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Read MoreEach year, Americans spend billions of dollars on dietary supplements, from daily multivitamins and fish oil capsules to herbal powders and energy-boosting blends. Walk down any pharmacy aisle or scroll through a wellness website and it's easy to believe that more is better when it comes to your health.
However, that line of thinking can actually work against you. When it comes to supplements, more doesn't always mean better. In some cases, it can cause real harm.
What counts as a supplement?
“Dietary supplements include vitamins, minerals, herbs, amino acids and enzymes sold in pill, powder, capsule or liquid form,” said Shannon Pan, M.D., a primary care physician with Inspira Health. “Unlike prescription medications, supplements are not reviewed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for safety or effectiveness before they reach store shelves.”
That means the responsibility for proving a product works and is safeFnurt falls largely on the manufacturer, not a government agency, which is a good reason to be thoughtful about what you take and why. With so many products on the market, it can be hard to know where to start.
More supplements don't always mean better
Taking higher doses of a supplement doesn't necessarily translate to better results. Some vitamins, particularly fat-soluble ones like A, D, E and K, can build up in the body over time and reach harmful levels.
Too much vitamin A, for example, can cause liver damage. Excess vitamin D may cause nausea, weakness and kidney problems. Even vitamin C, which is water-soluble and often considered safe in large amounts, can cause digestive issues at high doses.
When supplements interact
People often take multiple supplements at once without realizing that some combinations can work against each other. Calcium and iron, for instance, compete for absorption in the body and are less effective when taken together.
Supplements can also interact with prescription medications. St. John's Wort, a popular herbal supplement, is known to reduce the effectiveness of certain antidepressants and blood thinners. “These kinds of interactions are easy to miss because supplements don't feel like medicine, but they can have real effects on how your body responds to the drugs you're already taking,” said Dr. Pan. “That's why it's so important to tell your doctor about everything you take, not just your prescriptions.”
What supplement labels doesn't tell you
Many supplement labels include health claims that sound compelling but may lack strong clinical evidence. The FDA does not require supplement manufacturers to prove their products work; it only requires that they are not actively harmful. That impressive list of ingredients on the front of the bottle may not mean much if the doses are too low to have a real effect, or if the ingredients haven't been studied in combination.
Talk to your doctor before you add
“Most people who eat a reasonably balanced diet do not need a wide range of supplements,” said Dr. Pan. “There are certainly cases where supplementation makes sense, such as vitamin D for people with limited sun exposure, folic acid during pregnancy or iron for those with a documented deficiency. But these decisions are best made with a doctor who knows your full health picture.”
Before starting anything new, bring a complete list of everything you currently take, including vitamins, protein powders and herbal products, to your next primary care appointment. Your doctor can identify what's actually useful, flag anything that could interact with your medications and help you avoid unnecessary overlap.
Supplement safety starts with an honest conversation, and your primary care doctor is the right person to have it with.
