Which Vitamins, Supplements Not Worth Buying, According to Dietitians

Supplements are sold in every grocery store and pharmacy, and pushed by influencers on social media, but research shows they are a waste of money for most people who can get all the nutrients they need from food.

Hannah Thompson, a registered dietitian nutritionist, told Insider: "there are very few supplements that I recommend. I believe in a food-first approach where supplements are a last resort if someone is unable to meet a certain nutrition need through food alone."

She said: "Generally speaking, it is best to get nutrients from food rather than supplements. Not only does the body absorb and digest them better this way, but it will often be more affordable, and a meal or snack is way more satisfying."

Registered dietitian Abbey Sharp chimed with Thompson, and told Insider: "There can be great benefit to a carefully planned supplement regimen based on your unique needs. But unfortunately, a lot of popular influencer-backed supplements aren't evidence based or aren't useful for most people."

Here are six supplements that Sharp and Thompson think aren't worth the money, and four that Sharp recommended for certain people.

These powders contain vitamins and minerals, and are designed to be dissolved into water or juice.

Thompson explained that the ingredients in greens powders that promise to boost the metabolism, support the immune system, and reduce bloating can all be found in everyday meals. If you're eating any fresh, canned, or frozen produce, greens powders won't add anything extra to your diet because produce naturally contains all the vitamins you need.

People rave about sea moss, which is a type of algae or seaweed, as a superfood on TikTok for improving skin and helping muscles heal. But "superfood" is a vague term that doesn't guarantee nutritional value.

The nutritional content of sea moss depends hugely on where it is grown. It can also be contaminated with heavy metals if it absorbs water containing them, and contain too much iodine, which can be detrimental to your health, according to Thompson. Iodine is important for health, but very high levels can cause stomach pain, diarrhea, and even thyroid cancer, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Sharp said that vitamin C supplements are completely useless for the vast majority of people. "If you consume just one cup of strawberries, that will give you all the vitamin C you need for the day, and anything more than that just gets peed out," she said.

Biotin is a type of B vitamin that is taken for hair loss. "Despite biotin being in every hair supplement formula, there isn't any strong evidence to suggest it actually helps hair growth in most healthy adults," said Sharp.

There are some good supplement formulas and herb mixes that can help with bloating, Sharp said, but most are just mild laxatives and so don't actually address the reasons why bloating occurs in the first place. This might be from gassiness from lots of fiber or fizzy drinks, constipation, hormones, or irritable bowel syndrome.

Detox supplements often come in capsules. However, the body doesn't need help detoxing as that is the job of kidneys, liver, and GI tract.

Sharp said most detox supplements are "just laxatives or diuretics, which sure help to support our body's natural detox mechanisms (pooping and peeing), but there are way more pleasant and nutritious ways to do this – just drink water and eat fiber!"

According to Sharp: