Supplements that promise to make you prettier, healthier, better are everywhere. Here’s what science says

Walk into almost any grocery store or drug store and you’re likely to see shelves lined with supplements: pills and gums and capsules and powders and health lamps that claim to make you calmer, sharper, more happy, thinner, younger looking. better. On social media, the stories are the same: Ads target your deepest insecurities (how do they know I’ve been feeling bloated lately?!) and/or promise a quick fix for your missing sex drive (as in ok, kind of conceited). Meanwhile, influencers with massive followings offer glowing testimonials of colloidal silver for sinus infections, collagen pills for wrinkles, and NAD+ (whatever that is) for healthy aging.

It can be hard to resist the siren song of any product that is supposed to do wonders for your well-being with minimal effort on your part. I get it: I bought vitamin C gums when I felt a cold and experimented with melatonin when I was sleep deprived. I tried magnesium powder at one point (for what, I don’t know) and decided, for no real medical reason, that it would be in my best interest to take a daily women’s multivitamin (the rubbery kind that tastes like strawberries , of course. ).

Did they work? Actually, I have no idea. But probably not, according to experts I spoke to for this story. The general consensus is that the benefits of supplements are largely unproven and most people don’t need them. Many of these products make false claims at best, are a waste of your money and, in some cases, can even result in bad health consequences. Best-case scenario: You just brush it off, Aimee Bernard, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Immunology and Microbiology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, tells SELF. So before you pop a pill based on its too-good-to-be-true promises, here’s what science has to say about taking supplements.

First, it is important to know that most people do not have nutrient deficiencies.

If you eat a balanced diet, you are more likely to get all the vitamins and minerals you need from your food. (If you’re curious, here are the government’s recommendations for daily nutrient intakes.) You don’t have to eat, say, organic brown rice, wild salmon, and fresh broccoli all the time to avoid deficiencies; in general, as long as you eat a reasonable variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and protein, you shouldn’t need any supplements, says the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Assuming you eat, you certainly get some nutrients, Christopher Gardner, PhD, director of nutrition studies at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, tells SELF.

Plus, many foods in the U.S. are fortified, or intentionally enriched, with key nutrients to prevent deficiencies, so even if your bowl of cereal is fairly high in added sugar, it may still be packed with folic acid. iron and vitamin B12.

If you are vegan or vegetarian, it can be one LESS It’s harder to get all the vitamins and minerals you need, especially vitamin D, iron and vitamin B12, but with a little research and careful planning it’s still very possible to do so, says Dr. Bernard. a lot (also (a lot!) people believe it’s important to take a daily multivitamin, but experts mostly agree, most don’t need to.