Yesterday, I went to a pharmacy and was looking through the supplement shelf when I heard someone say I should get supplements because they are good for my health. My head just gave the supplement and scam thought immediately, but then, not all supplements are scams.
The topic of supplements is big and sometimes really confusing. To make matters worse, some ads come with these supplements which could either be clear and genuine, some aggressive and misleading, and some soft without directly telling you to buy but still telling you to buy. Those soft ads are even more annoying because influencers just talk about them and you begin to wonder if they were paid or not.
Now let's say the truth and not sugarcoat anything. There are very few supplements that have very good evidence-based research to support them but before we talk about evidence, what is a supplement or what were they meant for from the inception? Supplements are things that are taken to augment, boost, or complement a dietary shortfall.
Back to the evidence-based supplement that I was talking about in the previous paragraph. An example of such a supplement is a prenatal supplement such as folic acid supplements for women who do not get a good amount of nutrition from their diet. Also, the use of nutrient-based supplements is advised for pregnant women as it is good for the development of the fetus.
Aside from pregnant women, studies have supported the intake of iron supplements for people who are suffering from iron-deficiency anemia as they cannot get the required amount of iron from their food. But while there are the evidence-based ones, there are the ones that are sold because they are grounded in science such as taking magnesium supplements for constipation and there are the ones that are just a hoax such as taking biotin to improve hair growth when there is no evidence-based study on it.
The ones I have been talking about are still cool, the sets I am about to mention are the ones that have numerous things from vitamins, minerals, botanicals, herbs, and so on, combined with the insinuation of the supplement doing a number of things especially protecting your organs. You hear funny stuff like supplements for Adrenal support, ovary support, thyroid support, and most hilarious of them all is fat burners.
When the last person asked me to go for the supplements, I immediately asked myself if it was something I needed. If I do not need it, then there is no need to buy it. If you think you need it, then the next question should be whether there is good evidence to support its claim. At this time you can ask your doctor, so you can get the help and understanding you need. A red flag for me when thinking of buying a supplement is who is recommending it. If it is the seller or an influencer, then I am out. In all, if the supplement has been verified by a third party, then it gets my attention.
I am not saying my method is best when it comes to avoiding supplements that are just there to take one's money without giving the desired result, but I am saying it is an easy way to avoid buying a bad one.
Reference
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022227523001669
https://www.everydayhealth.com/news/supplements-risks-every-women-should-know/
https://www.uspharmacist.com/article/no-proof-of-vitamin-supplement-effectiveness-despite-use
https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/supplements-a-scorecard
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/WYNTK-Consumer/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2100102/
https://www.health.com/supplements-7775481