Supplements are often marketed as a simple fix for a range of health issues. While they can certainly be a helpful tool for filling any nutritional gaps in your diet and targeting deficiencies, it’s important to be mindful of the potential risks at hand—including the fact that many supplements are straight up ineffective, according to health experts. Some are nothing more than cleverly marketed scams designed to drain your wallet without delivering real benefits.
Pharmacist Ariana Medizade (@wellness.pharm) recently posted an Instagram reel calling out five supplements that are, in her words, “a complete scam.” According to Medizade, these supplements often don’t work, making them a waste of money. Here are the five she says you should stop shelling out cash for:
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1. NAD+ Supplements
NAD+ supplements seem to be all over the place these days—but don’t be fooled by its promised of anti-aging benefits. “The NAD+ supplements that you’ve been seeing supplements for are a complete scam,” says Medizade. According to her, oral NAD+ is ineffective because “it gets broken down in the gut and it cannot be absorbed by your body.” Instead, she recommends taking nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), which gets converted into NAD+ in the body, or using resveratrol. Got it!
2. Multivitamins
Multivitamins are among the most popular supplements out there. After all, who wouldn't want to get all of their daily vitamin requirements in one simple package? However, that convenience likely comes at a cost. "Most multivitamins are scams because they are combining a ton of different minerals together, and those minerals are competing with one another for absorption," Medizade warns. This means that, while it may seem like you’re getting a ton of bang for your buck, it may be useless, as your body might not actually be absorbing those vitamins and minerals effectively. Instead of relying on a one-size-fits-all multivitamin, your best bet is to target specific deficiencies with individual supplements.
3. Detox Teas
Can a tea really detox you or make you shed pounds? According to Medizade, unfortunately, the answer is no. "Detox teas are a scam," she warns. These products don’t actually detox your body—instead, "they force intestinal contractions so that you go to the bathroom and you lose water weight temporarily." So while it may seem like you've lost weight, you're not actually experiencing sustainable weight loss. In fact, it could just leave you dehydrated. "They’re basically just branding Senna tea in a really fun and trendy way to get you to buy it so you can spend half your day in the bathroom," Medizade warns. We'll steer clear!
4. Green Powders
Getting your greens is undeniably important—but powder isn't the best way to go. "Most green powders just have proprietary blends—you don’t know how much of what you’re getting. A lot of them are contaminated, there’s no fiber, you’re not getting live enzymes from vegetables, and you’re also not getting the hydrating or detoxifying benefits that real vegetables could give you," Medizade tells viewers. Instead, she recommends opting for spirulina or chlorella, two superfoods that are much better.
5. Glutathione Supplements
Finally, Medizade calls out glutathione supplements. "These are poorly absorbed by your body. Your body actually prefers to synthesize its own glutathione using NAC," she says. "NAC is the best glutathione precursor because it actually supplies your body with cysteine which is an amino acid you need to create more glutathione." Good to know!
