How many supplements is too many?
Are 30 supplements a day the key to eternal good health, or a hinderance on our happiness and wallets?
Many of my patients come to their first visit with a laundry list of the supplements they have stocked in their cupboard (and may or may not take on a regular basis). These patients typically don’t know if the supplements they have are helping with their symptoms – and most are unaware that plenty of supplements have side effects.
So, how do you know what supplements to take and which to skip?
The short and quick answer is that most people don’t need supplements at all. Supplements can’t replace a healthy lifestyle – they should only ever supplement one if you have specific symptoms or conditions that require it. For example, folic acid supplementation prior to and during pregnancy has been shown to prevent neural tube defects in the fetus. However, if you aren’t pregnant, the amount of folic acid you get from a well-rounded diet is typically sufficient to maintain your health.
If you have symptoms or a chronic condition it’s worthwhile to see a naturopathic doctor (ND) or registered dietician (RD) to learn what supplements could be helpful. NDs and RDs are both trained and well versed in supplement research, and can guide you to the most effective supplements and dosages.
How do you avoid the trap of buying supplements you don’t need?
My biggest recommendation here is to be critical of advertising – both in stores and on social media.
“In 2021, people in the US spent an estimated almost $50 billion on dietary supplements and the dietary supplement industry spent about $900 million on marketing” (1).
A lot of ads will target your insecurities (ie weight loss) or will make vague claims about their products. These tactics can be very persuasive, but ultimately are meant to benefit the company who makes the supplements and not you. For example, a supplement bottle might claim that their product or ingredient “improved sleep” – but what does that mean? Did it increase sleep duration? By how much? If it only increased sleep duration by 5 minutes, then the supplement might not be worth your money.
So if I don’t need to take all these supplements, what should I do to improve my health?
Unless you have specific symptoms or conditions that could be improved by targeted supplementation, then focusing on moderation and healthy lifestyle choices is all you need to maintain good health. While not ground-breaking news, eating 5+ servings per day of fruits and vegetables and getting in 30min/day of physical activity really can be game changing in terms of long-term health and disease prevention.
When to access additional help
While naturopathic care is rooted in healthy lifestyle changes, naturopathic doctors are also a great resource for information on all things supplements. Because naturopathic visits are longer, we have the time to talk to you about the research on supplements for your condition – including how effective it is, how many studies have been done, what the side effects are, the cost, and what an effective dose is. This gives you the information to be able to make an informed decision about the supplements you’re taking – and takes the guess work out of your supplement regime.
For more information on naturopathic medicine, or my approach, book in a free 15 min meet and greet.
(1) North America dietary supplements market report, 2021-2028. Accessed May 26, 2022. https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/north-america-dietary-supplements-market