eli5: Do supplements really help the advertised body part. i.e. do minerals… in a supplement advertised helping knee and joint pain really go to the joints or are they just digested and expelled? Seems to me they’re just eliminated and don’t go to the joints.
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For specific diseases or people with genetic deficiencies they are needed but for most people, most suplements are just a way to burn money and make your poop expensive.
Medicines have very strict restrictions on how they are made and what they can be sold for. In the US/UK the supplement industry is notoriously unregulated and is akin to a disclaimer that says “for entertainment purposes only.”
Studies have shown that supplements often dont match their labels (they say they have 10,000mg of Vitamin C but on average the pills only have 2,000mg), the human body cant even process that much at one time so 90% goes to waste, and in some cases can actually trigger medical complications due to vitamin/mineral overdose or poor quality controls leading to toxic materials like lead being found in the pills.
Unless prescribed by a doctor for a specific reason, its best to just avoid supplements.
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