{"id":814947,"date":"2026-08-15T23:16:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-15T23:16:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/814947\/"},"modified":"2026-08-15T23:16:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-15T23:16:14","slug":"the-no-1-thing-to-do-before-taking-a-new-supplement-nbc-connecticut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/814947\/","title":{"rendered":"The No.1 thing to do before taking a new supplement \u2013 NBC Connecticut"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whether it\u2019s vitamins, minerals, herbs or something else, dietary\u00a0supplements<\/a>\u00a0are wildly popular in the U.S. But they can come with risks that people taking these pills, gummies and powders may not realize.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re among the\u00a061% of Americans<\/a>\u00a0who take at least one supplement, you should keep a few things in mind \u2014 particularly if that supplement is something you purchased online.<\/p>\n

While many supplements are harmless and some may even be beneficial, these compounds can also interact with prescription medications, a cardiologist warns.<\/p>\n

Expert tip of the day: Consult a pharmacist before taking a new supplement<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re taking a supplement,\u201d Dr. Anum Minhas, a cardiologist and assistant professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins, tells TODAY.com, \u201cI want you to take it to your pharmacist when you pick up your meds, or take it to your provider, and say, \u2018Can you look the supplement up and make sure that it\u2019s not interacting with my medication?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because, in her experience, \u201ca lot of the harm (from supplements) actually comes from\u00a0medication interactions<\/a>,\u201d she says, \u201cand it\u2019s not so much that the supplement itself is going to harm you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why it matters<\/p>\n

Especially when it comes to managing complex health issues\u00a0such as menopause symptoms,<\/a>\u00a0Minhas is not a big fan of supplements.<\/p>\n

\u201cI generally do not actively recommend supplements because (they) do not get FDA approved in the United States, so we we cannot say with absolute certainty what is in them,\u201d explains Minhas, whose research focuses on heart health\u00a0during pregnancy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Studies<\/a>\u00a0have\u00a0shown<\/a>\u00a0that\u00a0melatonin supplements<\/a>\u00a0can contain significantly different amounts of the active ingredient from what\u2019s advertised on the label, for example.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also important to remember that, while Minhas suspects many supplements aren\u2019t harmful, often \u201cthere aren\u2019t adequate studies to show benefit either,\u201d she explains. Because supplements don\u2019t undergo the FDA approval process that prescription medications do, Minhas says, \u201cthey haven\u2019t gone through the same level of scrutiny, like clinical trials.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, there\u2019s a difference between a supplement that\u2019s actively harmful and one that just isn\u2019t effective at what it claims to do. So, if a patient feels like they may get some relief from a supplement, Minhas doesn\u2019t necessarily tell them not to take it.<\/p>\n

But she\u2019s clear about the lack of evidence to support it and recommends they talk to her or their pharmacist about possible interactions with the prescriptions they are on.<\/p>\n

For example,\u00a0St. John\u2019s wort<\/a>\u00a0is often\u00a0advertised to help with certain menopause symptoms<\/a>, like hot flashes and mood changes, TODAY.com explained previously. But it can interact with many medications, including some antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications, statins and blood thinners.<\/p>\n

Choosing safer supplements<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re considering adding any new\u00a0supplement to your routine<\/a>, talk to a medical professional first, experts urge.<\/p>\n

Minhas also recommends opting for brands that are well-known or found in large pharmacies rather than buying something online or that was promoted by an influencer on social media.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you should not be taking things where you can\u2019t read the language in which the packaging is written,\u201d she adds, \u201cbecause then you really don\u2019t know what you\u2019re taking.\u201d<\/p>\n

This story first appeared on TODAY.com<\/a>. More from TODAY:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Whether it\u2019s vitamins, minerals, herbs or something else, dietary\u00a0supplements\u00a0are wildly popular in the U.S. But they can come…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":814948,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[61],"tags":[97,682,269],"class_list":["post-814947","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-health","tag-health-wellness","tag-nutrition"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/814947","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=814947"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/814947\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/814948"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=814947"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=814947"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=814947"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}