Why Physicians Belong in the Supplement Conversation

As a physician, I understand the hesitancy to recommend supplements.

The evidence can vary widely. Products differ in quality. Patients may already be taking several things we did not recommend and sometimes do not know much about. I also understand the concern my colleagues, especially fellowship-trained specialists, have when they see patients taking supplements randomly without the information they may need for their own bodies.

Everyone's situation is different. Medications, medical history, diet, age, lab values, and other supplements can all affect whether something is appropriate. Improper supplementation can carry real risks.

That is exactly why I think physicians should stay engaged.

Our role is not to endorse every supplement. It is to help patients ask better questions, understand what the evidence actually says, identify where caution is warranted, and keep supplementation in context with the rest of their health.

Patients Are Already Taking Supplements

Dietary supplements are not a fringe part of American health behavior.

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, 60.2% of U.S. adults reported using at least one dietary supplement during the previous 30 days in data collected from August 2021 through August 2023. Nearly 39% reported taking two or more.

As an emergency physician, I have seen plenty of medication lists that include vitamins, minerals, botanicals, powders, and products patients bought after hearing about them from friends, family, social media, or online searches.

Sometimes the supplement is reasonable.

Sometimes I have questions.

Sometimes the patient has no idea how much of an ingredient they are actually getting.

That is part of modern medicine whether physicians planned for it or not.

I would rather a patient feel comfortable telling me what they are taking than assume I am going to dismiss the subject before we even discuss it.

That conversation can be useful.

Why are you taking it?

How much are you taking?

What else are you taking with it?

What are you hoping it will help with?

Those questions often tell us much more than the name on the bottle.

Why Physicians Can Be Hesitant

There are legitimate reasons many physicians are cautious around supplements.

Medicine teaches us to look for evidence. We are trained to question claims, consider adverse effects, pay attention to interactions, and avoid recommending treatments when the benefits do not justify the risks.

The supplement market can make that difficult.

A consumer may see a statement online that an ingredient is “clinically proven” when the actual research was small, conducted in a very specific population, or used a very different dose from the product being sold.

Another product may contain a long list of recognizable ingredients, but the amounts provided may not resemble the doses used in the research people cite to support them.

There are also regulatory differences that physicians and patients need to understand. Dietary supplements are not approved by FDA for safety and effectiveness before they are marketed in the same way prescription drugs are.

I do not see any of that as a reason for physicians to stop participating.

I see it as a reason to participate carefully.

Skepticism Is Useful

I am skeptical about plenty of supplement claims.

I think physicians should be.

The same skepticism we bring to a new drug, procedure, device, or study should also follow us into wellness.

That does not require us to dismiss an entire category.

An honest review may lead to very different conclusions from one ingredient to another. We may find strong evidence in one setting, limited evidence in another, or insufficient evidence to make much of a recommendation at all.

Sometimes the most responsible answer is, “I don't think you need this.”

Sometimes it is, “There may be a role for this, but we need to look at your situation first.”

Sometimes it is simply, “We do not know enough yet.”

I am comfortable with all of those answers.

A Supplement Should Fit Into a Bigger Health Picture

I care about supplementation because I care about health.

That begins with much more basic things.

Eating well matters.

Exercise matters.

Sleep matters.

Preventive care matters.

Managing blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, and other known risks matters.

Seeing a physician when something needs medical attention matters.

No supplement should distract someone from those priorities.

I also do not think it is helpful to pretend that supplementation has no place simply because it cannot replace them.

For some people, a nutrient may be inadequate in the diet. A physician may identify a deficiency. A patient may have a specific circumstance where supplementation is worth considering. In other cases, adding another product may offer little value.

The decision should come from context.

That is one of the reasons I want physicians involved.

“There’s a Study” Is Not Enough

One of the most important things we can help patients understand is how to think about scientific evidence.

People often hear that an ingredient “has studies behind it.”

That can mean almost anything.

When I read a paper, I want to know who was studied. I want to know what dose was used, what form of the ingredient was tested, how long the study lasted, what the researchers actually measured, and whether the result was large enough to be meaningful.

I also want to know whether other researchers have found something similar.

A single study can be interesting. It does not automatically settle the question.

This becomes especially important when supplement companies take a real study and stretch it beyond what the researchers actually showed.

There is a difference between evidence that is promising and evidence that is well established.

Consumers deserve to know where that line is.

Dose Matters More Than Many People Realize

I think consumers are trained to look at ingredient names before they look at amounts.

That is understandable. Most supplement marketing is built around the ingredients on the front of the package.

But the amount matters.

If a study used a particular dose, it does not follow that a much smaller amount will produce the same result. At the other end of the spectrum, taking more than necessary can create its own problems.

Vitamins and minerals can have upper intake limits. Some ingredients can cause gastrointestinal effects. Others may interact with medications or become inappropriate in certain medical conditions.

I would never want someone to assume that more of a “healthy” ingredient is automatically healthier.

That is not how physiology works.

This is one of the questions we ask at CodeMD when we formulate: what is this ingredient here to do, what does the evidence support, and does the amount make sense in the context of the whole formula?

