Too Many Supplements, Too Little Clarity? Experts Share 5 Ways to Shop Smart

Confusion in the Aisle

Americans now face tens of thousands of dietary supplements—everything from familiar multivitamins to “fat‑burning” blends—yet most products reach store shelves without pre‑approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Harvard internist Dr. Pieter Cohen, who studies supplement safety, warns that relaxed oversight leaves consumers to separate proven benefit from bold marketing on their own.

Why Oversight Is Limited

• DSHEA loophole: The 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act treats supplements like food, not medicine, so companies do not need to prove safety or effectiveness before selling.
• Reactive, not proactive: FDA can remove a supplement only after it’s shown to be harmful or mislabeled—a slow, difficult process.
• Industry boom: Roughly 4,000 products in 1994 ballooned to an estimated 90,000 by 2017, according to the American Medical Association.

Five Expert Tips for Choosing (or Ditching) Supplements

1. Look for Third‑Party Seals
   • Prioritize bottles certified by USP (U.S. Pharmacopeia) or NSF International.
   • These audits verify ingredients and manufacturing quality—something the FDA does not do before sale.
2. Avoid Multi‑Ingredient Blends
   • Skip products listing two or more botanicals.
   • Manufacturers seldom reveal exact ratios or preparation methods, making quality checks impossible.
3. Beware of Vague Health Claims
   • Phrases like “boosts immunity” or “improves cognition” are not vetted by the FDA.
   • Check neutral sources—such as the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements—for real evidence.
4. Check Expiration Dates
   • Potency fades; fish oil can even spoil.
   • Toss anything past the stamped date to avoid ineffective or rancid pills.
5. Follow Your Doctor’s Orders—And Little Else
   • Specific deficiencies (iron, vitamin D, B12) should be treated as prescribed.
   • For most healthy adults on non‑restrictive diets, a daily multivitamin is unnecessary, Cohen says.

The Bottom Line

Without stronger regulation—or costly clinical trials—supplement labels will continue to promise more than science can confirm. Until rules change, experts say prudence, third‑party seals, and medical guidance remain a shopper’s best defenses in an ever‑crowded marketplace.