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Supplements can lead to risky behavior
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Admission of biologically active additives can lead to unforeseen consequences, such as casual sexual relations, excessive consumption of alcohol and the use of "unhealthy" foods.
Scientists from the National University of Taiwan, Yat-Sen, conducted two separate experiments, giving 150 participants in a placebo study, half of whom thought they were taking multivitamins.
A study published in the journal Psychological Science showed that people who felt that they were taking vitamins expressed less desire to exercise and were prone to risky behavior (casual sex, alcohol abuse, excessive sunbathing, preferred to eat fast food) .
"Since nutritional supplements are perceived by many people as a means of healing, the use of such supplements can create an illusory sense of invulnerability, which leads to unhealthy behavior," the authors write.
Scientists have suggested that this behavior is a consequence of the blind trust of many people in dietary supplements, whose producers recently began to write on the packages "the product is licensed."
The use of vitamins and other biologically active additives has increased dramatically in recent decades, and scientists believe that consumers, when buying dietary supplements, should be aware of the effects of these products in order to avoid the negative consequences of risky behavior.
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