Separating Science From Pseudoscience Regarding Vitamin and Supplements: Perspectives From A Real MD
Supplements, Diet, and the Internet: Debunking Myths and Embracing True Health
In the ever-evolving landscape of health and wellness, I’ve recently been bombarded with messages about dietary supplements, vitamins, and health advice from "internet doctors." But how do we separate fact from fiction? How do we find what's truly beneficial amidst a $50 billion supplement industry in the United States? Could some of this “advice” be skewed because someone’s livelihood depends upon selling you something?
Question the Source
When encountering medical or health information online—whether on TikTok, Instagram, or websites—the first question you must ask yourself is: Are they selling me something? If the answer is yes, consider that information suspect. Financial incentives often compromise objectivity, pushing products rather than evidence-based advice.
Next, evaluate the credentials of the information provider. Medical doctors (MDs or DOs) undergo extensive training, tens of thousands of hours, to deeply understand human physiology. The internet is chock-full of non-physician “experts” like chiropractors, nurse practitioners, or physician assistants who have significantly fewer clinical training hours, making them less reliable for complex medical advice. There’s a psychological concept called the Dunning-Kruger effect. This is VERY real. It happened to me. Basically, it goes like this: the more you know (or knowledge that you acquire over time), the more that you realize how little you actually know. This can lead to another psychological phenomenon called “The Imposter” Effect. However, the less you actually know, the more that you feel like you are an expert on a topic and are thoroughly convinced that you’re all-knowing. In essence, you don’t know what you don’t know creating a false sense of confidence. After 15 years of practicing medicine after my residency and medical school, it’s estimated that I have around 60,000 hours of medical training (9,600 in med school, 10,080 in residency, and 39,600 in my 15 years of practicing). To put this in perspective, NP’s are required 600 clinical hours (100x less hours than me) to obtain their licence to practice. Inevitably, this is going to ruffle some people’s feathers. If that’s you, please ask yourself why this bothers you before sending me hate emails?
Even credentialed physicians should be scrutinized. Ensure they practice within their specialty and have not been disciplined or discredited for advocating controversial or questionable treatments. Anaesthesiologists should not be giving medical advice about diabetes. Cardiologists should not be commenting on infectious disease. Internal Medicine docs like myself, shouldn’t be making Tik-Tok videos about radiology or neurosurgery. Retired surgeons shouldn’t be practicing endocrinology without completing a fellowship and training in endocrinology (you know who you are). For the patients out there, this will require your diligent research. Absolutely nothing on the internet in 2025 can be taken at face value as truth (including this post, do your own research about me or what I’m saying).
Reliable Internet Physicians
If you must turn to online sources, consider physicians known for reliable, evidence-based information:
Peter Attia, MD – Author of the NY Best Times selling book “Outlive” who is known for promoting lifestyle medicine, cardiovascular health, diet, and exercise. Though he does say some “quacky” things sometimes. Generally, he’s okay though.
Zubin Damania, MD (Z-Dogg MD) – A Stanford-trained internist offering practical, scientifically sound medical insights. This guy is hilarious but if you’re offended easily, I certainly wouldn’t call him “PG”
Vinay Prasad, MD – An oncologist and epidemiologist who rigorously analyzes data, debunking unsubstantiated health claims. Also not “PG” but probably the funniest and most medically sound of the three physicians listed.
The Truth About Supplements and Vitamins
Clinical trials—large, randomized, placebo-controlled studies—consistently show minimal to no benefit from general multivitamin supplementation in reducing chronic diseases like diabetes, heart attacks, or cancer. For example, the VITAL trial, involving over 25,000 participants published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine, demonstrated that vitamin D3 supplementation provided no significant reduction in fracture risk, cancer or cardiovascular disease risks compared to placebo. Additionally, large-scale trials published in journals like JAMA Network Open found daily multivitamin use does not decrease mortality (risk of dying) and might even slightly increase it.
Supplements such as Juice Plus+ further illustrate this point. Though Juice Plus+ claims extensive scientific backing, many of their studies lack clear primary endpoints, are funded directly by their parent company, and are not consistently published in respected peer-reviewed journals. Such practices create misleading perceptions of efficacy, exploiting the public's limited understanding of clinical trial complexities.
Supplements: Unregulated and Experimental
The dietary supplement industry thrives partly due to a critical regulatory loophole. Unlike FDA-approved pharmaceuticals, supplements do not undergo stringent safety or efficacy evaluations. Consequently:
Effectiveness remains uncertain: Robust, unbiased clinical data supporting many supplements is lacking.
