A couple years ago I wrote “Chasing Supplements, Part 1” which explored three questions:
- Is it not possible to experience good health without a raft of supplements?
- Was the achievement of vibrant good health put on hold until the 21st century, when humans could finally manufacture supplements?
- Why don’t other species need supplements to be healthy?
Since writing that article, I’ve noticed other people expressing reservations about our increasing fascination with supplements. One of those is Personal Trainer and Health Coach Tiffany Mercer who joined me for a video conversation, “New Thinking and Perspectives around Eating and Exercise for Life.”
Although neither of us disputes the value of supplements, potential issues with supplement use was one topic we covered in the video. To that point, I talked about a recent article titled, “Influencers Stir Vitamin Frenzy,” (1)
You can listen to our thoughts on supplements in this short clip or the whole conversation on YouTube.
While I mention the Vitamin Frenzy article in the video, it deserves a little more discussion–hence this Part 2 on supplements
Supplements Part 2: Vitamin Frenzy and External Pressures
“Supplements are now lifestyle products and part of a $70 billion industry.” (1)
That quote from the article above pretty much summarizes why caution is needed when it comes to supplements. As a $70 billion industry, the supplement industry is Big, which means it spends Big on marketing to maintain revenues and profits. That, in turn, means we are subjected to a lot of external pressure when it comes to supplements. Without an awareness of that pressure, it’s easy to fall prey to marketing manipulation.
As if the industry itself doesn’t exert enough pressure on us, we now have influencers and celebrities pushing us to jump on the supplement bandwagon, whether needed or not. As shared in the Vitamin Frenzy article:
“Over-the-top supplement regimens have become bragging rights for the health-conscious and wellness-obsessed. From beauty lovers to masculinity influencers, everyone is boasting about their ‘stacks’–the numerous capsules, powders and injections they take in hopes of . . . improving sleep, mental health, fertility, appearance and longevity.”
No one disputes that for certain conditions and in certain circumstances, supplements have a role to play in our health. The issue is whether supplements have become a trendy fad rather than a targeted, considered approach to better health. In addition to being wary of the external (and often less-than-objective) pressure exerted by the industry, influencers and celebrities, here are a few more factors to consider when weighing what supplements to take:
An Unregulated Industry We all know that supplements don’t undergo any kind of FDA review, which is a helpful thing in the alternative medicine area. But it also means they aren’t generally assessed for safety or efficacy by outside sources.
Influencer Qualifications and Objectivity? Because supplements are unregulated, manufacturers are prohibited from making claims about treating or preventing disease. But influencers are not bound by those kinds of restrictions. This raises a couple issues:
- What are their qualifications? Are they simply recommending those supplements they take personally, which they believe to be beneficial?
- Are they being paid for their advice by supplement makers or others? Many do get paid and it is not always disclosed or disclosed very visibly.
Money Speaking of money, the Vitamin Frenzy article described many users’ monthly supplement expenditures–often running into the hundreds. That is money which can’t go to really good, wholesome food–and then we often complain about food being too expensive!
The Halo Effect I sense that supplements benefit from a halo effect. As the negative side effects and deficiencies of pharmaceuticals have become more well-known, we have gravitated to supplements as safer alternatives. But does that mean we can just take them arbitrarily, in random combinations and amounts?
An Unfortunate Fact About Natural Health Practitioners and Supplements It is very challenging to make a decent living as a natural health practitioner, largely because they are paid out of pocket rather than through health insurance. Supplements offer them a way to “supplement” their income. While most are very honest and concerned for our health, they are yet another source of external pressure that can be a little less than entirely objective.
The Supplement—Meal Making Transformation Connection
A central tenet of Meal Making Transformation lies in understanding how external forces like food marketing and peer pressure can dictate our food choices, often to the detriment of our health. Having this kind of awareness empowers us to think for ourselves and make food choices that serve our health and happiness rather than boosting a food company’s bottom line or conforming to others’ opinions.
Sometimes it can be hard to spot how food choices might be influenced by external forces. We have been subjected to external pressures for so long that we don’t even notice that “noise” anymore. It becomes just part of the normal background in our lives.
So it can be helpful to observe how these forces work in a different area of life, like supplements. Maybe that can give us a helpful wake up jolt to notice what’s happening in our food lives!
(1) “Influencers Stir Vitamin Frenzy,” Sara Ashely O’Brien, WSJ, April 2, 2026, p. A11