Angela Sipes
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Woman taking a health supplement.
- The supplement business is booming.
- It is easy to forget what they really are: substances that can powerfully affect the body and health.
- They are not regulated like drugs are. They are regulated more like food.
Americans seem to have a fairly positive view of Dietary supplements. According to a 2023 survey, 74% of American adults take vitamins, prebiotics and similar.
He the supplement business is booming, and with all the hype surrounding them, it’s easy to forget what they really are: substances that can powerfully affect the body and health, but are not regulated like drugs are. They are regulated more like food.
Thanks in large part to a 1994 law, the Food and Drug Administration is essentially ineffective when it comes to supplements. As the agency recognizes: “The FDA does not have the authority to approve dietary supplements before they are marketed. “Companies can sell supplements without going through any type of approval process, or even having to share evidence of safety.”
As a member of the research faculty at postgraduate medical educationI am responsible for teaching resident physicians how to understand and critically engage in healthcare research. I also write about health, welfare and supplements for a broader audience. As a result, I spend a lot of time thinking about supplements.
It is important to consider why so many people believe that supplements can help them live healthier lives. While there are many reasons, the way supplements are marketed is without a doubt an important one. In my years following the industry, I’ve found that three erroneous assumptions appear again and again in supplement marketing.
1. The fallacy of appealing to nature
He appeal to the fallacy of nature It happens when it is assumed that because something is “natural” it must be good. The word natural is used a lot in supplement marketing. In the context of health, it often seems okay to want natural medicines, remedies, prevention techniques, etc.
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For example, if I say “vitamin C,” what do you immediately think of? Probably oranges or citrus in general and flu prevention. But if I say “the flu vaccine,” what immediately comes to mind? Probably doctors’ offices, a little pain, and pharmaceutical companies. One of these is Clinically proven to prevent flu infections and reduce the severity of the disease. The other has been marketed as if he did those same things, but there is no clinical evidence to support this.
The supplement industry is inundated with brands that incorporate the word “nature,” invoking the fallacy of appealing to nature. Also, look at websites and advertisements that urge customers to give up “artificial” products in favor of “pure” and natural nutrition. Using the word artificial to describe other products and natural to describe a specific supplement is intended to make you feel that that product will be superior to the competition and that you need it to be healthy.
To be clear, “natural” does not equal “better,” but that’s what marketing wants you to think.
2. The belief that more of a good thing is always better
There is another assumption that adds to the fallacy of appealing to nature: if something is natural, it must be good, and more of it must also always be better. If a little vitamin C is good for us, a lot of it must be great!
The truth is that our body strictly regulates the levels of vitamins and minerals we consume. If you do not have a deficiency, consuming more of a particular vitamin or mineral through a supplement will not necessarily lead to health benefits. That’s why supplement skeptics sometimes say, “You’re just paying for expensive peeing,” since your body will excrete the excess.
For an example of the myth that more is better, look at basically any vitamin C supplement. The packaging usually prominently displays doses that can reach 750 or 1,000 milligrams. But adults only need about 75 to 120 milligrams of vitamin C per day. Likewise, look vitamin D supplements which can come in doses of 5,000 IU or international units, a fact that is often prominently displayed on the packaging as well. But adults should consume no more than 4000 IU per day. Again, it is easy to exceed what we need.
3. Action bias
Finally, the supplement industry likes to capitalize on the idea that doing something is better than doing nothing. This is the action bias. Taking action makes people feel more in control of a situation, which is especially powerful when it comes to health. “Even if I don’t need extra vitamin C,” you might think, “I’ll take it just to be safe. What is the damage?
The examples in the last section show that supplements often contain many times the recommended daily intake of a particular vitamin or mineral. This assumes that taking a larger amount of any of those particular substances is safe.
It is possible to have too much of a good thing. Too much vitamin C can cause diarrhea, nausea, stomach cramps and more. Too much vitamin D can cause conditions including nausea, vomiting and kidney stones. Supplements can also interact with prescription medications. For example, St. John’s wort is famous for interacting with contraceptives, immunosuppressive drugs, statins and chemotherapy exacerbating or attenuating its effects. When it comes to supplements, taking them is not necessarily better than not taking them.
Be aware of these marketing messages: they are not necessarily correct or good for your health. And talk to your doctor before taking any supplements.
Katie Suleta is a PhD candidate in Health Sciences at George Washington University
This article is republished from The conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the Original article.
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