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Essential or unsafe?
When a patient on The Pitt was admitted with highlighter-yellow skin after basically overdosing on turmeric supplements, it wasn’t entirely TV drama. It was a warning.
In the wake of internet-fueled health obsessions, supplements are having a moment: David Beckham co-founded a brand selling a 90-ingredient powder to help users achieve “optimal health and longevity,” while Kourtney Kardashian is marketing gummies promoting better sleep, vaginal health and more. Supplement brands promise everything from glowing skin to enhanced sexual performance. But the catch? They aren’t held to the same FDA standards as Rx drugs, so those claims don’t always hold up.
Still, at least 60% of U.S. adults are buying in. Fueled by celebrity endorsements, rampant misinformation and easy access to what feels like the entire periodic table, the self-selected supplement cocktail you’re popping every day may be doing more harm than good—or simply draining your bank account.
Even gym bros got a reality check after a popular protein powder was discovered to be little more than cake mix, and high doses of other supplements could land you in your own episode of The Pitt.
Taken in high doses, vitamins and minerals like K, E and D, along with zinc and iron, can be toxic and damage organs, while herbal products like ashwagandha and green tea extract can be particularly harmful to the liver. Research also found that herbal and dietary supplements account for 1 in 5 cases of drug-induced liver damage.
In short: Unless you have an underlying deficiency or health condition, you don’t need to be swallowing that colorful array of supplements every morning—regardless of what an immaculately toned influencer tells you. Instead, doctors suggest sticking to a balanced diet, taking a multivitamin or fish oil as needed, and upping vitamin D intake during the winter. For everything else: Run it by your doctor before adding it to cart. Better safe than cake batter.
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