
Why is there a supplement craze if they don’t even work?
From Planet Money by NPR
June 5, 2026 · 35 min
About this episode
The episode explores the booming supplement industry and the lack of regulation that fuels its growth.
One reason the $70 billion supplement industry is set to double in the next seven years? Lax regulation. On today's show, we tell the story of a century-long battle between the U.S. government and … you , the people, blinded by your love of a magic pill. We’re talking about protein powders, pre-workouts, creatine, stuff for gut health, joint health, vitamin C, turmeric supplements. All that. You might not wanna hear this. Sources mentioned in the episode: Marion Nestle, Food Politics Catherine Price, Vitamania Support: Planet Money+ Read: Our book: Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life Our weekly longform Planet Money newsletter Our weekly Indicator round-up newsletter Follow: Instagram TikTok YouTube Facebook This episode was hosted by Sarah Gonzalez and Jane Black. It was produced by Sam Yellowhorse Kesler, edited by Marianne McCune, and fact checked by Sierra Juarez with help with Vito Emanuel. It was engineered by Robert Rodriguez with help from Jimmy Keeley. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money ’s executive producer. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship…
People in this episode
Hosts: Sarah Gonzalez, Jane Black
Topics covered
- supplement industry
- regulation
- health
- consumer behavior
- nutrition
Keywords
- supplements
- protein powders
- pre-workouts
- creatine
- vitamins
- health products
- regulation
- consumer trends
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Food Politics
Books & works: Vitamania
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