Supplement Basics
3 articles, from the basics to the full research. Each one answers first, then goes as deep as you want.
Read in order
- Do you need a vitamin or mineral supplement, and how can you tell? 12 min How to decide whether a vitamin or mineral supplement is worth taking: food first, which blood test answers which question, the groups with a proven need, and what the big multivitamin trials found for everyone else.
- How much of a vitamin or mineral is too much? 11 min Recommended amounts next to the upper limits for the vitamins and minerals people take most, the signs of getting too much, the harms on record, and how to read a supplement label.
- Which supplements should you avoid, and why? 11 min The supplements the evidence says to leave on the shelf: beta-carotene if you smoke, high-dose vitamin E and antioxidant megadoses, iron you do not need, proprietary blends, detox and weight-loss products, tainted products, herbal extracts that can injure the liver, and herbs that clash with medicines.