Advertising experts expose how supplement companies lure you into buying their products

A supplementary guide on health supplements.

Erik Barnes

Jul 31, 2025

By Erik Barnes

July 31, 2025

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Photo credit: Canva – Doctors ask the public to scrutinize the supplements they take each day.

When you’re watching TV or browsing the Internet, you’ll likely see advertisements for various supplements. Vitamins, amino acids, herbs, minerals, or a combination of them that promise to help reduce stress, promote weight loss, improve circulation, improve the immune system, “enhance performance,” and more. They come in capsules, shakes, gummies, or even full-fledged snacks. Your doctor might have even recommended you take some. However, it can be easy to rely too heavily on supplements for your overall health and buy too much into what advertising is telling you.

You’re not a fool or anything if an ad influenced you to buy and use a supplement. Depending on what you’re using, the supplement might actually help you. However, it’s important to remember that advertisers are focused primarily on getting you to buy the product rather than ensure that it’s right for you. Ad experts say that the most effective ads focus on your struggles with ad copy such as:

“Tired that spare tire around your waist?”

“Do you feel old and tired with less energy?”

“Are you stressed and nothing seems to calm you down at the end of the day?”

They also try to trigger your emotions to encourage you to buy with phrases like:

“Imagine yourself with a slimmer figure”

“Everyone else is boosting their energy—why not you?”

“Frustrated with supplements that don’t work?”

They also team with influencers to encourage their followers to try their product and present commercials with bright colors, people doing fun activities, or attracting the opposite sex. Do they promise that taking this product will make your life better? No, but they’re implying it with the imagery. With some supplements, they will often encourage you to make taking it as a part of your routine and offer BOGO deals, subscriptions at a discounted price, or other offers to keep you buying it again and again. Mind you, what is being described are ads that work within the law—i.e., they’re legal. Yet there are hundreds of scammy ads for supplements that don’t work and are probably not legal given that they’re made with deepfakes or are willfully misleading.

That’s where the trouble might come in. While supplement companies have legal standards to uphold, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates supplements differently. Partly because of that, many supplements have extra ingredients that could be harmful. In fact, some supplements may not work well at all or maybe work too well.

In a study, Dr. Pieter Cohen, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and an internist at Cambridge Health Alliance, did research with his colleagues that found 25 different brands of melatonin gummies (used to promote better sleep) had dangerously high levels of the active ingredient—one of which was 347% higher than what was listed on the label! This concern about too much or too little of the advertised ingredient applies especially to supplements purchased directly from manufacturers online rather than a pharmacy. The FDA doesn’t come into play regarding that.

@rubin_allergy
Be careful of supplements that are being sold to you. #supplements #wellness #tiktokdoc #nutrition #learnontiktok #longervideos ♬ original sound – Dr. Rubin, MD

“The FDA leaves it up to companies to ensure the purity and safety of their products. But there’s not much incentive. It rarely penalizes manufacturers for not having the right amount of ingredients in a product,” says Dr. Cohen.

“The problem that we’ve had recently, in recent years especially, is that there’s been an explosion of new ingredients,” Cohen noted in another study. “There are many of these ingredients—these are individual compounds found in botanicals or other substances—that can pose health risks. Because the FDA isn’t vetting these products before they show up on store shelves or on the Internet, what happens is that they can pose unpredictable risks.”

Because of this loose regulation, some supplements may have ingredients that could hurt you, have too little of the active ingredient, or too much of it.

What about vitamins? Many doctors, including the ones cited in this article, believe that most of us get the right dosage of vitamins and minerals through the food we eat every day with a balanced diet. Supplements could help people who need “supplemental help” due to a health issue or a deficiency along with proper treatment and medicine. This is why they’re called “supplements” instead of outright medicine, but some advertising doesn’t make this notion clear.

