FAQ'S ON DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS

A dietary supplement contains a dietary ingredient (vitamins, minerals, herbs/botanicals, amino acids, probiotics, or their concentrates/extracts) intended to supplement the diet, and it must be labeled as a dietary supplement. Dietary supplements cannot make claims on their labeling about treating or preventing disease since they have not been shown to do so in gold standard human medical trials. 

“Natural” is not a tightly regulated term for supplements. "Natural" does not equal safe or effective. “Natural” supplements are made in factories and require processing, just like FDA approved medications. “Natural” is more about marketing than reality. And  "holistic" medical care is what should be provided by your primary care provider. 

Safety varies: supplements can interact with medications, cause side effects, be contaminated, or contain unlisted ingredients; unlike drugs, they are not reviewed by the FDA for safety or effectiveness before marketing. Real-world harms occur, including emergency visits from weight-loss/energy products, liver injury reports, and documented cases of undeclared pharmaceuticals in some products.
 

FDA regulations under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) prohibit disease claims on supplement labels unless the manufacturer has submitted evidence and received FDA approval for a health claim. Such health claims must be supported by significant scientific agreement, usually requiring robust human clinical trial data. Structure/function claims, which are vague, such as "supports immune health", are much more common, do not require this level of evidence, and must include a disclaimer that the FDA has not evaluated the claim and that the product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease 

Except for women of childbearing age and individuals with certain vitamin deficiencies, there is currently very little evidence to show that multivitamins prevent cardiovascular disease or cancer; routine use for those outcomes is not recommended. 

The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements provides clinician and consumer fact sheets with dosing, evidence, interactions, and safety, supporting transparent, informed decisions across common ingredients. 

Large reviews and national recommendations conclude that no vitamin/mineral supplements have been shown to consistently prevent cardiovascular disease or cancer in healthy, nonpregnant adults, despite billions spent annually; prioritizing proven indications and lifestyle can reduce costs and improve health. 

loss medications, which are often prescribed online or by some providers in this FAQ?  

This deserves a separate FAQ, as these are dispensed by prescription and the discussion is more complex and nuanced. 

In summary, supplements and vitamins may not be effective, are not necessarily safe, are not natural, and are often expensive. If you choose to take them, understand the risk/benefit tradeoff and keep a record to share with your primary care provider.