Dietary supplements are regulated like foods

The dietary market is worth more than $60B

Listen to this question and answer session with the US Food and Drug Administration about dietary supplements—vitamins, minerals, probiotics and similar products people may buy in liquid, pill, or powder form. They are categorized legally as a category of food and can be legally brought to market without the FDA even knowing about it, though consumers can tell FDA about issues with the products and FDA can take action to remove dangerous or unlawful items after they're available.

The FDA does not approve dietary supplements before they go to market

The US Food and Drug Administration does not regulate products including vitamins, probiotics, and herbal mixes as drugs due to the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, which amended the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Because dietary supplements are regulated as a subcategory of foods, inspectors do not assess whether dietary supplements work as advertised before sale.

Reporting if supplements make you ill helps FDA know what products to investigate

The US Food and Drug Administration regulates supplements like foods and can only take action about a supplement if they learn that there are problems with it after it's on the market. This website allows consumers, industry, and others to file a complaint about a product that made them ill or raised other concerns.

Supplements often have issues with impurities, toxins, and inaccurate labels

Consumer Reports' tests of more than 20 supplement powders and shakes in 2025 found that more than two-thirds of them contain unsafe levels of lead. Some contained 10 times the amount of lead that's considered acceptable to ingest in a day. The levels they found, in some cases, were even higher than when they tested the products 15 years earlier.

Supplement sales soared during the pandemic, alongside growing distrust of the health establishment, amplifying a trend that endures—even when some of the products don't even work.

ConsumerLab is a watchdog site reviewing supplements for quality and recalls

The group purchases supplements and tests them for accuracy. When it tested 26 popular B vitamin supplements, it found five failed their tests because they provide either significantly less or much more of the ingredients than listed. This type of product-label mismatch can occur because the FDA does not regulate these products as it would a drug.

Investigation finds 'influencer' dietitians paid to promote sugar, supplements on social media

A joint investigation by The Examiner and The Washington Post found that food, beverage, and supplement corporations and groups have paid registered dietitians on social media to promote content that goes against decades of scientific evidence on...

Supplements are only typically recommended for those with a proven deficiency

Blood tests and other dietary screening tools by clinicians and nutritionists can indicate whether someone is deficient in needed vitamins or minerals, and those results can then lead to a personalized care plan that may include supplements. Supplements can negatively interact with certain medications, so it's important to speak with your doctor about supplements before taking them.

Search this citation-heavy database of nutrition and supplement research

Explore a reference site that aggregates and summarizes peer-reviewed studies on hundreds of supplements and dietary interventions. It is ad-free and funded by subscriptions, making it a health resource without a financial stake in what you buy.

USP-verified label on supplements means a nonprofit confirmed what's in the bottle

The black-and-yellow USP-verified program seal on a dietary supplement bottle means that the nonprofit US Pharmacopeia tested a sample of the product and verified that it was made in a facility with good manufacturing practices and that it will dissolve in the body. Their certification also means they tested to confirm that the product contains the ingredients listed on the bottle at the specified levels, and that it doesn't contain harmful levels of certain dangerous contaminants.

See preferred supplements across different countries in 2025, by generation

Millennials and Gen Z typically took more supplements than other age groups across vitamins, proteins, minerals, and herbal supplements, according to 2025 data from a Global Consumer Insights Survey conducted in 55 countries. Roughly two-thirds of Gen Z respondents stated they'd taken vitamins in the past 12 months. (Some users may experience a paywall.)

Humans need vitamins, but research is mixed on taking supplements

When an organism needs an organic molecule to survive, but cannot synthesize enough of it itself, that molecule is called a vitamin. Typically, we consume vitamins through food, but many resort to supplements—a common and mostly unregulated practice.

Vitamin D supplement pills are linked to rising cases of vitamin D toxicity in the US

Vitamin D deficiency is common. But taking Vitamin D supplements in doses exceeding 4,000 IU/day (a measurement of vitamin biological activity) for prolonged periods can raise bodily concentrations of this vitamin to dangerous values. US National Poison Data indicates that the annual average of vitamin D poisonings from 2000-05 was 196, but this rose by 1,600% to 4,535 per year for the period of 2005-11.

Explore a database of generic drugs to trace their origins and identify any safety concerns.

Kava, kratom, St. John's Wort, and green tea extract present health concerns

Consumer Reports, which tests supplements for safety, urges consumers to avoid these four supplements due to safety warnings from researchers and public health authorities.

Do you need a multivitamin?

In 2013, several researchers declared multivitamins dead, stating that so-called supplements had no clear benefits and might be harmful. But the science isn't so clear-cut. This article explores the question of who would benefit from...