Another reason to consult with your doctor about supplements is that they could actually turn from helpful to harmful, even if they’re legitimate with no additional ingredients. For example, taking St. John’s wort can reduce the effectiveness of heart medications, birth control pills, and some antidepressants among other medicines.

@trainbloom
The supplement industry is kind of f***** Companies can make WILD claims with absolutely zero proof. And worse, is that no one’s even checking if what they say is in the bottle is actually there. There’s no FDA pre-approval, no mandatory testing, no clinical trials, nothing is required to prove safety or even accuracy before a company can legally sell their product to you. This is why studies like this have shown the MAJORITY of online supplements, are completely fake to begin with. And it’s not just underdosing, companies have had lawsuits filed against them for illegally putting literal perscription antidepressants into their fatburners to help curb appetite. (seriously… USPlabs got caught putting Prozac into OxyElite Pro in 2015) Your best move is to stick with brands that pay for third-party testing and publish their results. It’s the only real way to know what you’re putting in your body. Some solid ones I trust: – Legion Athletics – Optimum Nutrition – Bulk Supplements – NOW Sports – Thorne Research – Gorilla Mind – 1st Phorm – BPN – Kaged – RAW Nutrition There are 15,000+ supplement companies out there. If you’re not sure about a brand, just check their site or Google and look for seals like NSF, USP, Informed-Sport, or BSCG. Study Link from reel: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2807343 #supplements #creatine #fittok #gym #workout ♬ original sound – Tony

Doctors recommend that before deciding to take a supplement, you consult your primary physician to make sure there aren’t other methods to address your problem, whether it’d be a prescription medication, treatment, or lifestyle change. If your doctor thinks it is safe to take a supplement, it’s recommended that you scrutinize and ask some questions about a product before you take it.

The Department of Defense even has a checklist to help root out unsafe supplements, which includes:

Is there an approved third-party certification seal on the product label?
Are there less than six ingredients on the Supplement Facts?
Is the label free of the words “proprietary,” “blend,” “matrix,” or “complex”?
Can you easily pronounce the name of each ingredient on the Supplement Facts label?
Is the amount of caffeine listed on the label 200 mg or less per serving?
Is the label free of questionable claims or statements?
Are all the % Daily Values (% DV) on the Supplement Facts label less than 200%?

If the answer to more than four of these questions is “no,” you may want to stay clear. However, the safest bet is to not take the product if the answer is “no” on any of them, just to be sure.

Supplements could truly be helpful for those who need them, but the question is: do you actually need them or did the advertisement point out a problem you’d like to be solved? In either case, it’s best to consult your doctor before you make any lifestyle changes to ensure your health is monitored. It’ll be the best for your health and your wallet, too.

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A dog rests on its owner's lap as they pet its head.

Health, Well-being

Why some health professionals are recommending pet ownership for better health

Pets may support healthier, less lonely lives.

Good Partner

4/29/2026

Christine Abdelmalek for Pink Papyrus

Research suggests that pet ownership is associated with higher life satisfaction, with some studies estimating its impact as comparable to that of a substantial increase in income. According to the paper The Value of Pets by Michael W. Gmeiner and Adelina Gschwandtner, this comparison reflects a modeled relationship between life satisfaction and income rather than a literal financial gain.

Beyond the obvious companionship and social benefits, having a dog (or any other pet) waiting for you at home can also improve your health. Studies show that just 10 minutes of petting a dog while making eye contact can significantly reduce stress levels.

The growing body of research is convincing enough that more U.S. health professionals are beginning to recommend pet ownership as part of treatment plans.

Pink Papyrus explores research on the health benefits of pet ownership and why some professionals recommend it.

Why Are Health Professionals ‘Prescribing’ Pets?

A recent Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) report found that 1 in 5 pet owners say a doctor or therapist has recommended pet ownership to support their health. This reflects patient-reported experiences rather than a direct measure of how widely health professionals recommend pets.

