In a new book, a doctor provides ways to decide which supplements to take and which to avoid

India’s supplement industry is booming. People now take so many things – multivitamins, detox tablets, liver cleansers, hair gummies, collagen powders, protein powders, magnesium, zinc, herbal boosters, fat burners, hormone balancers, memory enhancers … the list is endless.

Half of these are harmless. One-fourth are useless. Some are genuinely helpful. However, a small portion are deadly dangerous. This chapter cuts through the noise and tells you which of these actually work – not according to hyperbolic advertisements, but according to hard science.

Let me tell you about Rhea.

She’s 32 and works in IT. Her daily routine includes popping multivitamins, vitamin C, collagen, hair gummies, liver detox tablets and a “metabolism booster.” Still, she feels tired, her hair continues to fall out in clumps, her energy is low throughout the day, her skin is dull and her sleep is very poor.

The problem here is that Rhea was trying to out-supplement a bad lifestyle. She needed more sleep, better balanced food, more protein intake, less stress and some actual rest – serious things that colourful pills won’t fix. The golden truth is this: Supplements supplement. They do not replace.

Let’s break supplements into three categories:

1. Useful and evidence-based

2. Context-specific (useful only in some cases)

3. Useless or potentially harmful

But before...

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