“Trying to Relieve Fatigue Could Damage Your Liver”... Why Doctors Were Shocked by the Supplements Jungkook Took Out [Health Issue]

[Financial News] Jungkook, a member of BTS, recently revealed a so-called “medicine bag” packed with dozens of supplements and over-the-counter medications during a live broadcast, prompting medical experts to warn about polypharmacy and the misuse of supplements among modern-day adults.
During a recent live session on a fan community, Jungkook showed not only magnesium, vitamins, digestive aids and liquid vitamin D, but also cold medicine, antibiotics for skin allergies, sleeping pills and a liver medication he said he had been prescribed because “my liver enzyme levels were high.”
He said, “I didn’t put it together after consulting a pharmacist, but I didn’t experience any major discomfort,” adding that when he felt he was taking too much, he sometimes replaced the regimen with a multivitamin for several days.
Although he appears to be trying to protect his health amid a busy schedule and chronic fatigue, medical professionals warn that arbitrarily combining multiple ingredients can instead place considerable strain on the liver and kidneys.

Most supplements and medications are metabolized in the liver and then excreted through the kidneys. Even health functional foods can pose a greater risk of drug-induced liver injury or toxicity if excessive amounts enter the body at once and exceed the liver’s detoxification capacity.
This is especially risky when people with already elevated liver enzyme levels indiscriminately take high-dose vitamins, minerals or herbal extracts to relieve fatigue. It is like fanning the flames of a fire, because the added burden on damaged liver cells can accelerate the deterioration of liver function.
In addition, taking prescription antibiotics, sleep aids or cold medicine together with supplements without medical guidance can lead to unpredictable drug interactions, including reduced effectiveness or delayed metabolism.
The risk of accumulation also varies by vitamin type. Unlike water-soluble vitamins B and C, which are readily excreted from the body, fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K accumulate in fatty tissue and the liver when unused. Excessive intake of liquid vitamin D, which is highly absorbable, can lead to hypercalcemia, or abnormally high blood calcium levels, as well as kidney stones or impaired kidney function. Confirming the correct dosage is therefore essential.

Experts agree that the key is not to blindly take large amounts of anything considered beneficial, but to identify deficiencies in one’s body and take only the appropriate amounts.
If you are taking a multivitamin and individual supplements at the same time, first compare the product labels to check for overlapping ingredients. Combining multiple products, such as magnesium and complex fatigue-relief supplements, makes it easy to exceed the daily upper intake limit for certain vitamins or minerals.
If you have prescription medication for an underlying condition or a cold, it is advisable to take it at a different time from your supplements. To avoid interfering with the absorption of antibiotics or anti-inflammatory painkillers, it is safer to leave an interval of at least one to two hours between doses.
When physical warning signs such as stress fractures or chronic fatigue persist, people should not increase their supplements based on their own judgment. They should first undergo blood tests to determine which nutrients they lack. After consulting a doctor or pharmacist, removing unnecessary supplements and simplifying the list of products taken is a shortcut to protecting long-term health.
[email protected] Moon Young-jin Reporter