Do Dietary Supplements Make Economic Sense?

Bad economic times may negatively impact our health, or they may not. A recent survey by CRN shows that many have chosen health as a priority and won't compromise spending on dietary supplements to keep themselves healthy.

It's not always easy though, a poor economy can cause you to drink, drive, eat, work too much or may not get enough sleep because you're stressed. While an economic downturn my affect our lifestyle somewhat, there's no clear-cut evidence about the bad times being absolutely unhealthy, explores an NYT piece.

The CRN survey found that 51 percent of consumers don't intend to cut back their supplement routine and 13 percent of dietary supplement consumers considered supplements as an essential part of their wellness routine that they couldn't do without. Experts think it's encouraging, that despite a bad economy a majority of adults want to invest in their health by using dietary supplements.

So Is It Really Worth Spending On Dietary Supplements?

Investment in health is good, but consumers also need to invest wisely. More so, because dietary supplements aren't regulated the way pharmaceutical drugs are. And there are no provisions in the law for the FDA “to 'approve' dietary supplements for safety or effectiveness before they reach the consumer." The FDA only has the "responsibility for showing that a dietary supplement is 'unsafe,' before it can take action to restrict the product's use or removal from the marketplace."

Much of the responsibility for making claims is that of manufacturers, and for accepting those rests with consumers. While there are guidelines for manufacturers on labeling of products, verifying promotional statements for validity is a consumer's prerogative. Not all dietary supplements are the same and there are enough examples where supplements may be harmful, e.g. adverse events, inefficacy, contraindication, etc.

I think while investing in dietary supplements makes health sense, spending on the right ones makes economic sense too. Especially during tough times such as now.

Btw, 10 Tips To Stay Healthy should also help in keeping us sturdy during the economic recession.