Talking about dietary supplements in 2025 may or may not be foreign to many users in this digital era. In one way or another, you may have found yourself turning to a supplement store when feeling tired, anxious, lethargic or generally out of shape due to an illness or disease.
With influencers, media personnel, friends and some family members claiming that supplements have really changed their life, so you got try it out of curiosity.
Most people turn to supplements oblivious of their impact or general effect in their bodies hoping to get a quick fix for their problem, but the truth is there are no any quick fixes to any problem.
It is easier and tempting to reach out for a do-it-yourself remedy for any health concern, especially if you have been troubled for so long. This might be through de-stressing yourself or fixing an energy slump in your body through natural remedies.
However, one thing that you need to know is that not all supplements are created equal and therefore you as a consumer, need to be cautious, do your own research as well as getting professional advice from your doctor, nutritionist or pharmacist before clearing the shelves.
The supplement industry continues growing like never before. Its estimated revenue generated from vitamins and minerals market amounts to $193.60 million in 2025 and is projected to an annual growth rate of 7.63 per cent from 2025-29 (CAGR 2025-2029).
Globally, China generates the highest revenue in the vitamins and minerals market. Kenya hasn’t been left behind, with the growing health-conscious population across the country, is driving the demand for vitamins and minerals in the over the counter (OTC) pharmaceuticals market.
History of supplements
Supplements first came into existence in the early 20th century back in 1926 when the first vitamin was isolated and chemically defined.
At this time clinicians focused more on single nutrient diseases which led to the identification and isolation of different essential vitamins and minerals. By the mid-20th century all major vitamins and minerals had been isolated and synthesised through their identification in human and animal studies.
As a result, scientists and clinicians proved the basis of major nutritional deficiencies which led to the development of strategies to tackle diseases such as scurvy (Vitamin C), beriberi (Vitamin B1), Pellagra (Vit. B3), rickets (Vit. D), pernicious anaemias (Vit. B12) and other deficiencies.
Continued usage of this single vitamins to treat various deficiencies, quickly led to the birth of modern-day supplement industry through the sale of single vitamins and bundled multivitamins and minerals to guard against deficiencies.
Thus, dietary supplement was eventually defined by the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) in 1994 as “a product (other than tobacco) intended to supplement the diet that bears or contains one or more of the following dietary ingredients; a vitamin, mineral, an amino acid a herb or other botanical or a dietary substance for use by man to supplement the diet by increasing the total dietary intake; or a concentrate, metabolite, constituent, extract, or combination of any ingredient described.”
This definition set out a clear boundary between normal foods consumed from supplements taken for nutritional benefits. It is also important to note that the Food and Drug Administration, does not regulate/review the safety and effectiveness of dietary supplement before being marketed.
However, they are always keen on any new ingredient
being added to supplements prior to marketing. Hence manufacturers who would
like to add any new ingredient must file a New Dietary Ingredient, to ensure
that the ingredient added is safe for human consumption.
Who regulates dietary supplements?
The FDA does not regulate dietary supplements; they are regulated under DSHEA as a special category of foods overseen by programmes under FDA’s centre for food safety and nutrition.
Therefore, quality control and safety of the ingredients used majorly depend on the manufacturer to ensure that the finished product meets all the requirements by DSHEA and other FDA labelling regulations. However, there are other certification agencies that ensure that whatever you are getting is of high quality with guaranteed benefits. These certifications include:
Good Manufacturing Practice:
Regulates manufacturing process, packaging, labelling and holding of dietary
supplements to ensure its quality.
Federal Trade Commission: Regulates advertisements of dietary supplements through deceptive information, un-competitiveness and unfair practices to consumers.
Due to rapid growth of supplement industry, rapid addition of new ingredients and lack of approval of FDA on dietary supplements. Independent third-party certifications came in place to help offer quality assurance to dietary supplements in the market place. These certifications include ConsumerLab.com, National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) international and US Pharmacopeia (USP).
These organisations test dietary supplements as finished products, that is, pills, powders, liquids, drinks and sport and energy products. Products are tested for identity, ingredient quality, strength (quantity), purity, and, as applicable, freshness (e.g. liquid oils) and disintegration (e.g. tablets).
Thus, they ensure that these supplements meet the minimum acceptable contaminants such as heavy metals, microbes, furans as well as harmful levels of toxic botanicals.
This said, the rise and growing market of supplements just shows how people have become mindful of their health and wellbeing with the current fear of the adverse effects of conventional medications, people are gravitating towards natural supplements.
Another evidence is the rise of fitness and wellness centres as a hobby or general well being with personalised nutrition care, which takes care of exercise, nutrition and fitness for overall wellbeing. It is important to note that artificial dietary supplements are completely different from natural supplements that are food grown or food based.
Despite all of them being supplements, the side effects of artificial supplement in the body might exacerbate your condition leaving you much worse than before.
Therefore, it is important to read through the ingredient label of every supplement to ensure it has less to zero fillers or additives, also the supplement should be food-based or food grown for it to be considered natural supplement.
