Gummy Candies, Pills and Mushrooms: The Dietary Supplement Craze

Dietary supplements are sold without a prescription, and influencers recommend them. Experts warn: excessive consumption can be harmful, and marketing promises are misleading. Dr. Guy Shalmon and Prof. Michal Shapira explain the dangers and the perceptual shift from supplement as a deficiency filler to endless self-improvement.

Dietary supplements are sold in Israel without a prescription, and social media influencers can freely recommend them. The article reviews the craze around supplements such as gummy candies for hair, pills and powders for fat burning, and warns of possible harm from excessive consumption. Dr. Guy Shalmon, a clinical dietitian and exercise physiologist, explains that overconsumption can damage the body, and that companies exploit unqualified influencers to market their products. Prof. Michal Shapira from the Ono Academic College notes a perceptual shift: in the past, supplements were seen as filling deficiencies; today they are marketed as tools for continuous self-improvement with no end point. Most consumers do not know how to read studies on supplements and rely on marketing cues such as the words "natural" or "advanced formula."