Government approved poison The truth about supplements in America

75% of Americans take dietary supplements(CRN) and 

84% are confident the products are safe and effective. (CRN)

Yet,

93% of tested supplements contained lead, arsenic, mercury, cadmium, or pesticides (PubMed)

79% of herbal supplements contained no DNA from the listed plant (NY General Attorney NIH)

84% of authentic supplements are not being absorbed by your body on average(Absorb)

73% of supplement manufacturers inspected by the FDA failed to adhere to 1 or more regulations(NIH)

This is simply because of an estimated 100,000 supplements on the market.

Not a single one is subject to FDA approval or pre-market safety testing under current law(NBC)

Every single step in bringing a supplement to market is deeply flawed. Below, I’ll guide you step-by-step through the shocking realities of how supplements actually reach store shelves–and your body. By the end, you’ll know how to protect yourself with practical tips you can trust and absolutely nothing to sell you.

The Law That Left the FDA Powerless (DSHEA of 1994)
“The Modern Wild West of Supplements”

Have you ever wondered who’s watching over the supplement industry? I assumed the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) was testing and approving vitamins and herbal pills just like they do for prescription drugs. Nope – not even close. A law passed in 1994, the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), stripped the FDA of any real pre-approval authority over supplements. Essentially, Congress said supplements are more like food than drugs, so they do not require FDA evaluation or approval before hitting the market (FDA).

What does that mean? In plain terms, supplement companies can create a new product today and start selling it tomorrow without proving it’s safe or that it even contains what it claims (FDA). The FDA can’t demand clinical trials or quality tests upfront. Generally, firms don’t have to hand the FDA their safety or ingredient data before marketing (FDA). 

So, under DSHEA, the burden is flipped. The FDA’s hands are tied until something goes wrong. Only after a supplement is on the market and causing harm can regulators step in, prove it’s dangerous, and try to pull it off shelves (NCCIH). It’s a reactive system. As one medical journal put it, Americans have essentially become unwitting “guinea pigs” testing unproven supplements because the law lets them out without upfront proof of safety (NIH). Crazy, right?

Even crazier is how weak the penalties are when companies get caught breaking the rules or selling harmful products. Usually, the worst they face is a slap-on-the-wrist warning letter, a fine that’s just a tiny fraction of their profits, or being asked nicely to remove the product from the shelves, only to quietly bring it back under a different name weeks later. The FDA rarely prosecutes criminal cases, and jail time for negligent or deceptive supplement makers is almost unheard of. This lack of severe consequences creates an environment where companies have little reason to worry about breaking the law or harming consumers because they know punishment will likely be mild and short-lived.

I could go on about the politics of how DSHEA was  passed (hint: intense lobbying and mass marketing campaigns by GNC to send 2.5 million letters to Congress” (Greg Horn), 

But the bottom line is that the supplement in your cabinet likely never went through any formal approval process. Understanding that sets the stage for the eye-opening journey of how that bottle actually got to you.

From Idea to Shelf: The Wild Lifecycle of a Supplement

Let’s walk through a fictional (but totally realistic) journey of a dietary supplement, all backed by real events. Well, use the popular root ashwagandha as an example. I’ll narrate what should happen at each step and what often happens behind the scenes, thanks to loose regulation and big profits.

1. Spark of Discovery

Let’s take Ashwagandha as an example. This incredible root has been used in traditional medicine for nearly 8,000 years(PubMed), and modern science has repeatedly proven its benefits through numerous rigorous studies. In fact, genuine clinical trials use only the highest-quality, pure extracts from specific species of Ashwagandha, carefully administered in controlled environments and closely monitored by medical professionals. Study after study has confirmed impressive results from stress reduction and better sleep to improved cognitive function.

Naturally, entrepreneurs see these groundbreaking studies and sense a huge opportunity. But here’s where the trouble begins: since they know nobody will really be looking over their shoulder, they often cut corners or take shortcuts. Instead of delivering the pure, scientifically-backed form of Ashwagandha with proper dosage, many companies exploit these positive findings. They rely on the scientific reputation built by legitimate studies and then quietly replace quality with cheaper, diluted ingredients. In the end, all that amazing research gets smeared, and consumers end up with supplements not even remotely close to the powerful root used in those original clinical trials. But the consumer would never know this because it’s all covered up with beautiful packaging, famous influencers to promote it and words thrown around like 3rd party tested and natural, which mean close to nothing.