Unknown side effects: Manufacturers aren't required to report adverse effects rigorously.
Potential drug interactions: Many interactions remain understudied or unknown.
Thus, taking supplements is akin to participating in an uncontrolled experiment with uncertain outcomes. When patients ask me about taking certain supplements, I literally respond with “I don’t know. This is literally the definition of experimental. It could help, it could hurt. I just don’t know.”
Real Health vs. the Quick Fix
Historically, humans did not depend on supplements or vitamins peddled throughout the internet. They thrived through natural living practices such as intermittent eating, regular physical activity, and diets based on fresh, unprocessed foods. Our modern lifestyle with convenience technologies like: refrigeration, microwaves, processed foods, and the infamous "food pyramid" coincides with a dramatic rise in obesity, diabetes, and chronic diseases, conditions virtually nonexistent 100 years ago.
Today, over 30% of Americans have prediabetes (80% are unaware of this diagnosis) and approximately 11% of America has type 2 diabetes, directly linked to unnatural dietary habits and sedentary lifestyles. Consider this: Over 40% or 136 million Americans has a condition in 2025 related to metabolic health that literally didn’t exist 100 years ago, or for the rest of human history for that matter. That’s astonishing. Your next question should be: WHY?
A Natural, Proven Path to Health
True health involves returning to basics:
Diet: Eat fresh produce, lean meats, nuts, and grains—foods recognizable to our ancestors that may have lived in the year 1700 or 400 BC. Ask yourself: Could someone have eaten this meal 200 years ago? If not, reconsider your choice.
Intermittent Eating: Mimic historical eating patterns, such as intermittent fasting or one meal a day, to help regulate hormones like leptin, reduce hunger, and improve overall metabolism. Eating three meals per day might be the furthest thing from “natural” that we do consistently to our bodies. Do you think Jesus and the disciples stopped their ministry to make sure they were getting in their three squares per day? No, it’s likely that they survived on one meal per day (if that) consisting of unleavened bread and fresh fish. For most of human history, the calorie deficit (calculated by subtracting activity from intake) far outpaced modern day consumption and activity.
Exercise and Activity: Daily movement is essential. Walking, routine exercise, and avoiding prolonged sitting help maintain healthy weight and prevent chronic disease. Our ancestors didn’t have desk jobs.
Sleep: Consistent, quality sleep profoundly impacts health. Poor sleep is consistently linked with worsening health outcomes and chronic conditions.
Breaking the Modern Cycle
Today's food is engineered for maximum addiction. Companies hire food scientists with three goals in mind:
Make food taste really, really good. So good it causes dopamine release (addiction hormone).
Make food cheap. The cheaper the better as it increases profit margins.
Make food not filling. Keep them coming back for more and never satisfied.
How do they do this? Create foods high in sugar, salt, and fats, triggering dopamine-driven cravings and overconsumption. Want to break this cycle? Choose to be counter-cultural. Consciously choose fresh foods, primarily from your grocery store's perimeter, avoiding processed items loaded with preservatives and additives. Resist eating out. When a friend asks to meet up for lunch, suggest a walk around the track instead. We need to stop our societal hyperfocus on food that has been programmed within us to control our every thought.
A Physician's Advice on Supplements
Physicians are trained extensively in epidemiology and biostatistics (a class lasting 3 months during medical school) and we critically evaluate complex clinical trials. The general public, lacking this extensive training, is easily misled by complicated scientific terms or flawed studies marketed by supplement companies. Big words like "methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR)" might sound impressive but understanding their actual health implications requires rigorous medical training. Deep internet dives for knowledge are inevitably only going to result with a clouded and inaccurate picture. This is why doctors exist. We did this work for you (and get paid because of it) so that you don’t need to waste your time. Find a trusted physician (MD or DO) that uses sound science as the basis for their recommendations. Despite all of my internet research on the mechanical problems happening with my car, I’m almost always misled by the internet. This is why I’ve learned to trust my mechanic as the expert. They did the work to obtain the knowledge so that I don’t have to.
At our Direct Primary Care practice, we emphasize scientifically supported lifestyle choices over trendy supplements. We make money through our membership which is paid to us directly by patients. We aren’t selling anything but accurate, honest, and true information. Imagine making money on that…what a concept.
Conclusion
Real health isn't found in quick fixes from supplement bottles or internet fads. It emerges from consistent, historically validated practices of mindful eating, regular physical activity, good sleep, and informed choices guided by reputable, evidence-based medical information. Your healthiest future is built on these daily habits—not supplements.
