It never fails. You turn on the TV, start a new podcast, open a web browser, or walk through the supermarket, and you’re bombarded with ads pushing quick fixes to help keep you going in a demanding world: an immune boost here, a hangover cure there, a supplement for your hair or skin, or a little something to help you relax at night. What’s the evidence that these drink mixes, gummies, probiotics, and powders deliver on their promises? We took a look.
In 2020, Americans spent about $55 billion on dietary supplements. That’s no surprise, given that roughly half of all adults take a supplement. What may be a surprise: Many of those people are wasting their money, and some may even be risking their health. Here’s how the industry keeps you buying more.
Misinformation is nothing new, but our 24-hour news cycle and social media have made things worse than ever. Falsehoods were 70 percent more likely to be retweeted than the truth, according to one study.
Some basic tips: Never share anything if you’ve only read the headline. And if you’re unsure if an article is accurate, don’t share it. Here’s what else to know about health misinformation.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest applauds the California state legislature for passing AB-1341, a bill that would ban the sale of over-the-counter diet pills and weight-loss supplements to minors in California.
Magnum XXL 9800, Jaguar Power, Kangaroo Intense Alpha 3000. Those are just a few of the tainted dietary supplements that, until recently, were sold on walmart.com and other websites.
Among other reforms, Senator Murray's bill requires companies to publicly list their supplements in an FDA database for the first time, improves oversight of high-risk supplements, and expressly prohibits products fraudulently marketed as dietary supplements.
The COSMOS-Mind trial was funded by the National Institute on Aging to see if cocoa flavanols or multivitamins could help people stay mentally sharp as they age.