2. Sourcing Ingredients: Where Shortcuts Begin

Now it’s time to actually make the pills. Our new supplement maker needs to source the star ingredient. Ideally, they would get a pure, high-quality supply. But in the real world, sourcing often means shopping for the cheapest bulk powders from around the globe, often from countries with lax manufacturing standards.

For instance, a lot of herbal and vitamin raw materials come from massive factories in China (around 80% (lifesource). There’s minimal oversight at this stage, especially when the product is manufactured outside the country. Contamination can sneak in with these raw ingredients: heavy metals from soil, pesticide residues, or industrial solvents used in extraction. In fact, analyses have found that 93% of tested supplements contained lead, arsenic, mercury, cadmium, or pesticides(NIH)

Think about that – you could be swallowing a daily dose of lead or arsenic along with your “natural” supplement and never know it.

Worse, sometimes the ingredient isn’t even what you think. There’s a practice called “botanical adulteration,” where a pricey herb is secretly cut or replaced with a cheaper one. If our ashwagandha root is expensive, a supplier might quietly mix in a similar-looking filler plant to stretch profits. Or they might provide a totally different plant altogether, as 80% of herbal supplements contained no DNA from the listed plant (NIH NY General Attorney)

Another example: in one scandal, suppliers swapped an herb called Stephania with a toxic one called Aristolochia – over 100 people ended up with severe kidney failure, and 18 developed cancers because of that substitution (PBS). (Aristolochia was later banned, but another investigation still found it in 20% of Chinese herbal products sold online (PBS).)

Our entrepreneur likely doesn’t have the means (or sometimes the will) to rigorously test every incoming batch of berry powder for purity. Testing costs money and could delay production. With no watchdog demanding it, guess what? Corners get cut. 

3. Manufacturing: Powder to Pill (and Hidden Extras)

Next, “Ashwagandha root” goes to a manufacturer. This facility mixes the ingredients and presses them into pills or capsules. These facilities should follow Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) by law, ensuring cleanliness, correct ingredient dosing, and preventing contamination (American Medical Association). Some do a great job. However, with tens of thousands of supplements on the market and relatively few FDA inspectors, many bad actors slip through. 73% of supplement manufacturers inspected by the FDA failed to adhere to 1 or more regulations (NIH)

In even the best companies with the prettiest packaging, you’ll find pills being made in warehouses with poor sanitation – think dust, hair, even bacteria and fungi contaminating the batches. Indeed, microbial contamination is not uncommon: in one assessment of 138 dietary supplements, researchers found bacteria in all 138 products tested (PBS). Even toxic fungi (mold) showed up in many, with numerous products exceeding the contamination limits set by the U.S. Pharmacopeia (PBS). Fungal toxins can wreak havoc – they’ve been linked to serious liver and intestinal damage in supplement users (PBS).

Then there’s deliberate spiking: unscrupulous manufacturers might add a little “something extra” to make the product actually work (and get customers coming back). Remember our “Ashwagandha Root”? What if a sprinkle of a real drug could give a noticeable boost? That temptation leads to one of the dirtiest secrets: many supplements – especially those for weight loss, muscle building, or sexual enhancement – have been found laced with hidden pharmaceutical drugs.

This is rampant. From 2007 to April 2025, the FDA identified 2035 dietary supplements adulterated with unapproved drugs (FDA). Popular targets were the “big three” categories: sexual enhancers, weight-loss aids, and muscle builders. For example, weight-loss pills often secretly contained sibutramine (a banned prescription diet drug that raises heart risk) – in one analysis, 84.9% of tested weight-loss supplements had it (PubMed)! Sexual supplements frequently contained sildenafil (the active ingredient in Viagra) – 47% of tested “natural” sex pills had Viagra’s drug or a close analog (PubMed). Muscle products were spiked with synthetic steroids or analogs nearly 90% of the time (Pubmed).

Think about that. You buy a high quality “herbal” sex pill online, unknowingly ingest a Viagra knock-off – maybe you shouldn’t have mixed it with your heart medication. Or a teenager uses a muscle gain powder laced with anabolic steroids, and his hormones go haywire. These hidden drugs have caused strokes, liver failure, kidney damage, heart attacks – even deaths. And they often aren’t listed on the label at all. It’s literally criminal (and illegal), but it’s profitable until caught. Even when the FDA finds one and issues a warning, many products quietly pop back up later under new names or with different hidden ingredients. The FDA has found repeat offenders that, after being busted, just swap in a new unapproved drug and keep selling it (Pubmed ).

