Dietary Supplements: Are You Throwing Money Away?

Most Americans swear by dietary supplements, with nearly 3 of 4 people taking some type of supplement on a daily basis, a new HealthDay/Harris Poll has revealed.

But many have a mistaken belief in the effectiveness of these supplements, which for the most part don't help folks live longer or healthier lives, said Thunder Jalili, director of graduate and undergraduate studies in nutrition at the University of Utah.

"There's a lot of effective marketing around supplements, and people want to believe and want to find a product that's helpful, so the marketing is there for a receptive audience," Jalili noted.

What's worse, people also have the notion that the U.S. federal government has tight oversight of the supplements industry, and that's simply not so, Jalili said during a HealthDay Now interview.

About half of U.S. adults (49%) mistakenly believe that most dietary supplements available for purchase have been declared safe and effective by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the HealthDay/Harris Poll found.

Only about a quarter know that these supplements hit the market without any prior review by the FDA, poll results show. - Read entire article by Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter