Supplements are vitamins that we take to make up for any dietary deficiencies we may have in an effort to promote nutrition and health or to promote normal body development. However, many supplements have adverse side effects on your body or mind.

While an individual supplement may be known to be effective in some circumstances, you should avoid it unless you have complete knowledge of how it may act in your body. Learning which supplements to avoid is an important step in balancing your body's needs.

Muscle enhancing supplements

Muscle enhancement supplements are among those products that may be unhealthy for the body. There are three major types of muscle enhancing supplements: creatine, Beta-hydroxy-Beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) and glutamine.

Creatine, the most popular and widely used muscle enhancing supplement in the market, promotes muscles and provides the body with bursts of muscular energy. HMB keeps the protein from breaking down. In simple terms, HMB helps muscles rebound when muscle tissue breaks down. Glutamine is an amino acid that, if taken in supplement form, can increase muscle mass and slow down breakdown of muscles.

While all of these muscle enhancement products mimic what is found in food, they can cause serious side effects in concentrated doses such as muscle weakness and general body dysfunction.

Hormonal supplements

You should also be wary of hormonal supplements. If you are eating a balanced diet and getting adequate vitamins and nutrients, you are unlikely to need hormone supplementation. In fact, taking hormonal supplements can cause an imbalance in your body, resulting in poor utilization of nutrients.

Before you take any hormonal supplements, it is important to find out exactly what your body's hormone levels are.

Herbal supplements

Many people take supplements that have herbal ingredients with the hope of obtaining medicinal benefits. While many of these herbs are harmless and may provide benefits, many can cause serious problems in high doses.

For instance, supplements that contain comfrey, a perennial herb that is often used by those who have problems with their bones or an injury, can lead to live failure or cancer. Pennyroyal, a mint that is popularly used in oils, can cause liver dysfunction and have adverse effects on blood flow.

Be informed and make wise decisions

Certain muscle enhancement supplements, hormonal supplements and herbal supplements are only a few of the many substances that the FDA has warned people from using. If you are unsure of the side effects of a supplement, your safest course is to find several resources where you can research information on it. You can also check with the FDA, which maintains a list of supplements and popular uses, as well as some of the known side effects.

Finally, remember that a supplement is supposed to make up for a deficiency to put your body in proper nutritional balance. Using an unnecessary supplement or using an excessive amount of a supplement puts your body out of balance, which can lead to severe body dysfunction. It is important to first find out what supplement you need and in what dosage you need it in order to receive a benefit. Do research before jumping into any supplement routine so that you can receive a perfect nutritional balance.