Patients Should Be Able to Tell Their Physicians What They Take

I want patients to tell me what they are taking.

That includes supplements.

FDA advises consumers to talk with a doctor, pharmacist, or other healthcare professional before deciding to use a dietary supplement, in part because supplements can interact with medications or with other supplements.

That advice only works if patients feel the conversation is welcome.

Physicians do not need encyclopedic knowledge of every product on the shelf. None of us do.

We can still ask the right questions.

We can look something up.

We can involve a pharmacist.

We can tell a patient when we are concerned.

We can also tell them when we do not see a particular problem.

The relationship works better when patients are not hiding half of what they take because they assume their physician does not want to hear about it.

Physicians Should Not Become Supplement Salespeople

There is a boundary I care about here.

I am not arguing that physicians should become supplement salespeople.

A medical degree should never be used as decoration on a label or as a substitute for evidence.

In fact, I think physician involvement should create a higher expectation.

If a company says a physician developed a product, people should be able to ask what that physician actually did.

Did the physician help define the purpose of the formula?

Did the physician review the literature?

Were ingredient amounts discussed?

Were claims reviewed?

Does the company have a process for reconsidering the formula when new evidence emerges?

Those are reasonable questions.

At CodeMD, I do not want my role to be limited to putting my name on the box. I am involved in the purpose of our formulas, reviewing scientific literature, discussing formulation decisions with our technical and manufacturing partners, reviewing educational and product claims for scientific appropriateness, and looking at new evidence as it develops.

That is what physician-led means to me.

Why I Believe Medicine Has a Place in Wellness

I have spent much of my career in emergency medicine.

Emergency medicine gives you a very clear view of what happens when health goes wrong. We see the heart attack, the stroke, the infection, the injury, the complication, and the crisis.

It also reminds you how much health happens long before someone arrives in an emergency department.

People make small decisions every day about what they eat, how much they move, whether they sleep, whether they take care of chronic conditions, whether they follow up with their doctors, and what they choose to put into their bodies.

Supplements are one part of that.

I do not think physicians should surrender the wellness conversation simply because parts of the wellness industry make us uncomfortable.

If anything, that discomfort should make us more willing to bring good judgment into the room.

“Patients are already making decisions about nutrition, exercise, sleep and supplements every day. I don't think physicians serve them well by staying out of those conversations. We don't have to endorse everything. We do have a responsibility to help patients think through what they are doing and why.”

— Israel Wootton, MD

There Is Value in Saying “I Don't Know”

Medicine teaches humility if you practice it long enough.

Science changes.

Studies conflict.

New evidence can strengthen what we believe or make us reconsider it.

There are plenty of supplement questions where the evidence is incomplete.

I would rather say that plainly than turn uncertainty into marketing.

Consumers should be able to hear that an ingredient has some evidence without being told that science has proven more than it actually has.

They should also be able to hear that a product may not be appropriate for them.

I think physicians are well positioned to bring that restraint to the conversation.

Bottom Line

I do not believe everyone needs a supplement.

I do believe people deserve reliable help when they are deciding whether to take one.

Physicians can bring clinical context, scientific training, knowledge of medications and medical history, and a healthy degree of skepticism to those decisions.

Sometimes that will lead us toward supplementation. Sometimes it will lead us away from it. Sometimes we will need more information.

What matters to me is that we stay in the conversation.

Patients are already there.

I think their physicians should be there too.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should everyone take dietary supplements?

No. Whether supplementation makes sense depends on factors such as diet, age, medical history, medications, documented deficiencies, life stage, and individual goals. Some people may benefit from specific supplements, while others may not need them.

Are dietary supplements FDA approved?

Dietary supplements are not approved by FDA for safety and effectiveness before marketing in the same way prescription drugs are. Manufacturers are responsible for complying with applicable requirements, and FDA has regulatory oversight of the category.

Can supplements interact with medications?

Yes. Some dietary supplements can interact with prescription medications, over-the-counter medicines, or other supplements. This is one reason it is important to tell your physician and pharmacist what you are taking.

What should I look for when considering a supplement?

Start with the reason you are considering it. Then look at the ingredients, amounts, evidence, safety considerations, manufacturing standards, and whether the product makes sense for your individual situation. A long ingredient list or prominent endorsement should not take the place of those questions.

Selected Scientific & Regulatory References

Stierman B, Couch CA, Gahche JJ, Mishra S. Dietary Supplement Use: United States, August 2021–August 2023. NCHS Data Brief. 2026;(561):1–11. National Center for Health Statistics. View NCHS Data Brief
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Information for Consumers on Using Dietary Supplements. View FDA resource
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Questions and Answers on Dietary Supplements. View FDA Q&A
National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Dietary Supplement Health Information and Fact Sheets. View NIH Office of Dietary Supplements resources
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Preventing Chronic Diseases: What You Can Do Now. View CDC resource
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health Benefits of Physical Activity for Adults. View CDC resource

Important Information

This article is provided for general educational purposes and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or replace individualized medical advice. Dietary supplements may not be appropriate for everyone. Talk with a qualified healthcare professional about questions related to your health, medications, or supplement use.