The Science Behind the Data

Petting a dog for five to 10 minutes triggers the release of oxytocin, also known as the love hormone. At the same time, cortisol (the primary stress hormone) levels drop, leaving you feeling calmer and happier.

The effect goes both ways: dogs also experience increased oxytocin levels during petting. And if you make eye contact with your pet while stroking their fur, the feeling of calm and general positivity can be even stronger.

A study meta-analysis by the American Heart Association also shows that dog owners have a 31% lower risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease compared to those who don’t own dogs. This is largely due to increased physical activity (walks, play, grooming) and lower autonomic stress.

Dog Walks Help Combat Loneliness

Dog walks are great for more than just getting your daily steps; they’re a natural way to meet other dog owners and spend time outside, surrounded by people. For anyone feeling a bit isolated, that alone can make a real difference.

Dog walking has quietly become a gateway into online communities, where people share routines, tips, and even creative spins on their daily outings.

One trend that’s gained traction among more style-conscious pet parents is coordinating outfits with their dogs using playful accessories. Some brands have helped fuel this movement, turning a simple walk into a form of self-expression and something people love to share and bond over online.

Emotional Support Animals

While any pet can be an emotional support animal, dogs are usually on the front lines. These are not service dogs, trained to perform specific activities; their job is to provide therapeutic benefit through their presence alone.

Due to our deep bond, dogs can act as a physiological regulator. Besides petting and mutual gazing, many owners practice deep pressure therapy, in which the dog lies across the owner’s lap or chest. This weight triggers the parasympathetic nervous system, helping to ground a person during a panic attack or high-anxiety episode.

Furthermore, the daily routine of feeding, walking, grooming, bathroom breaks, etc., is beneficial for people who struggle with depression or anxiety. If you don’t have the motivation to get out of bed in the morning, you will do it for your dog.

Seniors also feel that their pets provide a sense of purpose, which helps keep both mind and body engaged. Having a pet depend on you can provide a powerful sense of self-worth.

The $22B Answer

Further research from HABRI highlights another angle: the economic impact on the U.S. healthcare system. According to its latest report, pet ownership saves an estimated $22.7 billion annually in medical costs.

On average, pet owners visit the doctor less frequently. Dog owners, in particular, tend to be more physically active, contributing to lower rates of obesity and cardiovascular disease.

The benefits extend beyond physical health. Many seniors find meaningful companionship in their pets or use them as a bridge to connect with other pet owners, helping reduce the risks associated with social isolation. Veterans living with PTSD also benefit from emotional support animals, which can lower long-term treatment costs.

A Healthier, Less Lonely Future

Pets play a meaningful role in our well-being. As both companions and sources of emotional support, they deliver proven benefits for physical and mental health.

The data also points to a measurable impact on public health. That said, these benefits depend on responsible ownership. Health professionals must weigh the advantages against an individual’s ability to provide a stable home and consistent veterinary care.

This story was produced by Pink Papyrus and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.

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Photo credit: Riska/E+ via Getty Images – Using multiple digital devices at once can be highly distracting and overstimulating.

Health, Well-being

Why ‘unwinding’ with screens may be making us more stressed – here’s what to try instead

Real rest starts with fewer inputs.

Good Partner

4/27/2026
Robin Pickering

As Americans increasingly report feeling overwhelmed by daily life, many are using self-care to cope. Conversations and social media feeds are saturated with the language of “me time,” burnout, boundaries and nervous system regulation.

To meet this demand, the wellness industry has grown into a multitrillion-dollar global market. Myriad providers offer products, services and lifestyle prescriptions that promise calm, balance and restoration.

Paradoxically, though, even as interest in self-care continues to grow, Americans’ mental health is getting worse.

I am a professor of public health who studies health behaviors and the gap between intentions and outcomes. I became interested in this self-care paradox recently, after I suffered from a concussion. I was prescribed two months of strictly screen-free cognitive rest – no television, email, Zooming, social media, streaming or texting.

