3 common myths about supplements that prevent people from improving their health, according to the US’ top expert

2) Supplements are ‘tainted and adulterated’

People tend to fall into two camps, those who think all supplements are “tainted and adulterated” and others who think they all work, Pasiakos said.

Pasiakos said that certain resources, such as the ODS’s supplement fact sheets, can help people make informed decisions about supplements, while the third party NSF Product Certification program can guarantee a product contains what the label says it does.

But it’s important to know that verification programs are not backing any health claims a company might make about their product. “It’s simply saying that what’s on the label is in the dietary supplement,” he said.

“All I would say is that people make sure that they become educated on these products, understand what’s in them, and know that the industry is not out to get them. But there are certainly aspects of certain dietary supplements that may be considered unsafe,” he said.

3) Supplements are a silver bullet

Pasiakos said people are always looking for a silver bullet to make them healthy, but they won’t find it in dietary supplements.

Like many dietitians, Pasiakos takes a food-first approach to his health. He sees supplements as complementary to a healthy diet, not as a way to replace or substitute one.

“You can’t look at dietary supplements without understanding the underlying diet,” he said. If you don’t know what a person is eating and getting from their diet nutrient-wise, you can’t advise them on what dietary supplements they should take, he said.

“I can’t just ignore that. So that’s why I look at it that way.”