Americans appear to have quite a positive view of dietary supplements. According to a 2023 survey, 74% of U.S. adults take vitamins, prebiotics and the like.
The business of supplements is boomingand with all of the hype around them, it’s easy to forget what they really are: substances that may powerfully affect the body and your health, yet aren’t regulated like drugs are. They’re regulated more like food.
Thanks largely to a 1994 law, the Food and Drug Administration is actually toothless in the case of supplements. As the agency acknowledges: “FDA doesn’t have the authority to approve dietary supplements before they’re marketed. Companies can sell supplements without going through any kind of approval process, and even having to share safety evidence.”
As a research faculty member in graduate medical educationI’m accountable for teaching resident physicians the best way to understand and critically engage with health research. I also write about health, wellness and supplements for a broader audience. As a result, I spend numerous time desirous about supplements.
It’s necessary to think about why so many individuals imagine supplements can assist them lead a healthier life. While there are lots of reasons, how supplements are marketed is undeniably a very important one. In my years following the industry, I’ve found that three mistaken assumptions appear again and again in complement marketing.
1. The appeal to nature fallacy
The appeal to nature fallacy occurs if you assume that because something is “natural” it should be good. The word natural is used rather a lot within the marketing of supplements. In the context of health, it often feels right to want natural medicine, remedies, prevention techniques and so forth.
For example, if I say “vitamin C,” what do you immediately consider? Probably oranges or citrus usually and flu prevention. But if I say “the flu shot,” what immediately involves mind? Probably doctor’s offices, a bit little bit of pain and pharmaceutical corporations. One of those is clinically proven to forestall flu infections and lessen the severity of illness. The other has been marketed as if it does those self same things, but there’s no clinical evidence to support this.
The complement industry is awash with brand names that incorporate the word “nature,” invoking the appeal to nature fallacy. Also, have a look at web sites and advertisements that urge customers to forgo “artificial” products in favor of “pure” and “natural nutrition.” Using the word artificial to explain other products and natural to explain a particular complement is meant to make you’re feeling like that product will likely be superior to the competition and that you just need it to be healthy.
To be clear, “natural” doesn’t equate to “higher,” but that’s what the marketing wants you to think.
2. The belief that more of an excellent thing is all the time higher
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There’s one other assumption that piggybacks on the appeal to nature fallacy: If something is natural, it should be good, and more of it must also all the time be higher. If a bit vitamin C is nice for us, then numerous it should be great!
The truth is that our bodies tightly regulate levels of the vitamins and minerals we devour. If you don’t have a deficiency, consuming more of a specific vitamin or mineral through a complement won’t necessarily result in health advantages. That’s why complement skeptics sometimes say, “You’re just paying for expensive pee” – since your body will excrete the surplus.
For an example of the more-is-better myth, have a look at principally any vitamin C complement. The packaging often prominently displays dosages that may reach 750 or 1,000 milligrams. But adults need only about 75 to 120 milligrams of vitamin C per day. Similarly, have a look at vitamin D supplements that may are available dosages of 5,000 IU, or international units – a fact also often prominently displayed on packaging. But adults should not have any greater than 4,000 IU day by day. Again, it’s easy to exceed what we’d like.
3. The motion bias
Finally, the complement industry likes to capitalize on the concept doing something is best than doing nothing. This is the motion bias. Taking motion makes people feel like they’ve more control of a situation, which is very powerful in the case of health. “Even if I don’t need the additional vitamin C,” they could think, “I’ll take it simply to be certain. What’s the harm?”
The examples within the last section show that supplements often contain over and over the really useful day by day intake of a specific vitamin or mineral. This assumes that taking that much of any of those particular substances is secure.
It is feasible to have an excessive amount of of an excellent thing. Too much vitamin C can result in diarrhea, nausea, stomach cramps and more. Too much vitamin D can result in conditions including nausea, vomiting and kidney stones. Supplements may also interact with prescribed medications. For example, St. John’s wort is legendary for interacting with contraceptives, immunosuppressive drugs, statins and chemotherapy by exacerbating or dulling their effects. When it involves supplements, taking them isn’t necessarily higher than not.
Be looking out for these marketing messages – they aren’t necessarily correct or good to your health. And talk along with your doctor before taking any supplements.