The benefits were almost immediate, and they surprised me. I slept better, had a longer attention span and had a newfound sense of mental quiet. These effects reflected a well-established principle in neuroscience: When cognitive and emotional stimuli decrease, the brain’s regulatory systems can recover from overload and chronic stress.

Obviously, most people can’t go 100% screen-free for days, much less months, but the underlying principle offers a powerful lesson for practicing effective self-care.

A nation under strain

Americans’ self-rated mental health is now at the lowest point since Gallup started tracking this issue in 2001. National surveys consistently detect high levels of stress and emotional strain.

Roughly one-third of U.S. adults report feeling overwhelmed most days. Sleep disruption, anxiety, poor concentration and emotional exhaustion are widespread, particularly among young adults and women.

Chronic disease patterns mirror this strain. When daily stress becomes chronic, it can trigger biological changes that increase the risk of long-term conditions like heart disease and diabetes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 6 in 10 U.S. adults live with at least one chronic condition, and 4 in 10 live with multiple chronic conditions.

How people try to cope

Many Americans say they actively practice self-care in everyday life. For example, they describe taking mental health days, protecting personal time, setting boundaries around work and prioritizing rest and leisure.

The problem lies in how they use that leisure time.

Over the past 22 years, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ American Time Use Survey has consistently found that watching television is the most popular leisure activity for U.S. adults. Americans spend far more time watching TV than exercising, spending time with friends or practicing reflection through activities like yoga. Other common self-care activities include watching movies and gaming.

Modern leisure time increasingly includes smartphone use. Surveys suggest that mobile phones have become the dominant screen for many Americans, with adults spending several hours per day on their phones.

For many adults, checking social media or watching short videos has become a default relaxation behavior layered on top of traditional screen use. This practice is often referred to as second screening.

Although many people turn to screen-based activities to wind down, these activities may have the opposite effect biologically.

Why modern screen use feels different

Pre-internet forms of leisure often involved activities such as watching scheduled television programs, listening to radio broadcasts or reading books and magazines. For all of these pastimes, the content followed a predictable sequence with natural stopping points.

Today’s digital media environment looks very different. People routinely engage with multiple screens at once, respond to frequent notifications and switch rapidly between several streams of content. These environments continuously require users to split their attention, engage their emotions and make decisions.

This type of mental multitasking draws on the same neural systems people are often attempting to rest with leisure. The result is a far more fragmented and cognitively demanding environment than in the past.

Americans now spend approximately six to seven hours per day on screens across multiple devices. Splitting attention between more than one screen at a time, such as using the phone while watching television, is common. This juggling exposes peoples’ brains to multiple streams of sensory and emotional input simultaneously.

Survey data also suggests that Americans may check their phones roughly 200 times per day. In doing so, they repeatedly pull their attention back to screens during routine moments.

Modern digital platforms are designed to maximize engagement. Algorithms tend to prioritize emotionally arousing content, particularly anger, anxiety and outrage. These feelings drive clicks, sharing and time spent on platforms. Research has shown that this design is associated with higher stress, distraction and cognitive load.

When ‘rest’ doesn’t restore

Against the backdrop of daily hassles and competing demands, it can feel like relief to flip on the TV. Practices such as streaming or so-called bed-rotting – spending extended periods in bed while scrolling – often are framed as a form of radical rest or self-care.

Other common coping behaviors include leaving the television on as background noise, scrolling between tasks throughout the day or using phones during meals and conversations. These strategies can feel restful because they temporarily reduce external demands and decision-making.

However, pairing rest with screen use may undermine the very restoration that people are seeking. Digital media stimulate attention, emotion and sensory processing. Even while people are sitting or lying still, being onscreen can keep their nervous systems in a heightened state of arousal. It may look like downtime, but it doesn’t create the biological conditions for restoration.

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How to wind down

Evidence suggests that mental relief comes not from adding new coping strategies, but from reducing the number of demands placed on the brain.

