Biotin is supposed to strengthen hair and nails, certain omega-3 fatty acids improve concentration and stimulate turmeric the immune system. Whether as a powder, tablet or oil – many people in Germany swallow food supplements in the hope of promoting health and well -being.
Such preparations are also a big issue on social media: influencers swear by the effects of certain products and apply them specifically in their videos.
Tikok shop could continue to fuel this trend, feared experts. Because this could buy the nutritional supplements presented in the clips directly in the short video app – without finding more information about it or thinking about whether you actually need them. In addition to expensive spontaneous purchases, this could have other side effects.
Who takes dietary supplements?
To anticipate it: According to the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BFR) in Berlin, healthy people who eat balanced and varied food generally do not require any dietary supplements. A representative BFR study from last autumn shows a different picture: According to this, 77 percent of the approximately 1,000 respondents have taken dietary supplements in the past twelve months, 63 percent of them even weekly.
According to the BfR expert Mark Lohmann, the increased proportion of young people who swallowed vitamins, minerals or other substances is striking. In an earlier study, it was mainly people aged 50 and over. “The younger people hardly played a role there, and that has changed now.”
His guess: social media could have contributed to this. After all, 45 percent of the respondents stated that they were informed about dietary supplements by influencers or social media – and 81 percent of them actually took some.
What are the consequences of TikK shop?
The problem with influencers, Angela Clausen from the Consumer Center North Rhine-Westphalia says that their followers regard them as a kind of friends. “And if friends recommend something that supposedly helped them fantastic, then I would rather try it.”
In addition, you can Tiktok It is quick in a bladder because the algorithm always suggests similar content: This could quickly lead you to the next from an influencer including ordering option. “I hope that parents have granted the money tap on their young people in their cell phones so that they cannot easily order.”
In any case, the risk of rash spontaneous purchases with Tikok shop, psychologist Astrid Müller from the Hannover Medical School emphasizes. «The time to think about it again is immense. The wish arises and can be ordered immediately. » This increases the risk of sliding into a buying addiction. Young people are particularly at risk – exactly the group in which Tikok is particularly popular.
How are dietary supplements presented?
What many people do not know: Dietary supplements are considered food. Unlike medicines, you do not need an official approval, explains the Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety. There are no legal quantities for vitamins and minerals. But there are Recommendations from the BfR.
Which ingredients are in a dietary supplement, how much of the advertised vitamins are in it, who shouldn’t take the product? Consumer advocate Clausen is skeptical that you can get these information actually prescribed in the short clips on TikTok or other social media platforms. The experiences already showed that advertising statements on social media are often misleading and violating applicable law, she says.
In one study Pharmacologists from the Hanover Medical School analyzed around 100 nutritional supplements that had advertised influencers on Instagram between 2021 and 2023. About two thirds exceeded the recommended maximum daily amounts without referring to the negative consequences of overdose, the authors write. Contraindications or unwanted effects have also insufficiently addressed influencers.
What risks are there?
The consequences can be anything but harmless. Example vitamin D, where BfR expert Lohmann observes a hype. “There are also overdoses, some of which are 60 times above the recommended amount of daily maximum.” This could lead to increased calcium concentration in the blood and finally kidney insufficiency.
Calcium -containing nutritional supplements, in turn, could reduce the effect of antibiotics, biotin falsification at laboratory tests, for example, the thyroid values and cardiovascular markers that could indicate a heart attack. “This is usually not known,” says Lohmann. Experts therefore recommend that you do not simply swallow nutritional supplements, but only to consult a doctor.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 250418-930-449317/1
