本文探讨了膳食补充剂的可信度问题，并分析了读者评论中提出的观点。作者认为，膳食补充剂行业存在着“寻找问题以解决”的现象，很多补充剂并非必需，甚至缺乏科学证据支持其功效。尽管如此，针对特定需求的补充剂对部分人群仍然有效，例如运动员补充维生素C或使用褪黑素改善睡眠。作者强调，重要的是要理性看待补充剂，避免盲目相信，并选择有科学依据的补充剂。

🤔 **补充剂行业存在“寻找问题以解决”的现象**：许多补充剂并非必需，甚至缺乏科学证据支持其功效。例如，维生素C可能无法预防普通人群的感冒，但对运动员可能有效。

💡 **补充剂对特定人群可能有效**：例如，褪黑素可用于改善睡眠，阿育吠陀或西乐坦可用于缓解焦虑，SAMe可用于治疗抑郁症，咖啡因和茶氨酸可用于提高专注力。

💪 **选择有科学依据的补充剂**：在选择补充剂时，应参考科学研究结果，避免盲目相信广告和营销宣传。

🧐 **理性看待补充剂**：补充剂并非万能药，不能代替均衡的饮食和健康的生活方式。

📝 **个体差异**：不同个体对补充剂的反应可能存在差异，应根据自身情况选择合适的补充剂。

https://astralcodexten.substack.com/p/highlights-from-the-comments-on-supplement

[Original post here: How Trustworthy Are Supplements?]

1: AvalancheGenesis writes:

I think the bigger issue is that the industry as a whole sort of exists as solutions-in-search-of-problems...deficiencies really aren't that common, or even meaningfully health-affecting unless dire. (Fairly-arbitrary worldwide differences in target levels of IUs also remains puzzling.) Discerning customers can benefit from targeted supplementation. But that's not the median supplement purchaser, far from it. The median supplement user is more like...my former coworker who claimed he never got colds because he took 1000% vitC pills every single day, or whatever. At some point, the explanatory process for That's Not How It Works At All is just too long, so...let people believe things. Supplements are surely an easier way to sell hope and agency than most options. At least he picked something water-soluble and cared about proper hydration.

Vitamin C probably doesn’t prevent colds in the general population, though some studies suggest it does prevent colds in athletes, and there’s some medium-quality evidence that it might shorten colds a little once you have them.

The supplements I find more interesting are things like melatonin for sleep, ashwagandha or silexan for anxiety, SAMe for depression, or caffeine + theanine for focus. All of these are useful, supported by studies, and good alternatives to medications that some people don’t tolerate well. I’m using mental health examples because that’s the subject I know about, but there are probably examples in other fields too (probiotics for digestive problems).

Some commenters chimed in to discuss supplements that have anecdotally worked for them (1, 2, 3). And Elizabeth’s story here is also a good example of how I think about this.