Walk into almost any grocery store or pharmacy and you’ll see supplements on the shelves. Pills, gummies, capsules, powders, wellness shots, and more that claim to calm your mind and make you look sharper, happier, thinner, and younger. Better. On social media, the story is no different: Ads target your deepest insecurities (how would they know you’ve actually been bloated lately?) or promise a quick fix for low libido (okay, that’s a bit presumptuous), while influencers with massive followings extol the virtues of colloidal silver for sinusitis, collagen pills for wrinkles, and NAD+ (whatever that is) for healthy aging.
It can be hard to resist the siren song of a product that seems to do wonders for your health with minimal effort. I get that. I’ve bought Vitamin C gummies when I felt like I was coming on with a cold, and I’ve tried melatonin when I was sleep-deprived. I tried magnesium powder at one point (not sure what for), but decided that for no particular medical reason, it was best to just take a women’s daily multivitamin (the gummy kind that tastes like strawberry, of course).
Did it work? The truth is, I don’t know. But according to the experts I spoke to for this article, it probably didn’t. The general consensus is that supplements are largely unproven and most people don’t need them. Many of these products make false claims at best, are a waste of money, and in some cases, can have negative health effects. “Best case scenario, you excrete it in your urine.” Dr. Amy BernardAssistant Professor. Department of Immunology and Microbiology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, tells SELF. So before you pop a pill based on promises that sound too good to be true, here’s what the science says about taking supplements.
First, it’s important to know that most people are not nutritionally deficient.
If you eat a properly balanced diet, you are likely to get all the vitamins and minerals you need from the food you eat. Government recommended daily nutrient intake.) You don’t need to eat, say, organic brown rice, wild-caught salmon, or fresh broccoli 24/7 to avoid deficiency. Generally, you don’t need supplements as long as you eat a moderate variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and protein. Nutrition Academy “If you eat, you’ll get the nutrients you need.” Dr. Christopher GardnerThe director of nutrition research at the Stanford Prevention Research Center tells SELF:
Additionally, many foods in the United States are fortified or intentionally enriched with important nutrients to prevent deficiencies, so even if your favorite bowl of cereal is fairly high in sugar, it’s likely still packed with folate, iron and vitamin B12.
If you’re vegan or vegetarian, a bit Getting all the vitamins and minerals you need can be difficult, especially vitamin D, iron, and vitamin B12, but with a little research and careful planning, it’s still quite doable, says Dr. Bernard.Too While some people (a lot of people!) believe it’s important to take a daily multivitamin, experts largely agree, and most people don’t need to take one.
