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Proof & Practice is a health newsletter that bends with your life instead of breaking. Every Saturday, I share what the science says, the principle behind it, and the tools and skills to apply it your way — so your health habits finally stick. No perfection required. From a board-certified lifestyle medicine clinician.
Hello, my friends!
Supplements.
Yes, that gut microbiome supplement your non-medical friend is selling on Facebook.
Yes, that weight loss pill your aunt is taking. And she's inviting you to join her pyramid so you can sell those pills and earn money like she does.
Yes, that TikTok “whole food” powder boost your immune system. Comes with a discount code.
Yes, those beef organ capsules promising ancestral nutrition. Also with a discount code.
All that whatnot.
I have been asked more times than I can count: "Is this supplement good for me?"
My honest answer is almost always the same. Probably not.
That's not a blanket statement against all supplements. Some are legitimate: backed by evidence, recommended by doctors and fills a real gap.
This letter is about the rest. The ones built on marketing, not science.
Today we're covering three things:
Why supplements are so easy to buy, even when you know better
The two types of supplements and the one rule each requires
Six red flags to spot a scam, and three questions to ask before buying anything
The real reason supplements outsell everything else
The global supplement industry is worth $209 billion. However, the global health club industry (i.e gyms) is worth only $96 billion.
Same dream outcome. But one of them requires zero effort from the buyer. The supplement industry figured that out a long time ago, and they've been building on it ever since.
Lots of supplements you see online promise the same result as diet and exercise (better health, more energy, weight loss, longevity) but they score perfectly on a buyer's psychology.
They feel fast, effortless, and certain. You take a pill and you're done.
Diet and exercise require everything supplements don't: time, effort, consistency, and a Tuesday when you don't feel like it.
So supplements outsell real behavior change, and it has nothing to do with how well they work.
It's a psychology trap.
Busy, high-achieving people are especially vulnerable because they're always looking for the highest return on every hour invested. A supplement looks like the answer on paper.
And I say this as someone who's been a target. I have thyroid cancer. Someone once tried to sell me quantum drops.
You put them in your water and they cure cancer. Well, that's an extreme example, but, yeah. True story.
Okay, here’s another true story. Well, a confession.
I bought a fat burner 9 years ago. I was yo-yo dieting, not getting any results I wanted, and desperately wanted to lose weight.
So I Googled it. Found something with convincing reviews and bought it.
By week 2, I was getting palpitations. I went on anyway until week 4. Then I started worrying about my heart. So I stopped.
I am a healthcare professional who knew better. And I still bought them.
That's how good the marketing is.
Two types of supplements. One rule for each.
Not all supplements are the same. There are two types, and each has a different standard you should hold it to.
Proprietary blends. These are the ones with the gimmicky names: Spike Support, Lectin Shield, whatever the algorithm is selling this week. Only one company makes them.
The rule here is simple: show me a published human trial on this specific product.
Not an ingredient, a testimonial, or a study on something vaguely related. The actual blend, tested in actual human beings, with results reported.
Most companies don't have one because they never tested it. Unfortunately, they don't have to. And still people buy without asking.
If they can't show you a published trial, they cannot tell you the product works. They also cannot tell you it's safe.
Branded commons. These are standard vitamins and minerals with an influencer's face on the label: magnesium, zinc, vitamin D.
The compound may have real evidence behind it, but the evidence wasn't produced by the person selling it to you.
You can get the identical thing elsewhere for a fraction of the cost. What you're paying for is their marketing.
Whether it's a proprietary blend or a branded common, the US regulatory reality is the same: supplement manufacturers don't have to prove a product works, don't have to prove it's safe, and if no new ingredient is involved, they don't even need to register with the FDA.
What they use instead of evidence
Because most supplement sellers don't have a published trial, they reach for something else.
Testimonials.
These are on every sales page for a reason, and they work for sales. But as evidence, they're worth essentially zero.
The person who tried the supplement and felt nothing just stopped buying. You never hear from them. The person who felt something, whether the supplement caused it or not, goes online and writes something enthusiastic.
