Mind & body, Research

Dietary supplements, are they worth it? John Swartzberg sorts myth from fact

By Public Affairs

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Dr. John Swartzberg

Dietary supplements have captured the imaginations of many Americans. More than half of Americans take at least one dietary supplement, mostly multivitamins. In total, people in the United States spend about $28 billion on vitamins and other supplements each year. So, it’s no surprise that people often ask me: Which ones work? Are they safe? Are they worth the money?

So writes John Swartzberg, a medical doctor and emeritus professor of medicine in UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health, as he sorts fact from fiction in a new article posted on livescience.com. Swartzberg is chair of the editorial board of the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter and berkeleywellness.com .

Bottom line, says Swartzberg: “There are hundreds of different supplements, and no simple answers about the benefits of most of them because there is very little science to support manufacturers’ claims. Much of what we think we know is myth, and is not supported by research.” His piece helps readers separate the myths from the facts.

Read the full story in the Expert Voices section of livescience.com.