How to distinguish between effective and ineffective supplements.

March 31, 2021

How to distinguish between effective and ineffective supplements.

In this article, I would like to talk about how to identify supplements.

As I have mentioned before on this site, the supplement industry is a very competitive market, and there are many advertisements out there. So, for those who are trying to take supplements for their health, it can be difficult to know what kind of supplement to choose.


In general terms, there are many companies in the supplement industry that sell supplements that are not really effective, but appear to be effective.

These companies add vitamins and amino acids at random and advertise them with claims that these vitamins and amino acids have “effects”. There are very few products that provide medical data on the supplements they sell.

To avoid choosing ineffective supplements put out by such companies, I will explain the points you should pay attention to when choosing a supplement.


Point 1: How to tell the difference

The first point to check is whether the company has provided medical data on the same supplements they are actually selling, using the proper dosage. The first thing to check is whether or not the company provides medical data using the same product in appropriate amounts. Medical data is referred to as medical rationale or medical evidence.


Many books have been published on medical evidence. Simply put, medical data is properly expressed as numbers, and the mechanism is convincing.

For example, if you read only advertising phrases such as, “Famous people use it” or “Celebrities praise it!”.  For example, it is not advisable to choose a supplement based solely on advertising claims such as “used by famous people”.

Also, superstitious claims such as “pickled plums” are good for headaches or drinking vinegar makes the body soft cannot be considered medical data.


Point 2: How to tell the difference

The second point to check is how the published experimental data was taken. Some companies often publish data from experiments using cells or animals. Those experiments often show that the product is effective in cells and rodents.


However, since we are the ones who actually take the supplements, I believe that we can trust products that provide data on whether they are really effective in humans.

On the other hand, if a company advertises that a product is “very effective” without any data on its effectiveness in humans, it is not very reliable.


Finally.

When taking supplements for health, it is important not to rely on advertisements and word of mouth, but rather to look at the product with your own eyes and ask yourself what kind of company is producing it? It is important to check what kind of data is available, and only take supplements that have a satisfactory explanation.


In particular, nowadays you can get a lot of information on the Internet, so make sure you do your research before you buy, visit the company’s website instead of just looking at their advertising, and check if they publish proper data. Make sure to check the company’s website and see if they publish proper data.

If the company does not publish such data, it is not very reliable. If you are uncertain, we recommend that you proactively contact the company selling the product.

Reference
Are supplements effective for antioxidants?