Why your wellness supplements might be ruining your gut health

Whether it’s magnesium, collagen or miracle ‘green powders’, we are being bombarded with must-take supplements all the time. Zoë Beaty discovers which ones are really worth it and which ones might be doing more harm than good

Sales of beauty and wellness products such as supplements are through the roof on TikTok (Getty)

On a recent cleaning spree, I came across a basket shoved at the back of a cupboard containing around 30 colourful little jars. I rattled them around, peering at the labels: zinc, vitamin D, magnesium, cod liver oil, omega 3, and basically any other supplement you could name. The collection had accrued over the course of several years, picked up – and then swiftly dropped. Health sprees that only had a hefty bill from Holland & Barrett to show for them.

The majority of us are susceptible to the idea that “investing” in our health equates to spending hard-earned cash to prove to ourselves that we’re serious. The unworn trainers or expensive yoga pants, the unused gym membership (a cliché because it’s true) – and, for others like me, a huge box of very good intentions, rattling around the drawer under the bathroom sink.

Did I clear out everything best before 2022 (or, in some cases, 2019)? Yes. Did I also reignite the urge to buy more? Naturally. Like most people, I’d also been recently caught in the TikTok wellness trap, where everyone appears to have the answers, no matter what their credentials. Powdered greens – a dietary supplement of vegetables, fruits and algae which claims to be a concentrated dose of nutrients – appeared to be a brilliantly easy panacea, as did supplements I’d never previously taken notice of – milk thistle, to cleanse a tired liver for a tenner, or ashwagandha to lower blood pressure and anxiety, and collagen for pretty much everything else.

It doesn’t need pointing out that the platform has very little merit in the health world, yet sales of beauty and wellness products such as supplements are through the roof on ever-influential TikTok Shop – and this is big business.

For the supplements industry, health really is wealth. Over the last 15 years, the over-the-counter vitamins and minerals market has grown exponentially, generating more than £650m in UK sales last year. In the US, it’s far higher, with one of the more conservative estimates suggesting Americans will be swallowing $70bn of supplements by 2030.

It is, of course, unsurprising. Five years ago, we lived through an unprecedented global health crisis that, when life was boiled down to the bare basics, gave us all a thorough wake-up call. Covid led us all to reconsider our perceptions of health, the way we live and, crucially, how we prevent ourselves from getting ill. Naturally, many people turned to quick-fix supplements – and sales were their highest in more than a decade; almost twice the amount sold nationally last year.

Vulnerability is what the supplement sector thrives on – but as to whether they work, it’s a lot more complicated.

One size does not fit all

“We should think about taking supplements like a prescription,” says registered nutritional therapist GQ Jordan. Much of the time, we’re conditioned to think that taking supplements, whatever they are, must be safeguarding or improving our health. We forget that health – existing or genetically predisposed conditions, our levels of fitness and diet – is not an equal starting point for all of us. Additionally, some over-the-counter vitamins and minerals can interact with medication.

“It’s really important to try and take a personalised approach to all of these things – what works for one person might not work for another; everyone has their own signs and symptoms of what they might be lacking, probably the first thing to do is to track those to see if there’s any consistency. So, if you’re waking up in the night consistently or having an energy dip in the afternoon, it might be a good sign to consider taking some magnesium or vitamin D to see if they help,” advises Jordan.

‘It’s really important to try and take a personalised approach to all of these things – what works for one person might not work for another,’ says a women’s health nutritionist (Getty)

If at all possible, Jordan says, speak to your GP about your own health status before deciding what you need supplementing, and before sinking a load of cash into your local pharmacy. Or, if that’s not possible and you can afford to, put that money towards seeing a nutritionist. Getting goodness through diet is more sustainable in the long run because of how things are broken down in our gut. Some supplements aren’t suitable for people with underlying health concerns, especially when it comes to the liver, which must process everything you put in your body.

Finally, remember that your requirements will change depending on your current situation. As we age, our hormones change drastically, which can change what we need and how much of it is needed.

Not all supplements are made equal

Far from it. Supplements, says Lynsey Vaughan, nutritionist and product innovation lead at wellness brand Higher Nature, which is “committed to unmasking the world of supplements”. “There are a few things to keep in mind,” Vaughan explains, particularly whether the capsule or tablet is made of natural ingredients.