Health food broke into the mainstream by the 1980s

A 1984 New York Times story noted that Americans were eating less red meat than a decade prior, and that, in general, the country was “talking, thinking and worrying about what they eat to a degree unique in the nation's history.” The feature then details foods that were then considered bizarre: whole-grain muffins, hummus, and a variety of vegetarian dishes. (Some readers may experience a paywall.)

Most of the 86,000 consumer chemicals registered with the US EPA have never received rigorous toxicity testing, though not all those are still in current use.

Can you overdose on vitamins?

Many people pop a multivitamin supplement each day thinking that any excess nutrients won't hurt them. This article explains how chronic excess of any vitamin can cause toxic levels in the body. This condition is known as hypervitaminosis, and symptoms vary depending on what vitamins have achieved toxic levels of accumulation. According to this article, dietary supplements in the US are not required to submit to the FDA documentation supporting their efficacy or safety.

Listen to how the 1902 'poison squad' experiments changed food safety in America

As part of government research, a group of young men were paid to eat standard American food—replete with food additives like borax and formaldehyde—which revealed the dangers of unregulated food. The work was led by the first FDA commissioner, Harvey Wiley, who helped end the "century of the great stomachache."

Proof of 'natural' food claims are voluntary for most food products

Unlike the enforcement done by the USDA for meat, dairy and eggs, the FDA offers loose guidelines for using a "natural" food label on most foods, and following the guidelines is voluntary. As a result, many products labeled as "natural" can contain processed ingredients and synthetic additives.

Listen to a reporter discuss his story spotlighting a decadeslong corporate cover-up about forever chemicals, substances, which can persist in the environment for hundreds of years—though not forever.

US federal law dictates that all ads must not be deceptive

It also dictates that all ads must be “not misleading, and, when appropriate, backed by scientific evidence.” However, enforcing these laws can be difficult given the massive number of ads that run all over America each day. This explainer on the subject from the FTC provides more information.

Read the FDA's statement on concerns over compound pharmacies

GLP-1 drugs popularity for weight loss and treating diabetes, led to a significant supply shortage and the rise of compound pharmacies, which produce customized drug formulations but lack formal approval from regulators. The drugs are ostensibly the same, but manufacturing methods lead to variations in concentration, filler compounds, and more.

Why processed foods can be so addictive

In recent years, many critics have voiced their concerns about the food industry and how ultra-processed foods affect our health. Despite our awareness of these issues, processed foods are still incredibly hard to remove from our diet. In this podcast by The Guardian, Dr. Chris van Tulleken explains how “junk food” is created to get us hooked, how it negatively affects us, and what we can do to improve our eating habits.

The US FDA issued a 2025 warning about BPC-157 and other popular peptides that are marketed for various regenerative properties.

The health food industry grew significantly in the early 1990s

By 1996, there were over 6,000 health food stores in the US, which generated over $9B in sales. That was still a small number compared to traditional supermarkets, but it was a 17% improvement in annual growth over the previous five years, highlighting a rapidly growing industry.

Ultra-processed foods are made to maximize cravings and encourage overeating

Often disguised as healthy options like granola bars and low-fat yogurt, these foods silently fuel chronic diseases, despite dominating diets. Reviewing labels for ingredients like stabilizers and emulsifiers can serve as indicators to help identify these products.

Food companies are exploring 'GLP-1 friendly' diet labels

Producers of foods like Healthy Choice frozen meals are placing "GLP-1 friendly" labels on their food, but there's no regulation about what that label means. Nutritionists say that GLP-1s can help reduce appetite, but healthy, balanced diets are a necessary complement to the medications. Data shows that about half of GLP-1 users quit these medications within a year and then rapidly regain weight, underscoring the importance of also prioritizing healthy eating.

Collagen supplements have become a multibillion-dollar industry

Beginning in our 20s, the amount of this protein in our skin, muscles, and connective tissue declines. But independent, high-quality studies—like those that are double-blind—have not yet shown a significant association between their use and evidence of it improving skin elasticity, reducing wrinkles, or combating hair loss. Some collagen supplements do seem to help with joint pain and knee function, but NPR cautions that studies on that purpose are industry-funded.

The lack of guidance on getting off GLP-1s leaves patients at risk

Dr. David Kessler, former FDA Commissioner and public health leader, explores how these drugs override the brain’s reward-driven eating habits but have notable side effects. These include developing eating disorders, muscle loss, and intestinal obstruction.

The term 'superfood' is a marketing construct with no scientific or medical definition

Encompassing at least 136 plants and animals, the concept has been criticized by nutritionists for its scientific value, which has been exploited by the wellness industry for profit. Although the label has encouraged the consumption of fruits and vegetables, food variety and minimal processing remain key to a healthy diet.