Here are some evidence-based strategies that support genuine restoration:
- Reduce digital multitasking, such as using your phone while watching television. This lowers stress and cognitive strain.
- Limit task-switching and interruptions. This improves focus and reduces cognitive fatigue.
- Spend time in low-stimulation environments, including quiet spaces and outdoor settings. This supports mood and emotional well-being.
- Unwind with analog or low-novelty activities, such as reading print, journaling, gentle movement or device-free walking. These pastimes allow mental engagement without overload.
The goal is to intentionally reduce mental load, not to abandon all digital devices.

To improve well-being in our overstimulated society, it’s important to understand the difference between feeling as though you are unwinding and actually allowing your brain and body to recover. In my view, fewer screens, fewer inputs, fewer emotional demands and more protected time for genuine cognitive rest are important components of an effective wellness strategy.

This article originally appeared on The Conversation. You can read it here.
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Photo credit: wildpixel/iStock via Getty Images Plus – Scientists are fighting back against antibiotic resistance with new strategies and tools.

Health, Research

Antibiotic resistance could undo a century of medical progress – but four advances are changing the story

New tools are changing the fight.

Good Partner

4/27/2026

André O. Hudson

Imagine going to the hospital for a bacterial ear infection and hearing your doctor say, “We’re out of options.” It may sound dramatic, but antibiotic resistance is pushing that scenario closer to becoming reality for an increasing number of people. In 2016, a woman from Nevada died from a bacterial infection that was resistant to all 26 antibiotics that were available in the United States at that time.

The U.S. alone sees more than 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant illnesses each year. Globally, antimicrobial resistance is linked to nearly 5 million deaths annually.

Bacteria naturally evolve in ways that can make the drugs meant to kill them less effective. However, when antibiotics are overused or used improperly in medicine or agriculture, these pressures accelerate the process of resistance.

As resistant bacteria spread, lifesaving treatments face new complications – common infections become harder to treat, and routine surgeries become riskier. Slowing these threats to modern medicine requires not only responsible antibiotic use and good hygiene, but also awareness of how everyday actions influence resistance.

Since the inception of antibiotics in 1910 with the introduction of Salvarsan, a synthetic drug used to treat syphilis, scientists have been sounding the alarm about resistance. As a microbiologist and biochemist who studies antimicrobial resistance, I see four major trends that will shape how we as a society will confront antibiotic resistance in the coming decade.

1. Faster diagnostics are the new front line

For decades, treating bacterial infections has involved a lot of educated guesswork. When a very sick patient arrives at the hospital and clinicians don’t yet know the exact bacteria causing the illness, they often start with a broad-spectrum antibiotic. These drugs kill many different types of bacteria at once, which can be lifesaving — but they also expose a wide range of other bacteria in the body to antibiotics. While some bacteria are killed, the ones that remain continue to multiply and spread resistance genes between different bacterial species. That unnecessary exposure gives harmless or unrelated bacteria a chance to adapt and develop resistance.

In contrast, narrow-spectrum antibiotics target only a small group of bacteria. Clinicians typically prefer these types of antibiotics because they treat the infection without disturbing bacteria that are not involved in the infection. However, it can take several days to identify the exact bacteria causing the infection. During that waiting period, clinicians often feel they have no choice but to start broad-spectrum treatment – especially if the patient is seriously ill.

Amoxicillin is a commonly prescribed broad-spectrum antibiotic. TEK IMAGE/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

But new technology may fast-track identification of bacterial pathogens, allowing medical tests to be conducted right where the patient is instead of sending samples off-site and waiting a long time for answers. In addition, advances in genomic sequencing, microfluidics and artificial intelligence tools are making it possible to identify bacterial species and effective antibiotics to fight them in hours rather than days. Predictive tools can even anticipate resistance evolution.

For clinicians, better tests could help them make faster diagnoses and more effective treatment plans that won’t exacerbate resistance. For researchers, these tools point to an urgent need to integrate diagnostics with real-time surveillance networks capable of tracking resistance patterns as they emerge.

