Daily Living
Many supplements are expensive and their safety is suspect.
Carole Tanzer Miller
Contributing Writer
Published June 19, 2024
Americans spend close to $60 billion a year on powders, potions and pills that promise to boost the brain, make excess weight disappear, soothe achy joints, supply daily nutritional needs and more.
More than 7 in 10 Americans take a dietary supplement — vitamins, minerals, botanicals, amino acids and probiotics. The older people get, the more they use.
"I would always promote a healthy diet over any supplement," said clinical pharmacist Erica Godley, who counsels patients at Novant Health Agnes B. and Edward I .Weisiger Cancer Institute in Charlotte on safe and effective use of supplements.
Many, she added, are expensive and their safety, suspect.
Be aware that even though labels must list supplements' dietary ingredients and their amounts, you can't always be sure what you're getting. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn't test or approve supplements for safety or effectiveness.
And independent testing has at times yielded troubling results, Godley said. Some imported herbals have been found to contain high levels of lead, which can damage the brain and nervous system, for example. Some labels have been found to misrepresent how much of a substance the product contains.
Her advice: If you're shopping for supplements, choose those that have been tested by a third party. Examples of labels that have third-party testing include "NSF Certified" or "USP Verified."
Keep in mind, too, that supplements may interact with your medications, affect lab tests or cause problems during surgery. Always check with your doctor before changing up your daily regimen.
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Godley calls these the most overrated supplements:
Multivitamins
Though they're the top-selling supplement in the U.S., multivitamins are not necessary for people whose diets include veggies, fruit, grains, dairy and proteins, she said. Some may contain more of some nutrients than your body can use – meaning you're flushing money down the toilet.
However, elderly people who have poor appetites may need a multivitamin to meet their basic nutritional needs. Multivitamins may also benefit those who have dietary restrictions or have trouble absorbing certain nutrients.
Brain-cognitive substances
Can a daily supplement keep memory sharp and support cognitive health? After combing the research, Godley said there's no proof. "None of these cognitive supplements that I've found have any real evidence to support their claims," she said.
In one case, a jury in New York state recently agreed. It found that the manufacturer of Prevagen, a supplement whose ads tout the brain benefits of an ingredient called apoaequorin, "had not substantiated any of its claims with reliable scientific evidence."
CBD
Oils, balms, gummies and other products infused with cannabidiol (CBD) are now widely sold for relief of pain, anxiety, insomnia and more. The same molecule found in marijuana, CBD is derived from hemp. It won't make you high, and it's legal in the Carolinas, but Godley doesn't recommend it.
“It’s very expensive to get a good quality CBD and to be able to find a dose that might actually be beneficial,” she said. Plus, some products have been found to contain illegal levels of THC, the chemical responsible for a marijuana “high,” which could cause a positive result on a drug scan, she warned.
That makes it extra important to look for the "NSF Certified" or "USP Verified" seal.