It’s no secret that there has been a noticeable shift toward wellness culture in the media over the past few years. Whether it’s the surge of protein product recommendations, the constant stream of skin-care advertisements, or the ever-growing number of fitness influencers, modern social media has significantly reshaped how many of us think about health and well-being.
However, what I find most interesting (and honestly, slightly concerning) is the evolving conversation around vitamins and supplements. On one hand, they can be incredibly beneficial when used intentionally and for the right reasons. For many people, supplements address genuine nutritional gaps that diet alone can’t always cover. But before wellness culture exploded online, the supplements people talked about were fairly standard: a multivitamin, vitamin D in the winter, or something a doctor directly recommended. What I definitely hadn’t encountered was the idea of taking a new supplement simply because an influencer swore by it or because it happened to be trending on TikTok.
What concerns me most is how normalized this has all become. Influencers now push highly personalized supplement routines as if they are universally applicable. Somewhere along the way, a basic daily multivitamin turned into elaborate “stacks” of powders, capsules, and tinctures. Many of which most of us had never even heard of prior to seeing them online. And while the appeal of a quick fix is understandable, the growing reliance on supplements raises an important question: is any of this actually safe?
Part of the issue lies in how loosely regulated the supplement industry really is. Unlike prescription medications, vitamins and supplements do not undergo rigorous pre-market testing. The FDA doesn’t verify purity, dosage accuracy, or ingredient safety before these products hit the shelves. As a result, supplements can contain contaminants, inaccurate doses, or undisclosed ingredients. Quality can vary dramatically between brands. On top of this, there’s a rising “more is better” mindset that can be genuinely dangerous. High doses of certain vitamins (like A, D, E, and K) can accumulate in the body and lead to serious health issues such as calcium buildup, kidney damage, oxidative stress, and liver toxicity.
To be clear, the problem isn’t that supplements are inherently harmful; it’s that many people take them without understanding what they’re taking or why. Most vitamins and supplements are safe within appropriate limits, but safety depends on the specific product, the dosage, and your individual health needs. And those decisions should never be based on the advice of influencers or unqualified sources. A useful rule of thumb is that if you’re taking a supplement to correct a confirmed deficiency, the benefits are well-supported. But if you’re taking something because it feels aligned with current wellness culture, it’s worth reevaluating.
None of this is to say that supplements and vitamins don’t have a legitimate place in supporting your health. For many people, they’re genuinely necessary and can meaningfully improve overall well-being. But the pressure to curate a flawless wellness routine can easily push us toward products we don’t actually need. Ultimately, the healthiest choice (for the most part) isn’t adding ten new pills to your morning lineup, but rather, taking a moment to ask whether your body truly needs them at all.