Diagnostics alone will not solve resistance, but they provide the precision, speed and early warning needed to stay ahead.

2. Expanding beyond traditional antibiotics

Antibiotics transformed medicine in the 20th century, but relying on them alone won’t carry humanity through the 21st. The pipeline of new antibiotics remains distressingly thin, and most drugs currently in development are structurally similar to existing antibiotics, potentially limiting their effectiveness.

To stay ahead, researchers are investing in nontraditional therapies, many of which work in fundamentally different ways than standard antibiotics.

One promising direction is bacteriophage therapy, which uses viruses that specifically infect and kill harmful bacteria. Others are exploring microbiome-based therapies that restore healthy bacterial communities to crowd out pathogens.

Researchers are also developing CRISPR-based antimicrobials, using gene-editing tools to precisely disable resistance genes. New compounds like antimicrobial peptides, which puncture the membranes of bacteria to kill them, show promise as next-generation drugs. Meanwhile, scientists are designing nanoparticle delivery systems to transport antimicrobials directly to infection sites with fewer side effects.

Beyond medicine, scientists are examining ecological interventions to reduce the movement of resistance genes through soil, wastewater and plastics, as well as through waterways and key environmental reservoirs.

Many of these options remain early-stage, and bacteria may eventually evolve around them. But these innovations reflect a powerful shift: Instead of betting on discovering a single antibiotic to address resistance, researchers are building a more diverse and resilient tool kit to fight antibiotic-resistant pathogenic bacteria.

3. Antimicrobial resistance outside hospitals

Antibiotic resistance doesn’t only spread in hospitals. It moves through people, wildlife, crops, wastewater, soil and global trade networks. This broader perspective that takes the principles of One Health into account is essential for understanding how resistance genes travel through ecosystems.

Researchers are increasingly recognizing environmental and agricultural factors as major drivers of resistance, on par with misuse of antibiotics in the clinic. These include how antibiotics used in animal agriculture can create resistant bacteria that spread to people; how resistance genes in wastewater can survive treatment systems and enter rivers and soil; and how farms, sewage plants and other environmental hot spots become hubs where resistance spreads quickly. Even global travel accelerates the movement of resistant bacteria across continents within hours.

Together, these forces show that antibiotic resistance isn’t just an issue for hospitals – it’s an ecological and societal problem. For researchers, this means designing solutions that cross disciplines, integrating microbiology, ecology, engineering, agriculture and public health.

4. Policies on what treatments exist in the future

Drug companies lose money developing new antibiotics. Because new antibiotics are used sparingly in order to preserve their effectiveness, companies often sell too few doses to recoup development costs even after the Food and Drug Administration approves the drugs. Several antibiotic companies have gone bankrupt for this reason.

To encourage antibiotic innovation, the U.S. is considering major policy changes like the PASTEUR Act. This bipartisan bill proposes creating a subscription-style payment model that would allow the federal government up to US$3 billion to pay drug manufacturers over five to 10 years for access to critical antibiotics instead of paying per pill.

Global health organizations, including Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), caution that the bill should include stronger commitments to stewardship and equitable access.

Still, the bill represents one of the most significant policy proposals related to antimicrobial resistance in U.S. history and could determine what antibiotics exist in the future.

The future of antibiotic resistance

Antibiotic resistance is sometimes framed as an inevitable catastrophe. But I believe the reality is more hopeful: Society is entering an era of smarter diagnostics, innovative therapies, ecosystem-level strategies and policy reforms aimed at rebuilding the antibiotic pipeline in addition to addressing stewardship.

For the public, this means better tools and stronger systems of protection. For researchers and policymakers, it means collaborating in new ways.

The question now isn’t whether there are solutions to antibiotic resistance – it’s whether society will act fast enough to use them.

This article originally appeared on The Conversation. You can read it here.

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