fact, experts reported that liver damage from supplements is becoming more common, accounting for around 20% of drug-induced liver injury cases in the United States.
Liver changes are often asymptomatic in early stages and can be happening quietly. When symptoms do appear, they can include fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting and itching. In more serious stages, it could lead to darkened urine, jaundice, confusion, difficulty concentrating and fluid in the abdomen.
Some herbal supplements can make chronic kidney disease worse or increase one’s risk of complications. Fat-soluble compounds can accumulate in fat and the liver, rather than be excreted through urine. Excessive intake can increase the risk of toxicity. High levels of vitamin A can cause organ damage, including the liver, bones, central nervous system, and skin. And excessive vitamin D can lead to hypercalcemia, which may damage the kidneys and cardiovascular system.
A more balanced approach to supplementation
Supplements are tools that may serve helpful purposes when taken in the right scenarios and dosages. When used appropriately, they may help to correct deficiencies, support recovery, and address specific health needs. But since they’re biologically active compounds, it’s important to remember that they may interact with organs, influence bloodwork, and in some instances, accumulate or create unintended effects.
It can be easy to see an ad for the latest and greatest supplement that promises all sorts of amazing results like better sleep, more energy, thicker hair, a revved up libido, and immediately want to add that to your routine. But taking a more balanced approach to supplementation can help you to make sure a product is suitable for your body. This looks like:
- Talking to your doctor before starting any new supplement
- Regularly updating your doctor and pharmacist on any medications and supplements you are currently taking to make sure there are no interactions
- Having your doctor sign off on a dosage before starting a supplement
- Asking providers if you should pause certain supplements before lab work or surgical procedures
- Reviewing the risks associated with a supplement to make sure you don’t have a health condition that would make you more susceptible
- Getting clarity from your doctor on how long to take a supplement and when to retest labwork to know if it’s effective
- Watching out for any new side effects and immediately reporting them to your doctor
Keep tabs on your body
Being intentional about supplementing is a good start. It’s also important to check in on how your body is responding over time.
Prenuvo’s Whole Body Scan with Body Composition Analysis is a non-invasive way to help look at organ health, including the liver, where many supplements are processed. It can help identify things like liver fat or structural changes that may not yet cause symptoms. Prenuvo’s Body Composition Analysis in particular may also provide insight into visceral fat distribution and broader metabolic patterns that may influence long-term health.
And when combined with advanced blood panels which can track vitamin levels, liver enzymes, inflammatory markers, and metabolic indicators, this provides additional insights into your health. Together, these tools may help establish a baseline, monitor changes, and support more informed conversations with a healthcare provider.
To learn more about the benefits of a Whole Body Scan, Body Composition Analysis, and advanced blood panels, book a call with a member of our Patient Services Team.
