As we get older our bodies start to require more assistance in the form of vitamins, minerals and supplements. In fact it's really no big secret that supplements are nothing more then vitamins that help provide additional nutrition to our bodies in order to make them healthier. Unfortunately with the massive amounts of supplements that hit the market everyday there are some that really don't help our nutritional needs. In some cases they actually can do more harm then good. Armed with the knowledge of which supplements can help you and which can harm you will allow you to only take the supplements you need safely in order to improve your overall health and performance.

The supplements that have recently gotten some bad press due to their harmful side effects fall into the muscle enhancement category. As you can imagine these supplements aren't really designed for your health instead they focus on providing a stimulant to boost your muscle growth. Great if you want to get packed full of muscle but not so great if you're looking to just stay healthy and productive. The most often mentioned supplement in this category is creatine. Its claim to fame is the ability to provide a burst of energy for use in the short-term muscle building process. The remaining two don't garner as much attention but still deserve to be mentioned. HMB, which assists with the rebuilding of muscles when they break down and glutamine, which is actually an amino acid. Our body naturally extracts these supplements from foods that provide them in a small but regulated dosage. The problem doesn't really stem from each supplement but in the actual over indulgence of their use. Their have been documented cases of how these supplements can cause problems with the normal functioning of the body and even disrupt your muscles causing them to weaken.

Our hormones are another natural ongoing body process that shouldn't be distorted or tainted by any supplements unless prescribed by a trained doctor, physician or specialist. Supplements that increase hormone levels should be avoided at all costs. The ingestion of hormone increasing supplements will put your body in a position of imbalance causing it to improperly use the vitamins and nutrients it normally draws from your food intake. As mentioned earlier if you are considering taking this type of supplement make sure to do so only under a doctor's guidance and supervision.

There are a good many supplements that start out being used to help the body but end up hurting it through the over consumption of them. Several examples include comfrey, which has been proven to help with strengthening bones and helping injuries. However, when taken in larger doses it has the ability to cause liver failure and even cancer. Clearly the risks outweigh the benefits derived from this supplement so it should be avoided. The FDA routinely puts out information on which supplements can help and which can cause damage or be harmful to your well-being. They have identified pennyroyal as a supplement to avoid based on its propensity to cause problems with our normal blood flow and issues with our livers.

Speaking of the FDA, if you're ever curios to know which supplements get a good review from them and are able to be used safely and which supplements to avoid due to their harmful effects you can see a list that they provide. They also provide information regarding what the uses are for these harmful supplements and the harmful effects they can or have caused.

Our bodies are important and keeping them in top shape with the help of the right vitamins, minerals and supplements is a smart idea. Always make sure though when taking supplements to do some basic research in order to make sure the supplement you're considering taking doesnt have a history of causing an imbalance in your body which can lead to other problems that are more severe in nature.