Writing by Alina Mata

Artwork by Aeneas Eaton

Remember learning that eating carrots would improve your eyesight? Or that, according to the Kardashians, SugarBearHair gummies could give you stronger and shinier hair? What about when Prevagen claimed it could improve your memory? These claims, along with hundreds of others (Cheerios, Skechers, vitaminwater, etc.), were false. But don’t feel embarrassed if you were fooled; these companies intentionally target those of us who want to be healthy by offering an appealing and simple quick fix. So when trusted (or new and seemingly trustworthy) brands mislead us, how can we tell? Is there a way to know which health claims are true without spending hours poring over the research?

Isn’t it regulated?

If the marketing agencies for health foods and supplements were crooks, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) would be their warden. The FTC exists to protect consumers from fraudulent or deceiving claims made by these businesses, taking them to court if needed. In recent decades, misleading marketing has cost brands millions in lawsuits. For example, Airborne paid millions of dollars regarding claims they could prevent colds and boost immunity, and vitaminwater was forced to shell out $1.2 million in court fees and change their label after claiming it was a healthy alternative to soda (without mentioning the 32 grams of sugar per bottle).

While white lies are par for the course when dealing with corporations that rely so heavily on exuberant marketing and slogans to sell products, not all products you see are a scam. “It really depends on the type of health claim,” says Dr. Monica Grover, a family medicine and obstetrics physician with ASIRA Medical in Yorktown. “For example, supplements are not FDA approved, so you can’t decipher each label or understand what they do; you have to do your research.” To be clear, the FDA’s approvals are only regarding the safety of a product; they don’t verify if a product does what it claims to.

Unregulated supplements might do nothing whatsoever, even if they claim to do everything from reducing inflammation and improving the immune system to weight loss and chronic illness. And sometimes, they actually do harm if certain ingredients come into contact with prescription medications.

“Sometimes I see patients who are taking supplements that aren’t helping them in any way,” says Grover. “I will never forget this 37-year-old woman and her husband, who I saw early in my career. She told me she had stage four breast cancer, and she didn’t know what to do. She spent over a year at a juicing clinic that claimed they could heal her, but her cancer advanced. These companies make a profit preying on people’s vulnerabilities. It’s just terrible.”

Why do we fall for this?

A 2022 Gallup poll revealed Americans’ confidence in the medical system is nearing an all-time low. But it’s not just patients who are affected by this. “Seeing patients for 15 minutes a day makes it hard to address anything beside their chief complaint,” says Grover. And without enough time to consult physicians on every concern, we’re led to follow unverified remedies they encounter on the internet and on the shelves.

Experts project the supplement industry will be valued at $182 billion within the next decade, and an increasing amount of money is being put into influencer endorsements and advertising. Take Gwyneth Paltrow, for example, an actress and owner of the $250 million wellness and lifestyle brand, Goop. Paltrow gets paid to endorse beauty products and supplements that claim to debloat and destress consumers, among other things, but in 2018, Paltrow paid $145,000 to settle a lawsuit over false medical advertising claims. “She’s made fun of in the medical community,” says Grover. “She’s proof you shouldn’t buy things off someone’s website just because they’re famous.”

Can we trust anything?

Yes, we can, but you need to do your homework. First, check the ingredients. “The fewer ingredients a product has, and the simpler the ingredients and their names are, the healthier a product usually is,” explains Dina Khader, registered dietitian and nutritionist at the Khader Center in Mount Kisco. “When you see a whole paragraph of ingredients with names that you can’t even pronounce, that’s not going to be a healthy option.”

And even if you can pronounce the ingredients, when it’s a very long list, it’s likely the manufacturer participated in a practice some call “pixie dusting”–a term used when a product includes such small amounts of well-known or regarded ingredients that they are ineffective. This practice results in brands  advertising several desirable results in one product, even though the miracle ingredients are too small to provide any benefits. And because the FDA doesn’t require companies to list clear dosages, it’s hard to identify which supplements are pixie dusting and attempting to enchant you into their magical world.

