Fact Check: Are Nutritional Supplements a Rip-Off? | Health

Vitamin D, Iron, Omega 3: Nutraceuticals are a fast-growing market and heavily promoted on social media. However, there is little regulation of these supplements. health Benefits are often wrong.

Around the world, more and more people are adopting diets supplement It can improve your skin and hair, strengthen your immune system, and improve your performance. Magnesium, vitamin C, etc. are part of a market worth billions of euros.

Angela Clausen from the Consumer Consultation Center of North Rhine-Westphalia has been working on this issue for many years.

“The problem is that so many people think of dietary supplements as a type of natural medicine and use them accordingly, for treatment, to alleviate symptoms or to cure. disease“But nutritional supplements are really just meant to replenish essential components that we don't get enough of from our diet,” she says. diet. ”

In the best-case scenario, if a consumer buys a nutritional supplement that has no benefit to them, they are just wasting their money. However, some substances, such as vitamin D, iodine, and selenium, can be harmful if taken in excess.

Supplements are not medicines, so they are subject to far less regulation. They may be sold without testing for safety, quality, or effectiveness. Therefore, dietary supplements may not necessarily contain the ingredients listed on the package or in the amounts listed. In some cases, they may contain dangerous or prohibited substances.

On social media, these claims are even less monitored. False promises about the health properties of dietary supplements are being found everywhere, as evidenced by a random survey of hundreds of posts and stories conducted in 2021.

DW Fact Check independently searched for claims about dietary supplements on social media and analyzed three examples.

Get Smarter with Ginkgo Biloba, Bacopa Monnieri, L-Theanine, and Magnesium L-Threonate

Claim: In the video, which has been viewed around 1.7 million times, a TikTok user claims: “You're not stupid, you just don't have enough blood circulation to your brain, which affects your concentration and effectiveness. It really does lead to a decline in memory. Her top four recommended supplements to help with this are ginkgo biloba, bacopa monnieri, L-theanine, and magnesium L-threonate.

Fact check: False

Cognitive abilities and concentration have improved thanks to these nutritional supplements. Unfortunately, it's too good to be true. Friederike Schmidt, a nutritionist at the University of Lübeck, analyzed the video for DW.

“TikTokers are talking about very specific metabolic mechanisms that seem competent at first,” Schmidt says. But regarding many aspects of preparation that women mention, “I actually have no idea what it does and whether it's helpful at all,” she points out.

For example, one of the claims made in the video is that the plant extract Bacopa monnieri increases levels of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in the brain, improving memory.

“This is a very surreal story,” Schmidt said. “So far, there hasn't been a single methodologically sound study where people took this plant extract and found that acetylcholine increased in the brain and they were able to remember things better, let alone some. There is no research.”

Angela Clausen of Consumer Advisory Center knows all too well that citing studies of little or no relevance or significance is a common tactic when promoting nutritional supplements. “As far as the actual product goes, published research is usually a disaster,” she says.

Overall, the TikToker's claims are not scientifically correct at all. There is no evidence that her “Top 4 Supplement Recommendations” improve her cognitive performance in the way she describes.

Turmeric: A miracle cure?

Claim: According to this Spanish-language video that has been viewed more than 1.5 million times, powdered turmeric dissolved in water can help treat eczema. It is also said to detoxify the body, prevent arthritis, and reduce the risk of cancer. Similar claims can be found here and here and elsewhere.

Fact check: False

Turmeric, used as a spice, has long been believed to be good for digestion. However, according to Claussen, “all of these claims are unacceptable. There is no existing research to support them.” While studies have certainly been done on curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, it is not used in products. There are no “gold standard studies” for imprecisely defined extracts. This refers to studies conducted on humans, with neither the researchers nor the subjects knowing who received the placebo and who received the active ingredient, and ideally conducted by a separate working group. Must be supported by at least one other study.

Studies have shown that certain turmeric extracts have anti-inflammatory effects at certain doses only in in vitro laboratory tests. However, these effects can only be attributed to precisely this extract, and precisely this dose, and not simply to turmeric itself. The effects on humans may be quite different from the effects in vitro.

“Turmeric is far from certain to be effective,” says Friederike Schmidt. Nutritionists explain that a special problem with curcumin is that it is highly reactive, meaning that in the laboratory it interacts with many other substances. This may also be why curcumin is said to be effective against so many different illnesses and problems. However, this does not necessarily mean that it is effective in people.

How can collagen improve your skin, hair, nails, and joints?

Claim: Posts on social media also believe that collagen has many positive properties. This viral video claims it makes your skin firmer, your nails stronger, your hair shiny and stronger, and this TikTok clip of his claims it also supports your joints.

Fact check: False

Collagen is a protein naturally produced by the body. Important for bones, joints, muscles, and tendons. Therefore, nutritional supplements containing collagen are derived from animals, usually slaughterhouse waste.

It is not clear how well the body processes collagen received from outside. A meta-study conducted in 2023 found that even collagen's most well-known benefits, namely skin rejuvenation, still require more research.

“None of these advertising claims are approved for use in the EU, and certainly neither are claims about joint health,” consumer adviser Clausen said. She says there is no conclusive evidence that this works. In 2022, the Consumer Affairs Center successfully sued the manufacturer of Glow25 collagen powder for using the slogan “Healthy Bones and Joints.” Additionally, the supplier acknowledged that promises regarding effects on skin, hair and nails were unacceptable. Despite this, many posts online still make such claims.

Conclusion: Consumers are misunderstood

When it comes to dietary supplements, it's not easy to separate truth from hype. In general, claims on social media are often exaggerated, unscientific, or prohibited.

“We often find that people spend money on things they don't need,” Schmidt says. She describes this as “a really appealing idea that you can do something for your health with just a few capsules or powders.”