Supplements Guide: Side Effects & Best Multivitamins

Vitamins and supplements like melatonin and fish oil offer health benefits but can cause side effects if misused. Learn about the impact of saw palmetto on blood pressure and find the best multivitamins for young women and adults over 50.

Fresh ripe bananas

Diet for Calcium Oxalate Crystals in the Urine

Kidney stones are small, hard, sharp crystals that can lodge in the kidneys or the ureter, which is the tube that carries urine from the kidneys to the bladder, and are potentially very painful. The most commonly occurring stones are made of calcium combined with either phosphate or oxalate.

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Blood test.

Platelets & Vitamin B-12

An essential nutrient, vitamin B-12 has a number of physiological roles in your body, including a role in nerve function and cell growth. Healthy vitamin B-12 levels also promote the health of your blood cells, including platelets.

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Hand pouring whiskey into glass against dark background

What Are the Effects of Alcohol on Vitamins & Minerals?

Alcohol is safe in moderation -- generally defined as one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men. People who exceed these amounts or abuse alcohol daily often develop vitamin and mineral deficiencies because alcohol interferes with the body's ability to absorb nutrients.

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close up of a young adult female nurse in a mask as she holds up a syringe

B12 Injection Dosage

Vitamin B-12 is required for the transformation of protein and fat into energy. The metal cobalt is incorporated into vitamin B-12, which is the basis of the alternative name of this vitamin, cobalamin.

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