As of: March 6, 2024, 12:50 p.m
By: Juliane Gutmann
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They promise good defenses that keep flu and corona away: immune treatments from drugstores or pharmacies.
But dietary supplements can also do harm.
The selection of supposedly immune-boosting nutritional supplements is huge.
They are available in the form of powders, effervescent tablets and capsules - some of which are extremely expensive.
In advertising they are touted as protective shields against all sorts of diseases.
This is to prevent Covid-19, colds or flu from breaking out in the first place.
The advertised mechanism of action sounds plausible: the nutrients it contains strengthen the immune system, which can better fight pathogens such as viruses.
But what sounds beneficial can actually endanger our health.
The mere attempt to stimulate the immune system is counterproductive, Professor Manfred Lutz is quoted by the
Deutsche Apotheker Zeitung (DAZ)
.
The head of the immune regulation working group at the Institute for Immunology and Virology at the University of Würzburg further explains that the immune system is balanced in healthy people.
Anyone who takes immune stimulants in the form of dietary supplements runs the risk of an overreaction in the worst case scenario.
Combination nutritional supplements can harm the body
So under no circumstances should you take nutritional supplements that promise to strengthen the immune system?
In Germany the answer is “yes”.
Because in many such products all sorts of vitamins, minerals and trace elements are mixed together.
As a
GEO
article states, an undersupply of nutrients with a normal diet is extremely rare in countries like Germany.
And even if there is a deficiency, combination preparations such as Orthomol Immun are not a good solution.
Such micronutrient cocktails make an overdose of individual nutrients more likely.
Many people take nutritional supplements every day that promise a better immune system.
But these are not always harmless.
© Imago
The promise of effectiveness of supposedly immune-boosting nutritional supplements must also be questioned.
Professor Ferdinand Gerlach, Director of the Institute for General Medicine at the Goethe University Frankfurt, explains in the
GEO
interview that the assumption suggested by the manufacturers that the special combination of several substances brings special effects is without any basis.
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Ökotest
has also
dealt with supposedly immune-boosting nutritional supplements in the past.
In addition to drugstore preparations, drugs from pharmacies were also tested, for example Orthomol Immun Pro, Unizink Immun Plus or Wobenzym Immun tablets, according to information from the
Deutsche Apotheker Zeitung
.
In addition to the lack of proof of effectiveness, Ökotest
confirmed
that the tested products had declaration deficiencies and overdoses, which is why they all failed with a rating of “unsatisfactory”.
As the
DAZ
quotes Professor Manfred Schubert-Szilavecz from the Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, there is no data that would prove that the tested products have a fundamental benefit for healthy consumers, protect against colds or boost the immune system - neither alone in combination.
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This article only contains general information on the respective health topic and is therefore not intended for self-diagnosis, treatment or medication. It in no way replaces a visit to the doctor. Our editorial team is not allowed to answer individual questions about medical conditions.