“A non-active ingredient might be the physical shell that you put the ingredients into, and then there are also excipients, which is an industry term for non-active ingredients. Not all supplements have them in – and many don’t have the right amount in. For a good supplement, you want the actual ingredient, limited non-active and synthetic ingredients, and to get the right dose. There are many that I come across where I’ll look at the formula and think, ‘What is that even doing?’ Often there’s no real benefit at all.”

You can’t out-supplement a bad diet (Getty)

Just like in ultra-processed foods, look at how many ingredients are listed. Too many non-active or synthetic ingredients make it much harder for the body to digest and, adds Jordan, can cause more harm than good.

“You could think that you’re safeguarding your health or being proactive, which comes from a really good place, but then choose supplements that might not be right for you on a personal level or up to scratch. That could have a real impact on other aspects of your health, particularly your gut health, because the supplements contain all these buffers and preservatives that aren’t really essential.

“The gut lining is super-sensitive. It’s the barrier between our outside world and our body, essentially, and these things can have a compounding irritating effect.”

In terms of the label, look out for “synthetics versus natural food form”, recommends Vaughan. “Most people assume that vitamins and minerals are natural. In fact, one survey found that 70 per cent of people think that vitamins and minerals in fortified foods are natural, but they’re not – they’re synthetic. Similarly in the supplement world, there’s a huge knowledge gap.”

You can’t ‘out supplement’ a bad diet

“I’m allergic to the wellness industry wheel,” Jordan jokes. “Most of the ads we all see online – things like green powders, for example – should be under investigation, in my opinion. Many of them create pain points for people and then target them for vulnerability: weight loss, infertility … Solve your PCOS [polycystic ovary syndrome] with an expensive green powder. It’s really dangerous.”

Most people assume that all vitamins and minerals are natural... not so (Getty)

And it can mean that we end up feeling more comfortable paying less attention to what we’re actually eating. “Nothing can supplement a bad lifestyle,” Jordan says.

Vaughan agrees. “Based on dietary data, around 75 per cent of people in the UK are not eating enough oily fish,” she says. Generally, our diets have changed exponentially in the last few decades – and Vaughan knows the impact from her own health struggles with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. “I forced myself to eat liver, which is full of nutrients, when I went through my own health struggles,” she explains.

Back in the day, especially in poorer communities, we used to eat much more offal and cheap oily fish such as kippers. It goes without saying that we should also be focusing on eating lots of rich, leafy greens and moving our bodies enough, which all helps with our gut health and would alleviate the need for so many supplements in the first place. That baseline, both Vaughan and Jordan agree, must be heeded before we start trying to compensate over the counter.

If you take just one supplement, this should be it

It’s a close call here: for Jordan, vitamin D, omega 3 and magnesium all chart high; for Vaughan, omega 3 just about tips it with vitamin D a close second. In fact, the government recommends we should all take a supplement for vitamin D, as thanks to the lack of sunlight in the UK, which stimulates the production of it in our bodies naturally, most of us are deficient.

“I actually recommend taking vitamin D all year round, not just in winter and autumn months,” says Jordan. “Just having that can really help your energy, help your mood, help your gut as well, and your immunity.”

Experts recommend taking vitamin D all year round, not just in the winter months (Getty)

And even when we are eating enough oily fish, which is packed with omega 3, Vaughan notes that recent years have seen fluctuations in the amount of nutrients we’re getting from fish like salmon and mackerel.

“There’s some evidence that omega 3 levels in oily fish have been declining over the last 50 years,” she explains. So there’s a combination of, not only are we not eating enough, but the amount that you used to have to eat to get enough omega 3 is now no longer enough either, so it exacerbates it.

“Omega 3s are so important for us at the cellular level – every single cell membrane needs omega 3s to kind of work their membranes to work flexibly, to let nutrients in, let waste out. They’re also good for hormone balance, brain function. It’s incredibly necessary.”

Jordan agrees, adding that it’s especially important in pregnancy and postpartum. “A particular DHA, a specific type of omega 3, is given to the baby, not mum in that time. So women who have experienced brain fog after giving birth, for example, might benefit from supplementing with omega 3 to get those levels back up.”