The placebo effect is real. When we expect a benefit, we tend to feel one. Factor that in, and testimonials tell you almost nothing about whether a product actually works.
"Natural."
Arsenic is natural, some herbs cause liver toxicity, and others interact with prescription medications in ways that can be devastating. Natural is a marketing word.
"Science-backed."
This one sounds credible until you look at where they're pointing. Usually it's a study on one isolated ingredient, not the blend being sold. The ingredient and the blend are not the same thing.
Six red flags before you swipe your card
A few of these you've already seen, but it helps to have them all together. Here are some patterns wellness scammers use to sell their supplements:
They demonize big pharma while selling you an unregulated product. The pharmaceutical industry has to prove safety, prove efficacy, and answer to the FDA. Supplements don't. The irony of buying something "because you don't trust big pharma" while handing money to an entirely unregulated industry is worth sitting with.
Testimonials are the only evidence offered. See above.
"Science-backed" points to an ingredient, not the product being sold. These are not the same thing
MLM or network marketing distribution. The seller earns a commission on your purchase regardless of whether the product works. That's a sales structure.
No third-party testing certification. Reputable supplements carry NSF, USP, or Informed Sport certification. That means an independent lab verified what's actually in the pill. Without it, you're trusting the manufacturer to police themselves.
Someone once asked me about a deer placenta supplement. A researcher tested that actual brand and found no evidence of deer placenta in it at all.
Affiliate link in the bio. Their income depends on your click. Oh, don’t forget. They have discount codes too!
Three questions to ask before buying any supplement
So when does a supplement actually make sense? Run anything you're considering through these three.
Is there a published human trial on this specific product?
Not an ingredient or a testimonial. The product itself, tested in human beings, with results published somewhere you can find.
Does my blood work show I actually need this?
It needs to be both you and your doctor. A blood test. And actual evidence that you're deficient in something. "Just in case" is not a reason.
Does your doctor know you're taking this?
For anything beyond well-established basics like B12 or vitamin D, yes. Supplements interact with medications, and doses in pills aren't always what the label says. The more complex your health history, the more important this one is.
I take calcium + D3. My parathyroids (four tiny glands that regulate calcium) were surgically removed along with my thyroid 15 years ago. My doctor checks my calcium levels regularly.
My husband and I also both take B12, which is recommended for plant-based eaters, and still worth checking regardless of how you eat. All three questions answered yes for each one. That's the bar.
The cost of harmless
Even after going through all of this, some people keep taking their supplements anyway. Their reasoning: it probably doesn't work, but it's not doing any harm either. So why stop?
But harmless has a cost.
Every dollar and hour you spend on something that doesn't work is one not spent on what actually does. It's taking your attention, time, and resources away from what actually matters. Eating healthier. Moving your body. Getting adequate sleep.
That's where the return is.
They're just that, supplements. Your foundation matters more.
If clearing out your supplement stack means you're finally ready to focus on what you actually eat, I built something for that: The Plant-Based Fast-Start for Busy Professionals.
The fundamentals don't come in a bottle
Look at your current supplement stack. Run each one through the three questions: keep what passes, drop what doesn't, and spend the difference on groceries or a fitness app subscription.
The fundamentals aren't competing with supplements.
They're what supplements are pretending to be.
To not falling for supplement scams,
Grazelle 🌱
PERSONAL UPDATES
My baby is obsessed with door knobs. The door knob to the bathroom, the laundry room, storage room. Doesn’t matter. She figured out that a turning door knob means we're going outside to walk. 😂
Those cute little fat fingers 🤏
BEFORE YOU GO
When you're ready, here are 2 ways I can help you:
1. The Dial Method — Get a consistency system that works on your worst weeks, not just your best ones. Five levels across five health pillars. Adjust instead of restart.
2. The Plant-Based Fast-Start for Busy Professionals — Get the no-perfection playbook for eating more plants without overhauling your life. Built for full schedules, not ideal weeks.