With hundreds of tainted products documented and thousands yet to be found, it’s a real Russian roulette in some categories. Our “Ashwagandha root” might resist this temptation, but if sales were lagging, who knows if a chemist might slip in a dash of amphetamine-like compound for an extra kick?l.

4. Fillers

Let’s do some simple math; if a typical vitamin D supplement contains about 25 micrograms (µg) (the standard recommended daily dose is 25 µg or 1,000 IU), and an average capsule size has a capacity of around 500,000 µg (500 mg), shouldn’t the capsule be virtually empty like, just 0.005% full? Pick up any supplement bottle, and the capsules appear completely filled. How is this possible?

The truth is that most of what you see inside that capsule isn’t the vitamin you’re buying. Instead, companies fill capsules with cheap, often unnecessary fillers like magnesium stearate, rice flour, silicon dioxide, or cellulose. Magnesium stearate, the most common filler you’ll spot in that tiny ingredient print, is a lubricant used to keep ingredients from sticking to manufacturing equipment. It may significantly interfere with your body’s ability to absorb nutrients by slowing absorption, effectively robbing your body of vitamins you’re trying to supplement (PubMed). Even worse, titanium dioxide, another common filler, has been linked to gut inflammation and immune system disruption and is classified as a possible carcinogen (EFSA). Silicon dioxide may trigger severe digestive distress, allergic reactions, or intestinal inflammation in sensitive individuals (PubMed).

Hint: You can check what filler is added in the tiny text under the nutrition facts panel. 

But why add fillers at all? Two simple reasons: First, it keeps their machinery running faster and cheaper. Second, it makes the consumer think you’re getting more value because the capsule looks “full or is a pretty color.” Essentially, you’re paying premium prices for pills that are mostly filler, giving you the illusion of quality while potentially compromising your health. Next time you reach for that “full” capsule, remember: what you’re seeing is 99.995% filler and 0.005% Vitamin(if at all) but 100% deception.

5. Packaging & Labeling: Marketing Magic vs. Reality

At last, the product is made and bottled. Now comes the shiny label and all those claims. Here’s where marketing teams get creative within the law’s limits. Supplements cannot legally claim to cure or treat diseases (that would make them unapproved drugs) (Harvard Health). But they can use vague, suggestive phrases like “may support immunity” or “may promote brain health.” So “Ashwagandha root” might say “May Support Memory and Focus!” with an asterisk leading to the tiny disclaimer. “These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.” Sound familiar? That little FDA disclaimer is required by law for those structure/function claims (Harvard Health), but most people gloss over it.

Labels are a Wild West. Mislabeling is rampant. Sometimes it’s accidental (we hope), sometimes intentional. Independent tests have found cases where a ginseng supplement had no ginseng at all, or a “500 mg” capsule only had 50 mg of the actual active ingredient. A high-profile investigation by the New York Attorney General tested store-brand herbal supplements at major retailers – the results suggested widespread fraud: many supplements contained little or none of the advertised herb, often just cheap fillers. (NY General Attorney NIH)

Then there are meaningless buzzwords. Ever seen “All Natural” on a bottle? It’s a feel-good term with no official definition for supplements. Arsenic is natural. Poison ivy is natural. “Natural” doesn’t equal safe or high-quality. Similarly, phrases like “Pharmaceutical Grade” or “Medical Grade” are thrown around. Truth is, there’s no FDA-recognized “pharmaceutical grade” standard for supplements – it’s marketing. Manufacturers could choose to follow the stringent United States Pharmacopeia (USP) quality standards (the benchmarks for actual medications), but that’s completely voluntary and rarely verified. In fact, many companies avoid claiming they meet USP standards, so they can’t be held accountable if they don’t (American Medical Association). So a “pharmaceutical grade” sticker might mean the company did some extra quality control – or it might mean nothing at all.

Our fictional bottle might also brag that it’s “Certified Pure” or “3rd Party Tested for Quality.” By whom? Even when it shows a specific third-party seal like USP Verified, NSF Certified, or ConsumerLab Approved, all this means is the company creates a batch under perfect conditions and, sends them in for testing and then completely changes the process to save profits. These are almost always not the products that are sitting on the shelf. With no pre-market requirements, basically, any supplement can hype itself up with impressive-sounding claims, and the consumer has little way to verify them.

