Welcome to Supplementary Reading
What is it? Supplementary Reading is a free, patient-friendly resource that covers the safety of popular dietary supplement products based on the most up to date scientific evidence.
Why does it exist? The idea for Supplementary Reading came about after a rant about the dangers of supplements went viral. After that, several people reached out to ask about specific products, and in doing the research for them I realized there was a huge problem:
- While I had access to amazing databases like TRC Natural Medicines and UpToDate, the language used on those sites is not easily understood by the average consumer.
- Those databases also required a subscription to access, which can be very expensive.
- There are many sites that discuss the safety of individual supplement ingredients, but no single place to look for these multi-ingredient products.
- When searching for safety information on a product, many of the results are actually promotions for the product disguised as a review. This makes it very hard to find reliable, accurate safety information.
This website is an attempt to fill the gap and make this information more accessible to everyone.
What's the harm? Dietary supplements are a popular and growing industry, with products claiming to help with a long list of health concerns. Because they are not considered drugs, in many countries these products can be put on the market without having to prove that their product is safe. In fact, a company does not even need to prove that their product contains what they listed on the label at all. Because of this lack of regulations, there are very few things protecting consumers from using products that are harmful to them.
Many of these supplements contain "natural" ingredients which they claim came from plants instead of being made in a lab. Companies often market natural ingredients as "safer" "purer", or "healthier". Here is what we know:
1. Chemicals are chemicals: Whether made in a lab or extracted from a plant, the molecule does not change. This means that the Lovastatin molecule in Red Yeast Rice is IDENTICAL to the Lovastatin molecule made in a lab. When isolated from the plant, both will act exactly the same way in the body.
2. Natural does not mean safe: Asbestos is natural, yet it is now known to cause cancer. Cyanide and arsenic are natural molecules, but they can kill humans even in low doses.
3. The dose makes the poison: Too much of anything can be bad for you. That is why it is important to know exactly how much of each ingredient you get in a product. The problem is that most products are hiding the dose by calling them "proprietary". Supplement companies can list whatever ingredients they choose under a "proprietary" blend or mix without listing the amount of each ingredient. This means that we do not know if the amount of that ingredient is safe or toxic.
What kinds of products are on your site? The most common products people asked me to look into were from Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) companies. Because of that, most of the products on this site in the beginning will be MLM products. However, supplements can pose safety issues whether or not the company is an MLM, so this site will not be exclusively MLM products.
How do I use the site? Each complete Ingredient or Product page will contain a color-coded Safety Rating, as well as information about potential side effects and interactions with health conditions, medications, supplements, and food.
Click here for an explanation of the Safety Ratings.
Have a question or want to request a product for review? Click here or the "Contact Us" link at the top of the page to send a message.