Second, look for research to back up the claims. Grover recommends searching for studies that were conducted and published in the past five to 10 years and include a significant number of diverse participants. “If you have a small study, it’s not a true reflection of the genders or ethnicities,” she explains. “Big studies and genetics are very important because different ethnicities absorb and metabolize enzymes in supplements and medication in different ways. Kidney and liver functions, or genetic defects such as the MTHFR gene, vary based on ethnicity. And gender is important, too. Many medications have only really been tested on men, but women respond completely differently.” So if your particular ethnicity and/or gender wasn’t examined in the study, how do you know if it will work for you?

There are good studies out there. For example, a 2023 study by Harvard Medical School included over 25,000 participants of both genders, aged 50 and older, from all racial backgrounds to examine vitamin D’s ability to reduce cancer risk. The findings concluded that vitamin D had little effect on the overall population, but it was most effective in African Americans.

Third, look for brand transparency. Amazon sellers may make labels look professional, but where is it actually coming from? “If the company’s website publishes all their research and data, then they are probably trustworthy,” says Grover. “Brands like Metagenics, Thorne, BioTe, Ortho-Molecular, Pure Encapsulations, ProSource, and Code Age are actually published in medical journals.” (Note: Grover does not receive funding from these or any supplement companies.)

Fourth, use trusted sites for third-party recommendations. ”There’s a site called Fullscript that lists reputable brands,” says Grover. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is another great resource. They make it easy to access research and are often used by medical professionals. Khader is a fan. “EWG does an amazing job of testing and listing foods every year,” she explains. ”They publish a list of the 12 least healthy and toxic foods, called the Dirty Dozen,” she says. “They also publish a list called Clean Fifteen, which lists produce with the least amount of pesticides.” She also recommends the Institute for Functional Medicine as a reliable source.

And fifth, but equally (if not more) important, is to consult your doctor. We’re all different, and so are our needs. Just because your friend takes a supplement or follows a certain diet, that doesn’t mean it’s right for you. Perhaps the best example is the Mediterranean diet, which is recognized by many reliable medical journals and studies as one of the healthiest in the world, consisting of various whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, fish, red meat, and an abundance of healthy fats such as avocados and olive oil. While this diet is free from processed foods and a good foundation for those trying to optimize nutritional value, Khader says that if you’re struggling with heart disease, then all those “healthy” oils can harm you. 

So while taking a few supplements a day may seem harmless, that false sense of health could actually harm you. So step away from the wellness gurus and the pixie dusting, understand the FDA is only testing for safety and not veracity, avoid those seemingly “quick fix” solutions, and learn before you buy. Your health (and probably your wallet) will thank you for it

Is it healthy?

When it comes to food, fad diets and processed foods can get a bad rap. But are they all bad? Khader walks us through what’s true and what isn’t for four of the most common.

Fermented foods: From sourdough and rye to sauerkraut, fermented foods are good for your gut. “Researchers have found they have a positive impact on the gut microbiome. You can even get things like fermented mushroom powder or fermented turmeric powder these days. So anytime you can choose a fermented food instead, it’s good for your health.”

Frozen foods: A 2018 Rutgers University study found the flash-freezing process retains nutrients better than canning and sometimes even better than fresh produce that is picked before its peak harvest . “If you can’t buy fresh, the second best thing is actually frozen,” says Khader. “Canned is a waste, a complete waste, because everything is cooked to death at very high temperatures, so there’s no nutritional value at all.”

Low-carb diets: Hopefully, you’ve now learned that just because celebrities endorse it (ahem, Oprah and the Kardashians touting the keto diet) doesn’t mean it’s healthy. “Our DNA heavily relies on carbs for healthy expression,” she says. “So if you’re avoiding healthy carbs and only doing a high-fat, high-protein diet, it’s extremely unhealthy for the gut microbiome long term.”

Whey protein powder: Many teens turn to whey protein powder when they want to put on muscle, but there are some drawbacks. “It’s one of the contributing factors to many food sensitivities and allergies,” says Khader. “It’s because of the dairy, the additives and the way it’s processed. Many commercial protein powders/drinks have been highly heated and have denatured proteins that make them difficult to digest and absorb.”

This article was published in the May/June 2025 edition of Connect to Northern Westchester.