09/05/25

How Shoddy Science Is Driving A Supplement Boom

17:13 minutes

Closeup photo of supplements with a white bottle. Woman take omega 3, multivitamins, vitamins B, C, D, collagen tablets, probiotics, iron capsule. Girl hold vitamins daily. Top view.
Credit: Shutterstock

Dietary supplements are big business, with one recent estimate showing the industry is worth almost $64 billion in the United States alone. Take a casual scroll through your social media and you’ll find influencers hawking all kinds of supplements. But how effective are they? How are they regulated? And why are these “natural” remedies so appealing to millions of Americans?

To size up the science and culture of supplements, Host Flora Lichtman talks with supplement researcher Pieter Cohen, and Colleen Derkatch, author of Why Wellness Sells: Natural Health in a Pharmaceutical Culture.


Sign Up For The Week In Science Newsletter

Keep up with the week’s essential science news headlines, plus stories that offer extra joy and awe.

Subscribe

Segment Guests

Pieter Cohen

Dr. Pieter Cohen is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and an internist at the Cambridge Health Alliance where he leads the Supplement Research Program.

Segment Transcript

The transcript is being processed. It will be available 2-3 days after this story’s publication date.

Meet the Producers and Host

About Shoshannah Buxbaum

Shoshannah Buxbaum is a producer for Science Friday. She’s particularly drawn to stories about health, psychology, and the environment. She’s a proud New Jersey native and will happily share her opinions on why the state is deserving of a little more love.

About Flora Lichtman

Flora Lichtman is a host of Science Friday. In a previous life, she lived on a research ship where apertivi were served on the top deck, hoisted there via pulley by the ship’s chef.

Explore More