Are Supplements a Waste of Time and Money?

 The majority of adults in the United States are taking a dietary supplement on a regular basis. Americans now spend more than $30 billion per year on dietary supplements. Here are five reasons why most dietary supplements are a waste of your time and money.

1) Don’t Need Supplements?

Dietary supplements don’t replace wise meal and snack patterns. As their name implies, supplements are intended to supplement—not replace—healthy and wholesome food choices.

There certainly are circumstances when a dietary supplement is indicated, but these usually have to do with treating a diagnosed nutrient deficiency. Supplement may be useful for the following situations:

• Iron supplements if diagnosed with iron deficiency

• Prenatal vitamins with folic acid before and during pregnancy

• Vitamin B12 for vegans and older adults with low B12 levels

• Calcium and vitamin D for those at risk for or who have osteoporosis

• Fluoride for older infants living in areas where municipal water supply isn’t fluoridated

• Vitamin K in a single prophylactic dose for newborn infants to prevent bleeding

• Omega-3 fatty acids for people at risk for heart disease who don’t consume fish

2) Some Supplements Can Cause Toxicity

In an environment where “more” is often perceived as being “better,” consumers tend to think that if a supplement provides 100% of their needs, then something that provides 1000% must be 10 times better. 

There is no data that supports megadosing of supplements for health outcomes. When taken in high doses, some fat-soluble vitamin supplements like vitamin A can cause harm by building up to toxic levels in the body. And even water-soluble vitamins (which is excreted through urine if you consume too much) can still have negative effects on your body. Water-soluble nutrient vitamin C can cause diarrhoea and other gastrointestinal discomfort if consumed at high levels.

Supplements can also harm people who have certain underlying health conditions. For example, someone taking the blood thinner Coumadin could experience serious harm from high levels of vitamin K, which promotes blood clotting.

3) Supplements Don’t Prevent Disease

Although supplements are often confused with drugs, supplements are not drugs. But supplement manufacturers take great liberty in their marketing of these products, often implying the relationship between their supplements and a particular performance outcome or health benefit.

While there are certain health claims that some supplements can carry, these claims are few and far between, and apply to just a small fraction of the actual supplements sold every year. 

4) Active Ingredients and Amounts are Often Unknown

If you are a supplement user, take a look at the supplements that you take. Ask yourself, “Why am I taking this supplement? Is there evidence-based data to support this supplement’s use? Is there an established body of peer-reviewed published literature that proves this supplement works?” And lastly, “Do I even know if what it says is in the bottle is actually in the supplement bottle?”

Supplement manufacturers do not have to disclose the amounts of ingredients, or sometimes even the exact ingredients in their products. A well-known supplement industry practice is to hide behind the term “proprietary blend.” Citing protection of secret ingredients and formulas, manufacturers are not required to divulge how much, or even what is in the bottles they are selling.

5) Natural Means Nothing

In the supplement world, there is no legally defensible definition for the term “natural.” In fact, when it comes to the natural products industry, the word “natural” more often than not means nothing. The perception of a natural supplement product is that it is not artificially fabricated. This is highly ironic given that the vast majority of dietary supplements are synthetically created in a laboratory environment and likely do not contain any natural, plant-based or non-synthetic ingredients.

Other marketing catchphrases frequently used to sell supplements include “prescription strength,” “high potency” and “medical grade.” As with the word “natural,” these terms mean nothing - just more profits for supplement manufacturers.

It is easy to become overwhelmed by the vast array of dietary and sports supplements available in the marketplace. Exceptional athletic performance and optimal health come from hard work and a body fuelled by good food, not expensive and worthless lotions, potions and pills. Admittedly, I am guilty of taking supplements and contributing to the Big Pharmas’ revenues.

Source: https://www.news-medical.net

References:

Reasons why most supplements are a waste of time and money, Katie, Ferraro, August 4, 2017 (https://www.acefitness.org)

16 vitamins that are a waste of money, says experts, Heather Newgen,  October 22, 2021 (https://www.eatthis.com)