Are we Overdosing on Health and Beauty Supplements?
Why supplements?
Designed to fill the nutritional gaps, supplements are meant to assist or 'supplement' one's diet. 'The food we consume may not contain all the essential nutritional elements required,' says Eshanka Wahi, culinary nutritionist, wellness coach, and founder of Eat Clean With Eshanka. 'Supplements are a great source of nutrients that can help improve your overall health and may reduce the risk of some health conditions.'
According to Kripa Jalan, nutritionist and founder of Burgers To Beast and CEO of The Primary RX, supplements work by providing your body with vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, amino acids, or other botanical extracts in concentrated form. 'Depending on the formulation, they can help restore deficiencies (iron or B12), support biological functions (magnesium for sleep or omega-3s for inflammation), or promote certain outcomes (antioxidants for skin or probiotics for gut health).'
Having said that, the expert also believes that for them to work, supplements need to be bioavailable, correctly dosed, and taken consistently. 'Randomly popping pills that are trending on Instagram won't cut it.'
An overkill?
Whether it's the rise in health awareness, a focus on wellness, or smart marketing strategies, the sudden surge of supplements is real. Evidently, they no longer play a supporting role. 'The boom reflects something beautiful — people are invested in their health,' says Jalan. 'But the downside is a 'more is better' mindset and market that thrives on that.' As an expert in the field, she has seen people treat supplements like wellness insurance, layering multiple pills without a clear purpose, or relying on them to do the job of whole foods, sleep, and stress management.
The issue with the boom? Misguided belief. 'Many people are following it as a trend,' says Wahi. 'A lot of people take supplements and eat refined and overly processed foods — supplements aren't going to do any good to your body in such a case.'
The dark side
Consuming too many supplements can also prove to be harmful. According to Wahi, anything that is consumed in excess does not get absorbed by the body. 'Secondly, fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K can build up in your system and become toxic over time. Excess biotin can interfere with lab results and even cause skin breakouts — ironically opposite of what people are trying to achieve.'
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