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Supplements are overused and understudied regarding their effectiveness and safety. It is an industry that advertises heavily but lacks thorough regulatory oversight and quality control. Heavy metals, banned animal, pharmaceutical, and plant products, steroids, untested ingredients, and prescription medications are found in various supplements.

While prescription drugs must be proven safe and effective before they are marketed, probiotics and other dietary supplements do not need to pass that test. Every year contents are withdrawn because of toxicity—after the fact. One case report of a death in a child due to contamination with a fungus is enough to dampen enthusiasm.

As a 2014 news item from Columbia University noted: “This year marks the 20th anniversary of the passage of one of the most skillful pieces of legislation ever to undermine the health of Americans: the Dietary Supplement Health and Educational Act of 1994. The result was to remove from regulation by the Food and Drug Administration any substances labeled as a dietary supplement.” It is time to take a hard look at the various vitamin, mineral, and probiotics bottles in your “medicine” cabinet and on your kitchen counter. Be well advised that you may be flushing money—quite literally—down the toilet and, more important, jeopardizing your health. Too many people are taking supplements and probiotics while removing the foods that naturally contain these vitamins and minerals from their diets.

While some dietary and medical supplementation is useful, much of it simply reflects media trends that we can enhance and increase our health with a fix-it pill. It is as enticing as it is unrealistic.

Natural does not mean safe.