Finally, everything gets shrink-wrapped and shipped to stores or sold online. The whole journey from idea to shelf could be a matter of months or weeks, not years – a far cry from the long clinical testing pipeline that drugs go through. It’s fast, cheap production by cutting safety testing and oversight. Great for profits – extremely risky for you.

Real People, Real Consequences: When Supplements Go Wrong

At this point, you might be thinking, “Okay, there are problems, but do these really affect people? Are people actually getting hurt?” Unfortunately, yes. Supplements send an estimated 23,000 Americans to the emergency room every year (PubMed). These aren’t abstract numbers – these are people collapsing at the gym from a spiked fat-burner pill or a young person’s liver failing after a toxic “herbal cleanse.” With the extremely high chance of your supplement being contaminated or having completely false ingredients, the long-term effects are nearly impossible to trace back, most likely putting this number into the millions. 

Heavy Metals and Brain Damage Over Time: We talked about heavy metals showing up in supplements. Consider lead – over time, ingesting even small amounts builds up in your body. There have been cases of people, including children, getting lead poisoning from contaminated calcium supplements or certain traditional herbal pills. Lead causes anemia, nerve damage, and cognitive impairment. Low amounts of arsenic, another common contaminant, can cause skin lesions and organ damage and increase cancer risk (PBS). These effects don’t show overnight; they silently accumulate. This is especially dangerous for kids – even low levels of lead can permanently affect a child’s IQ and development. If parents unwittingly give a contaminated supplement to their child… it’s a nightmare scenario.

Kobayashi Red Yeast Rice Scandal: In March 2024, Kobayashi Pharmaceutical’s red yeast rice supplements were linked to severe health issues in Japan and Taiwan. The contamination resulted in up to 80 deaths and over 500 hospitalizations, with symptoms such as severe kidney damage consistent with Fanconi syndrome. The incident led to widespread recalls and raised concerns about manufacturing practices and regulatory oversight. (CBS)

Liver Failure Outbreak: dozens of perfectly healthy people across the U.S. suddenly developed severe hepatitis (liver inflammation). Many turned yellow with jaundice; some went into acute liver failure. The common thread? They had all recently taken a popular weight-loss supplement called OxyElite Pro (CDC). Investigators identified 29 cases of acute liver damage tied to this supplement; two people needed liver transplants to survive (CDC). The product was yanked from the market. It turned out the manufacturer had introduced a new ingredient (a plant extract) without adequate safety testing. This “fat burner” destroyed livers and even led to death in at least one case. It’s a stark reminder that “natural” does not mean “harmless” – many poisons are natural, and an untested ingredient can have devastating effects on your organs.

And beyond these dramatic incidents, there’s the quieter harm: Millions taking supplements that don’t do anything, wasting money and hope. Large studies and reviews have found little to no evidence that multivitamins or most single supplements prevent chronic diseases or make people live longer (PubMed). If you’re nutritionally deficient in something, a supplement can help that. But for the average person, many experts say you’re basically buying very “expensive urine” since excess water-soluble vitamins flush out, and many nutrients in pill form aren’t fully absorbed before they’re excreted. For example, certain forms of minerals like magnesium oxide are famously poorly absorbed – you take a 400 mg pill, but only a fraction gets into your bloodstream. Yet labels won’t tell you that nuance. Even the best proven authentic ingredients absorb on average 16%. (Absorb)

It might feel overwhelming to realize how deeply flawed the supplement industry is; at least, that’s how I felt after learning all of this. The purpose of this article isn’t just to expose the troubling reality but to empower you. There’s hope. You don’t have to give up on supplements entirely; you need to learn how to navigate the market safely. Keep reading Chapter 2, where I share simple, actionable strategies to ensure the supplements you choose are effective, safe, and worthy of your trust. Like always backed by scientific research.

Thanks for reading to the end of this. It took me a while to write and independently research and interview those who work closely in the supplement space. I want to remind you that we make no money from these articles, and all we ask is that you help spread the word to those you love and care for.

-Founder Case Eckman

P.S. For any health or business-related questions, reach out anytime through my personal email, Caseeckman@gmail.com.

References

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