Lining grocery store shelves are supplements like omega fish oil, goat’s rue and others that sound more like the ingredients of a witch’s cauldron. Social media influencers also push high-tech sounding pills like CoQ10 or plant sterols to their followers. And you can find the classic supplements online or in person — vitamin D, vitamin C or a daily multivitamin.
In the United States, the supplement market was estimated to be worth $42.6 billion in 2022, and it was projected to increase up to $70.8 billion by 2031, according to Statista.
But do any of these so-called health products provide real health benefits? According to long-term studies, the science is unclear on the benefits – or negative impacts – of many supplements. In fact, there is only evidence that a few of them have any benefits at all and are hardly a substitute for eating healthily, exercising, and abstaining from excessive drinking, smoking, or other harmful activities.
Marketing and Research of Supplements
Dietary supplements are any substances that you take in addition to your regular meals and snacks. They can be chemicals, extracts from plants or animal parts, minerals, acids, herbs, or vitamins.
