{"id":83150,"date":"2025-06-15T14:38:48","date_gmt":"2025-06-15T20:38:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=83150"},"modified":"2026-03-04T13:54:53","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T20:54:53","slug":"dietary-supplements-are-they-beneficial-or-a-waste-of-money","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/dietary-supplements-are-they-beneficial-or-a-waste-of-money\/","title":{"rendered":"Dietary supplements: Are these 14 common vitamins and supplements beneficial or a waste of money?"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>
\"From
From protein powders to vitamins, it can be confusing to figure out which supplements are healthy and which could be a waste of time and money. What does the science tell us? An expert gives advice. Photo: Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

U.S. consumers spend some $60 billion a year<\/a> on nutritional supplements, which range from multivitamins to digestive aids to alleged muscle-builders and age-defiers. That\u2019s about $175 per capita \u2014 a lot of dough, especially considering that many supplements offer little in the way of evidence-based studies (that is, peer-reviewed science) demonstrating efficacy.<\/p>\n

Supplements can bring benefits, particularly for seniors and others with nutritional deficiencies. But which ones work, and for whom? UCHealth Today did some homework and caught up with Erin \u201cWren\u201d Cahoon, a dietitian who works with a variety of outpatients at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital<\/a> on the Anschutz Medical Campus<\/a>, for a rundown of a few common supplements.<\/p>\n

First, a couple of points that apply broadly. Dietary supplements are not U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved, which means their powers may be overstated in ways FDA-approved drugs are not. Cahoon recommends supplements that have been third-party tested by organizations such as NSF<\/a> and USP<\/a>, which can lend assurance regarding dosage and purity (supplement labels will bear their logos). And, with occasional exceptions we\u2019ll talk about, a balanced diet with a variety of fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and lean proteins (Cahoon is a fan of the Harvard Healthy Eating Plate<\/a> as a general guide) can ease or erase the need for supplements.<\/p>\n

Further, we\u2019re sticking to common nutritional supplements, and so, we’re leaving purported anti-aging supplements (such as alpha-lipoic acid, astaxanthin, CoQ10, curcumin, EGCG, fisetin, L-theanine, NAD+, NMN, quercetin, and theanine) and possible muscle-builders (such as beta-alanine, betaine, carnitine, creatine, DHEA, and glutamine) for another day.<\/p>\n

Here is detailed information about health benefits or lack of proof related to these common nutritional supplements:<\/strong><\/h2>\n