Food companies usually issue recalls voluntarily and you can be automatically notified about them

Protecting yourself from food poisoning means staying on top of food recall announcements. Notices about these from the US government, which you can automatically receive after signing up at this link, note what products have been recalled by food companies. Companies alert the US Food and Drug Administration or the US Department of Agriculture when they issue recalls so the public can stay informed.

The US FDA recently tried to regulate the expanded prenatal genetic tests

The agency proposed a new rule in 2023 to make it explicit that these types of tests are devices under existing law and clarify that that the agency could move to regulate them. They finalized a regulatory change in 2024 that added the words "including when the manufacturer of these products is a laboratory" to an existing law, but a federal district court vacated that edit in March 2025—returning the law to as it was before.

See how DOJ prosecutors took down a pharmaceutical company's executives over the opioid crisis

This FRONTLINE documentary follows federal prosecutors as they used anti-racketeering laws to convict executives at Insys Therapeutics, a pharmaceutical company that bribed doctors to overprescribe a fentanyl painkiller.

Scientists from the frontline discuss the future of antibiotics and superbugs

Superbugs are a very real problem, but researchers around the world are working to advance our understanding of these pathogens and develop new medicines. This podcast talks with several scientists on the frontier of superbug research, offering insight into what we know—and what the future of medicine may look like.

How a government chemist founded the FDA—by poisoning people

The Poison Squad tells the story of government chemist Dr. Harvey Wiley who, determined to banish these dangerous substances from dinner tables, took on the powerful food manufacturers and their allies.

Watch 'Last Week Tonight' explore the risks of 'forever chemicals,' a group of human-made chemicals used in everyday products to make them resistant to water, stains, grease, and heat. (Warning: language.)

The US FDA defines peptides as being 40 amino acids or less.

Most adults don't need a daily vitamin, and it won't extend your life

A 20-year study by the National Cancer Institute involving almost 400,000 people found that daily multivitamins did not help people live longer. In some cases, these vitamins also increased the risk of death. Although some subpopulations—such as those with documented vitamin deficiencies and pregnant individuals—should take vitamins, daily multivitamins should not be taken uniformly by adults. Instead, patients should discuss vitamins with their clinicians and consider baseline vitamin testing before starting vitamin regimens.

Mycotoxins are toxic compounds produced by fungi—some show up in food

About a quarter of the world’s agricultural products are contaminated with mycotoxins. Some of these compounds can cause serious health problems, including cancer, so the US government has set up monitoring programs to detect them in our food and in animal feed. Humans can become ill if they eat contaminated food, but also if they ingest products from animals that had previously consumed these toxic compounds, such as milk from a cow that ate contaminated corn.

Telehealth demand for GLP-1s is on the rise as people seek it out for myriad reasons—the proportion of non-obesity and non-diabetes-related prescriptions for the drug soared from 4.5% in 2018 to 17% in 2023.

Humans need higher levels of water-soluble vitamins that easily pass through the body

There are two types of vitamins: lipid soluble and water-soluble. Water-soluble vitamins like B vitamins and vitamin C are in the watery parts of fruits and easily pass through the human body before being taken up by the bloodstream or exiting your body. But lipid (fat) soluble vitamins must be absorbed through the intestinal wall, carried by proteins, and then may be stored in the liver and other body parts—meaning there is greater risk of overdosing.

How Big Oil misled the public into believing plastic would be recycled

An NPR and PBS Frontline investigation reveals how the oil and gas industry used the promise of recycling to sell more plastic, even when they knew it would never work on a large scale.

How the Great Depression still shapes the way Americans eat

From fortified foods to nutrition labels, the legacy of an early financial crisis lives on in kitchens across the United States. Ethnic foods with their (supposedly) hunger-triggering spices were vilified and considered “stimulants” along the lines of caffeine and so, in their stead came prune puddings, canned-meat stews, and dairy-heavy vegetable casseroles featuring America’s first fortified foods. Read more here.

FDA removed its cardiovascular risk warning on testosterone products in 2025

The change came a decade after the FDA added the label. Recent work, including a gold-standard randomized trial, found that men receiving the products had similar cardiovascular risk levels as men taking placebo products. Testosterone, however, may hold other health risks, including infertility.

GMOs sound scary, but you eat them every day

Why are GMOs bad? They aren't. We've been eating them for decades with no ill effects, which makes sense, because a genetically modified organism is simply an organism, like every other organism, produces hundreds of thousands of proteins, but one or two of them are proteins that were chosen specifically by humans. Watch this 11-minute video for more.

One in six Americans contracts food poisoning each year.

Celebrities are able to promote prescription drugs on social media without any required mention of potential side effects due to a legal loophole.

Forever chemicals are so common that experts concluded in 2022 that it's uncertain whether limiting consumer exposure would truly reduce one's exposure to these substances, and noted it would still take years for the body to clear them.