We all strive to take care of ourselves with the best intentions. Now more than ever has the supplement industry risen to towering new heights. Under the right circumstances, they can be extremely helpful. But many times they can be downright dangerous. And its these dangers in particular that I want to highlight for today’s post. I’m by no means bashing supplements. What I am doing is telling you is that they are not pieces of candy to be popped at any given moment and that taking them requires enormous consideration and responsibility. So, with that out of the way, let’s slide right into the discussion at hand, and uncover the dangers of supplements.

Side Effects Include…

Ever hear one of those pharmaceutical ads and cringe at the long list of side effects? It’s like you’ll need a pill to cover up the side effects of the pill and yet another one to cover the second pill’s side effects. Basically, pills on pills on pills. But don’t think that supplements are immune to the side effect debacle. In fact, if you’re not careful, the greatest and final side effect could be death. Not convinced? Here’s an example.

Recently, a young woman had died after taking what she innocently thought was a weight loss supplement from the (infamous) company known as Herbalife. [1] (According to the report the cause of death was related to severe liver failure.) Whatever you may think about Herbalife aside, this shocking result really should be a wakeup call. After all, it makes you wonder- what was it in the supplement that specifically killed the young woman? Did the supplement actually contain what it claimed to? Was there any contamination, whether it’s bacterial or something toxic like heavy metals? And had Herbalife ever tested the supplement or ran it through some sort of analysis to ensure it wasn’t so… deadly? If any of those questions came to mind, you were right on the money.
As stated by the report, “We also present unsettling data that showcase the heavy metal contamination, toxic compounds, psychotropic substances, and pathogenic bacterial contamination in similar Herbalife products in India. The growth of Herbalife® in India and expansion of its nutrition clubs in major cities that promise fake health benefits portend a serious public health concern.”

What more can we gather from these findings? Well, in all fairness for one, these were Herbalife products distributed out in India. From a quality standpoint, the same cannot be said for North American, European, and other countries. That’s still up for debate. But the fact that a number of alarming things were found in the (Indian) Herbalife line should at least inspire you to take a step back and ponder the quality, effectiveness, and repercussions of whatever supplement you wish to take. Sure, this case was out in India, and, to our knowledge, appears to be a fluke situation. But who’s to say it won’t happen again in our own backyard? And even worse- to us? One final consideration. What if this woman just happened to have underlying conditions that made her a high-risk factor for ANY sort of supplementation? It doesn’t mean that Herbalife is off the hook, but it does caution us to be diligent about what we take in, no matter how “helpful” a supplement may seem. There’s a reason why they tell you to talk to your doctor before doing anything dramatic to your lifestyle (supplements included). The supplement could aggravate a part of your body (i.e., the liver) or interfere with any medications or antibiotics you might be taking. (For example, look at activated charcoal, a popular “detox” supplement that could be doing more harm than good by “binding” up to things like birth control and antidepressants.) 

The Bittersweet Truth

With this very alarming wake-up call in mind, you might be wondering where to go from here. Do we forgo all supplementation? Are they all just poisons to our body? Not necessarily. What we need to know is that, just like I mentioned before, there’s both a good and a bad side to everything; supplements are no different.

I’m sorry to say that when it comes to supplements, there’s very little regulation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Once again, people are being tricked by many companies and wind up experiencing unintended consequences. You have Olympic athletes being suspended for failing drug tests despite not ever taking a single drug. (What appears as just a regular sports supplement turns out to be a laced substance containing anabolic agents, or steroids.) [2] And then you have cases in which a supplement was contaminated and central to the decline (or death) of the individual taking it.

But what’s often ignored is whether or not the supplement of choice even works to begin with. Next time you’re shopping for a supplement, just look for one, simple thing: evidence. Where is the proof that this substance lives up to its claims?
If it’s weight loss, then look to see if the substance or supplement itself has been done on a group of people in your shoes. Were they normal, healthy people that didn’t need to lose weight, or were they obese or overweight? (Bonus: were they even human? Mice are not the same as people!) How long was the supplement taken, and at what dosage? (Otherwise, why take the supplement if it’s at a considerably lower dose than the study? What a waste of time and money that would be!) How much weight did they actually lose? (If percentages were factored, was the weight loss by 50% or more, or just a single digit, like 2 or 5%? If it’s the latter, does spending all of that money even matter at the end of the day if the results are that small?) Also, what were the side effects, aside from the desired outcome? (i.e., headaches, low/high blood sugar, drowsiness, etc.)

You’ve got to be an advocate for your own health here! I understand that confronting a measly pill seems like a lot of effort but knowing what we do today about the confirmed dishonesty and illusiveness of many of these companies, you’ve got to be extremely diligent when it comes to your health! You could be poisoning yourself without even knowing it!

By the way, take a look at the disclaimers every single supplement maker puts: these statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. Words such as enhance, support, maintain, boost, and restore are often employed to suggest, not state, a supplement can do what it intends to in order to evade the FDA. Sure, the majority of people ignore the disclaimer but they’re failing to really let it sink that these disclaimers are there for a reason: the supplement cannot make any claims because it has NO evidence to prove its effectiveness!

I found a really interesting study while researching this topic, and I want to share an excerpt with you that really brings the message home:

“Several deficiencies and potentially deceptive practices in supplement labeling have been documented in the literature. A 2003 Office of Inspector General investigation confirmed that most supplement labels are misleading, uninformative, and inconsistent and that consumers experience considerable difficulty interpreting supplement labels correctly. Claims analyzed were poorly understood, and labels often failed to state the intended purposes of the supplement, did not identify the active ingredient, provided insufficient information to extrapolate active ingredient concentrations, used jargon that implied but did not provide clarity on product quality, and did not contain information on contraindications, known interactions, or side effects. Despite the dangers of megadosing, 85% of labels inspected did not contain information regarding the maximum dose.” [3]

At the end of the day, we all want what’s best for ourselves. Who doesn’t want to stay ahead of the aging curve and invest in their health? Unfortunately, a supplement alone isn’t the answer. Don’t forget the basics of diet, exercise, sleep, and stress control (amongst others). And don’t be duped by flashy ads, celebrity (or influencer) endorsements, and paid reviews. Question everything, and, when in doubt, go to the expert for a definitive opinion: your doctor. We now know that waving around fancy words and assumed benefits isn’t enough. Concrete evidence and safety are paramount when it comes to choosing a supplement. And like I said before, your doctor (and of course, you) both should ultimately have a say as to whether or not your body truly needs a supplement. Otherwise, you’re playing a literally deadly game of roulette.

Sources:

[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31024209
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5753965/
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4330859/