Washington Post article asking why we spend $35 billion on Supplements which do not work?

[condor39]

washingtonpost.com/lifestyl...

[MarionP]

Good question. Got any answers?

[parkie13]

Well, I guess the drugs that we are taking don't work either. I knew it, I'm in a placebo state.( Nobody get upset. It's a joke.)

[pvw2]

Most of my supplements were recommended by my doctors. Some recommendations were based on blood tests.

[MBAnderson]

How does this square with the fact that a lot of supplements contain potent drugs?

Let me give you but one obvious example. Mucuna Pruriens purchased as the supplement Zandopa, contains exactly the same pharmaceutical, i.e., levodopa as the Sinemet.

Please explain to us why the supplement Mucuna P is of no value.

[pvw2]

Apparently $35 billion lumps all the supplements together, although they admit that some do work.

[rebtar]

Very few supplements have clinical trials behind them because they aren’t going to be money makers. That doesn’t mean they don’t work. Herbal and traditional medicine in many cultures has a long history and that history speaks to the benefits. Do they all live up to all the current claims of benefit? Of course not, but neither do a lot of pharmaceuticals (take anti-depressants as an example). Doesn’t mean no benefit.

[Cleo16]

I take supplements because they give me hope and some possible control over my now and my future.

[Gioc]

IMO the real question is "why do pharmaceutical companies spend so much money on legal defense?"

That would be the real question an investigative journalist should ask.

[pvw2]

But, the article is grouping things like racial profiling. Kind of like saying Americans eat a lot of food that is bad for them, so why do they spend money on food? The article admits some supplements are good, but doesn't attempt to separate out the money spent on bad supplements because there is no agreement even among doctors. In some ways the article is more theoretical that fact. But, similarly many people put fertilizer on their lawn without testing the soil because it's cheaper than testing.