Why is there a supplement craze if they don’t even work?

The $70 billion U.S. supplement industry operates in a regulatory "no man's land" where products face minimal oversight regarding safety or efficacy. Unlike pharmaceuticals, supplements do not require rigorous testing, and companies often bypass FDA scrutiny by self-certifying ingredients as "generally recognized as safe" through food-industry loopholes. This lack of accountability leads to significant product variability, with many items failing to contain the ingredients listed on their labels or, in extreme cases, causing adverse health effects like liver toxicity. Driven by a deep-seated consumer desire for "magic pills" and a history of successful industry lobbying, the market continues to expand. Ultimately, while scientific evidence rarely supports claims that supplements improve health for the average person, they persist as powerful placebos, offering psychological reassurance to millions of Americans.