The supplement aisle has never been more crowded \u2014 or more confusing. Gone are the days when Flin\ufefftstones chewables and adult once-daily vitamins were the only choices. Today, as many as 100,000 different supplement products are on the market, and nearly 3 out of 4 adults 60 and older take them.<\/p>\n
But unlike prescription and over-the-counter medications, supplements don\u2019t require federal approval for safety or effectiveness before they reach store shelves. And like any drug, they can cause side effects<\/a> and interact with other medications.<\/p>\n With that in mind, here are a few simple steps to help you decide whether you \ufeffshould take a supplement and how to choose wisely.<\/p>\n 1. You may not need it<\/p>\n Before buying a supplement, the most important step is to determine whether your body needs it.<\/p>\n Dr. Pieter Cohen, an internist and leader of the Cambridge Health Alliance Supplement Research Program, puts it plainly: \u201cUnless you have a health condition that requires a supplement, you don’t need to take one.\u201d Yet most of his patients never ask whether they need one.<\/p>\n \u201cThe great majority of my patients don\u2019t ask me,\u201d he says. \u201cLike everyone else, they go to the store, see something they want, they start taking it.\u201d<\/p>\n And it\u2019s a common misconception that aging alone means you need more supplements, says Alice Lichtenstein, a professor of nutrition science and policy at Tufts University\u2019s Friedman School of Nutrition. \u201cNutrient requirements don\u2019t necessarily change as we get older,\u201d she says. Some do, she notes \u2014 certain older adults lose stomach acid and genuinely need B-12 supplementation<\/a>. But it\u2019s not true for everyone.<\/p>\n A healthy decision is based on an objective measure, most often a simple blood test, Lichtenstein adds. \u201cThat\u2019s what your health care provider can tell you,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n About 75 percent of American adults take a dietary supplement daily, but less than half tell their doctors, says Emily Rose Britton, senior manager at USP, an independent nonprofit that sets quality standards for supplements. \u201cDon’t be shy. Don\u2019t be afraid of judgment. It\u2019s encouraged to share your supplement usage with your health care providers.\u201d<\/p>\n 2. Supplements don\u2019t stand in for food<\/p>\n If your diet isn\u2019t great and you think a supplement can pick up the slack \u2014 not so fast.<\/p>\n