“The treatments are increasingly popular, particularly as a quick fix or hangover cure – but there is no evidence of benefits and they can potentially be dangerous,” says Marcela Fiuza, from the British Dietetic Association.
“Within a medical setting, we would never infuse anything intravenously, unless we absolutely had to,” says Sophie Medlin, who used to work as a clinical dietitian and as a lecturer in nutrition and dietetics at King’s College London.
“There is simply no medical justification for administering nutrition intravenously in any case other than intestinal failure, because it is so high risk.”
Typically, in a medical setting, a patient who has anything injected intravenously would have a thorough medical history taken.
Infusion of vitamins potentially puts the liver and kidneys under stress, and to go ahead without screening the liver and kidney function first is prohibited by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) in the UK.
“That kind of provision is not being taken in most of the clinics I’ve seen practising intravenous vitamin drips,” says Ms Medlin.
What is in the bag of fluid varies around the world. In Taipei, customers can receive a menu to choose what kind of vitamins they want to include.
In New Delhi, customers can pick between drips called “Basic” or “Thirsty” if for hydration, or treatments for skin called “Woke” or “Lit”.
There is even a drip named “Magic Markle” after the Duchess of Sussex. In London, along with detox and beauty drips, one outlet offers mood boosts.
To boost their chances in university entrance exams, high school students in Hubei, China, were photographed hooking themselves up to intravenous vitamin drips.
The image went viral, and the school claimed that the students had volunteered to take amino acids. As the school’s infirmary became too full with the demand, the students took the IVs to the classroom where they could continue to study.
Ms Medlin is shocked by this – she says that IVs should never be administered outside a carefully-controlled clinical environment.
“Any time you put anything into your body intravenously, you’re running the risk of infection from the site where it’s entered your bloodstream,” she says.
And why risk possible infection when our gut is excellent at absorbing the vitamins and minerals we need?
For most people, a healthy balanced diet (and in some cases an oral vitamin supplement) is sufficient to provide all vitamins you need, says Ms Fuiza.
Using IV drips mean that “people could be unknowingly receiving excessive amounts of nutrients which may have health implications, particularly for those having it regularly and people with background health conditions (known or unknown)”, she warns.
Who needs vitamin supplements?
Certain groups at risk of deficiencies should use supplements:
- All pregnant and breastfeeding women should take vitamin D supplements
- Women trying to conceive and women in the first 12 weeks of their pregnancy are recommended to take folic acid supplements, which reduce their child’s risk of neural tube defects such as spina bifida
- People aged 65 and over should take vitamin D supplements
- People with darker skin and people who are not exposed to much sun should take vitamin D supplements
- All children aged six months to five years should be given a supplement containing vitamins A, C and D
- Your doctor may also recommend supplements if you need them for a medical condition
- If you fall outside these groups and buy vitamin pills then the chances are that you will be spending your money on surplus amounts of vitamins you have already gained through your diet
Source: NHS Choices: Supplements, who needs them?
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