There has been a rapid increase in the use of supplements in Western countries in the modern era. Originating in the 1940s, supplementary pills have flooded the markets, making up for more than half of total profit by pharmaceutical companies. They can be found in a third of Americans’ diets.
When supplements commercialized, they were advertised as a magic replacement for a healthy, well-balanced food diet. Before the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, advertisements about the effects of vitamins and minerals were largely unregulated: anyone could make any health claims about their product until proven wrong. Many immediately bought into supplements as an easy fix for all their health problems, taking pills to compensate for poor health decisions. However, the science behind supplements is still not clear, and there are a lot of elements that come into play when discerning which supplements actually benefit you and which are just empty promises from companies trying to make money from a health-concerned clientele.
Recently, I have seen a rise in the use of collagen supplements, and when I initially heard about it, I was baffled. Collagen, like a lot of other supplements, have hijacked the health industry. I was so perplexed that I jokingly thought I would see neuron pills for brain function (turns out, they exist). Dubbed as nootropic supplements, they claim to boost cognitive function and enhance memory. These supplements are not the same as taking protein powder after a workout. Protein powder has been researched for decades, showing the highly complex, long amino acid profiles aid in muscle growth and development, and these findings are backed by thousands of peer-reviewed studies. Collagen is a structural protein that serves as a component in connective tissues throughout the body, including skin, bones, tendons and cartilage. It provides strength, elasticity and support, helping tissues withstand stretching and maintain their shape. The body naturally produces collagen, but its production decreases with age, leading to common signs of aging such as wrinkles, joint stiffness and weaker bones. Therefore, companies in recent years have begun advertising collagen supplementation as a way to combat these effects.
Collagen is quite complex and is composed of three chains of amino acids, which cannot be absorbed by the human digestive tract. In order to bypass this, pharmaceutical companies hydrolyze the supplement, breaking it down into collagen peptides of two to three amino acids, allowing bodily absorption. The two main scientific theories that support the supplement argue that either the hydrolyzed amino acids reassemble after absorption, or the digested collagen peptides stimulate production of collagen and other components of the extracellular matrix by interacting with fibroblast receptors in the dermis, thereby, improving skin quality.
Critics argue that digestion breaks the peptides down into basic amino acids, which are not guaranteed to reform as collagen or to reach targeted areas; the body would simply redirect these amino acids toward other uses instead of rebuilding collagen. There is little scientific research to back the claim that the broken down individual amino acids would stimulate collagen production instead of any other protein that is composed of these amino acids. While some studies show some benefits of taking collagen supplements, others find no significant effects. This is a common theme in dietary supplement research.
Dietary supplement research has a range of systemic issues that undermine the reliability of its findings. One major problem is the lack of rigorous regulatory oversight. Unlike pharmaceutical drugs, supplements are not required to undergo extensive pre-market testing for safety, efficacy or standardized dosing. This results in wide variability across brands and batches, where the actual content and bioavailability of the active ingredients can differ significantly. The research done on the effects of, say, glucosamine cannot be applied to all glucosamine supplements since the pills have different recipes, which could change the results. These inconsistencies make it difficult to compare studies or reproduce results.
Many studies on supplements suffer from poor design, including small sample sizes, short durations and a heavy reliance on self-reported data, which is often subject to bias and inaccuracy. In many cases, studies fail to account for placebo effects, where participants report perceived benefits simply because they believe they are taking something beneficial. Without blinded, placebo-controlled trials, it is nearly impossible to distinguish between a supplement’s true physiological effect and psychological expectation. Moreover, dietary supplement research is frequently funded or influenced by manufacturers with an interest in positive outcomes, leading to publication bias and selective reporting. All of this impacts the reliability of the claims of supplement companies, in tandem with the inherent complexity of human nutrition, where genetics, lifestyle, concurrent medications and existing health conditions all interact with supplement intake in unpredictable ways.
The biggest issue with supplements is the lack of restrictions on purchases. Dietary supplements are known by law not to cure any diseases or illnesses and are not considered medication. Therefore, most dietary supplements can be bought over the counter and do not need a prescription from a doctor. However, they can impact health because their active ingredients may interact with the body’s systems or with prescription medications in unintended ways. For instance, vitamin K plays a key role in blood clotting and can interfere with anticoagulant drugs like warfarin by reducing their effectiveness, potentially increasing the risk of stroke or blood clots. Similarly, calcium supplements can bind to certain antibiotics, such as tetracycline or ciprofloxacin, in the digestive tract, preventing the body from absorbing the medication properly and reducing its ability to fight infections.
The effects advertised for these supplements sound so promising that anyone seeking even the slightest resemblance to the claimed benefits may feel compelled to buy them in the hope of improvement. Just be careful. Whether you are on medication or not, make sure to check with your doctor or health care provider (I know that phrase is overused, which makes it a safety label companies blurt to prevent lawsuits), before choosing to take any supplements simply because some social media influencer or a Times article boasts about its health effects. A lot of the “research” that backs these products is weak and scientifically inconclusive, so approach them with a healthy dose of skepticism before purchasing. If you are worried about getting proper vitamins and minerals, remember that nothing can replace a nutritious, well-balanced diet.
Photo Credit: Unsplash