People are overestimating the power of supplements

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2025-09-23 01:00

International

What does this mean?

Jump to: MultimediaAttachmentsExpert Reaction

When a supplement is marketed as supporting 'brain function' or 'heart health', consumers are likely to mistake this for meaning they can prevent specific diseases, according to international research. Supplements often use generic claims like these because, in legal terms, they don't imply their supplemens prevent or treat a disease. To test how these claims are interpreted, US researchers conducted two online surveys asking people to assess the benefits of supplements. In one survey, half were shown a fish oil supplement without any health claims while the other half were told it "supports heart health". Without health claims, 53.9% and 50.7% of those surveyed said it prevented heart attacks and heart failure, respectively. With the health claim, 62.5% and 59% believed it prevented heart attacks and heart failure, respectively. The researchers saw similar results for a survey about a made-up vitamin, and say this shows these types of health statements may not be doing enough to avoid customers misunderstanding what they're buying and why.