Celebrities swear by IV vitamin therapy for a quick health boost – but does the science back it up? We explore its benefits, risks, and whether it’s worth trying.
We all know how important good nutrition is for maintaining our health and energy levels – but we aren’t always able to eat well.
This is why vitamin supplements have become a central figure in our dietary regimes.
“Oral nutritional supplements can be helpful for those who are unable to meet [their nutritional] requirements through their usual diet, as they are nutrient-dense and easy to consume,” said Dr Samuel Chew, a Senior Consultant at Changi General Hospital’s Department of Geriatric Medicine.
Yet, for some of us, supplements aren’t enough.
Our hectic schedules and demanding lifestyles mean that we may always feel overworked and drained, regardless of how many tablets we swallow.
But what if there’s a way to exponentially increase our nutrient absorption, and reach a new level of vitality that can’t be achieved through food or supplements alone?
As the chase to optimise health and performance continues, this is where a new wellness trend comes into play: IV vitamin therapy.
A Procedure Beloved by Celebrities
IV vitamin therapy has been making waves in the past few years, to no surprise – its biggest endorsers comprise celebrities, including household names such as Adele, Rihanna, and Gwyneth Paltrow.
@dearmedia Sign us up to have an IV while recording a pod 🙋♀️ #gwynethpaltrow #ivdrip #wellnesstips #healthandwellness #goop #podcastclips ♬ Aesthetic – Tollan Kim
And considering how often they undergo the procedure, they’re practically experts in this field, spreading their knowledge and converting health enthusiasts far and wide.
But what is it about IV vitamin therapy that A-listers swear by?
The Appeal of IV Vitamin Therapy
One thing this procedure promises is fast results. After all, it involves intravenously infusing essential nutrients right into your bloodstream, so your body absorbs it more quickly. This means that you can feel the effects of these nutrients better than if you consumed them orally, with people reporting that they do feel more energised after a session.
Beyond decreasing fatigue, other common reasons for trying IV vitamin therapy includes reducing stress, rehydrating your body, rejuvenating your skin, and giving your immunity a boost.
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In addition, you can also determine the exact mix of nutrients to receive based on your health goals.
For instance, the popularised Myer’s cocktail, which comprises a dense mix of vitamins B and C, calcium, and magnesium, can help alleviate allergic reactions, migraines and muscle spasms.
Overall, this procedure has been promoted to be a nutrient-rich, all-rounder solution when it comes to enhancing our wellness.
But before we board the IV therapy bandwagon, there’s one thing we need to ask: is it actually safe?
What Science Suggests About Its Safety and Efficacy
While celebrities and influencers are great at spreading new health fads, whether they’re good for everyone is a different question. It’s not like they’re medical specialists themselves, and just because something supposedly works for them, doesn’t mean it’ll work for you.
And one big thing we can’t ignore about IV vitamin therapy: that needle that has to stay in your skin for a fair bit of time.
There are a few side effects to this, including swelling or bruising at the injection site. At worst, it can lead to blood vessel damage and inflammation in the veins, and raise the likelihood of developing an infection.
Furthermore, there is a risk that comes with putting too much vitamins in your body. Even seemingly harmless supplements can cause an overdose, with the effects of vitamin toxicity differing depending on the nutrient. For example, taking in an excessive amount of vitamin C can result in kidney stones and gastrointestinal problems.
In addition, giving these vitamins a direct line to your bloodstream, rather than making it go through the digestive system the way oral supplements do, could be hazardous as it also means any potentially toxic substances don’t get filtered out.
That is not to say that IV vitamin therapy is not a positively impactful procedure, especially if you have a nutrient deficiency due to a lack of appetite or a medical condition.
However, if you have normal levels of nutrition, there is very little evidence to highlight that this treatment will be of much benefit to you. Even the claims that it can enhance immunity and alleviate stress have not been sufficiently tested. Most relevant studies have shown no significant differences in those who have undertaken IV vitamin therapy, or are of poor scientific quality.
With more research needed to determine the true benefits and risks of this wellness craze, whether taking on this treatment is worth the risk will be up to you to decide.
Trying Out IV Vitamin Therapy
At the end of the day, there’s no quick fix for better health. Maintaining a diet rich with nutrients is still easier – and, coincidentally, much cheaper – than undertaking a fancy procedure.
However, if you believe in anecdotal evidence, it is also true that this treatment has had an invigorating effect on those who have experienced it.
So if you would like to just try it for yourself, do discuss it with your doctor first to see if it would be appropriate for you. Do be sure that the clinic you’ll be receiving IV vitamin therapy from is reputable and board certified, and is aware of any health issues or concerns you may have. This is because undergoing this treatment can actually result in further health complications for some people, depending on whether you have any existing conditions.
Read More
- The Placebo Effect of Vitamins: Belief vs Reality
- Recent Study: Can Daily Multivitamins Reduce Early Death Risk?
Curious about vitamins?
Medical Channel Asia has launched a community forum page where you can get questions answered by a medical specialist. Why not ask them at our community forum here.
References
- Brown, S. (2024, May 1). Here’s Why You Don’t Need IV Vitamin Therapy. Verywell Health. Retrieved from: https://www.verywellhealth.com/iv-vitamin-therapy-8640486
- Charmley, S. (2023, March 27). What to know about IV therapy. Medical News Today. Retrieved from: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/iv-therapy
- Gaby, A. R. (2002). Intravenous nutrient therapy: the “Myers’ cocktail”. Alternative medicine review: a journal of clinical therapeutic, 7(5), 389–403. Retrieved from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12410623/
- Gillespie, C. (2023, October 17). What Is IV Vitamin Therapy—And Should You Try It? Health. Retrieved from: https://www.health.com/mind-body/does-iv-vitamin-therapy-work
- Gregory, S. Y. (2024, October 3). IV Vitamin therapy: Understanding the lack of proven benefit and potential risks of this health fad. Mayo Clinic Press. Retrieved from: https://mcpress.mayoclinic.org/living-well/iv-vitamin-therapy-understanding-the-lack-of-proven-benefit-and-potential-risks-of-this-health-fad/
- Healthline Wellness Team. (2019, April 10). IV Vitamin Therapy: Your Questions Answered. Healthline. Retrieved from: https://www.healthline.com/health/under-review-IV-vitamin-therapy
- Kaur, A. (2020, June 15). Are you a senior with low muscle mass? Changi General Hospital. Retrieved from: https://www.cgh.com.sg/news/tomorrows-medicine/are-you-a-senior-with-low-muscle-mass
- Kubala, J. (2020, January 20). Can You Overdose on Vitamins? Healthline. Retrieved from: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/can-you-overdose-on-vitamins
- National Cancer Institute. (2024, May 28). Intravenous Vitamin C (PDQ®)–Patient Version. Retrieved from: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/patient/vitamin-c-pdq
- Ramella, A. (2024, September 5). IV Vitamin Therapy: Does It Work? WebMD. Retrieved from: https://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/iv-vitamin-therapy-does-it-work
