On Instagram, a plethora of skincare and wellness-based supplements are advertised, be it a shampoo customized for your hair type, or a famous, celebrity-popular “miracle” product. Most of these items are much more costly than your average multivitamin or everyday product. But a well-dressed influencer holding up a creatively-packaged set of vitamins in their aesthetically pleasing kitchen can lure many to bite the bait. Are they really worth their expensive price tag?
Most of the personalized vitamins are created through a survey, where you answer questions about your health, current habits, wellness goals, and your current lifestyle. You send it off, and in the end, you get something made just for you.

 Lauren Manaker, a registered dietitian nutritionist, states, “Supplements can absolutely be beneficial to someone’s health, depending on what the supplement is. If someone has iron-deficiency anemia, for example, an iron supplement can help.” 

Some companies take it a step further by asking for an at-home blood test to specifically identify what nutrients your body is lacking, so it’s not a surprise that this approach continues to attract people. Supplements should only be used to fill in gaps in a diet if it’s deficient. “If a person is eating a well-balanced diet filled with a variety of foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, they may not really need to supplement any nutrients,” said Manaker. 

Though it may seem fun to receive “personalized” advice, a company rarely recommends supplements when a potential customer takes the quiz. If a nutrition gap is discovered, most companies only recommend their own supplements, without cheaper food solutions that could actually accomplish the same goal. 

On the flip side, these costly vitamins that look like they’ll make a difference and benefit your body won’t always do so. Vitamins and supplements aren’t necessarily regulated by the FDA, so while you may trust a brand because of its organized Instagram handle, five-star reviews, and more, you never really know what you could be putting into your body. 

Erin D. Michos, the Associate Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, previously told Refinery29, “I think it’s very important for consumers to know that just because they can buy these supplements over-the-counter does not mean that they are necessarily proven to be efficacious or safe.” The packs of vitamins that you receive in the mail aren’t a necessity, especially if some of them cost $117 per month. 

If you are still interested in trying the free trial or ordering some of your own, make sure to double-check that the supplements are provided or verified by a third-party manufacturer. If the websites are reliable, there will most likely be a seal or marking on the packaging from companies such as the United States Pharmacopeia or NSF International, so make sure to keep your eyes open. 

In the end, knowing exactly what you’re putting into your body is much more important than having a monthly quote and your name spelled out on a vitamin pack.

Photo Courtesy of HEALTHLINE.COM