5 Health Supplements to Avoid: You're Wasting Your Money!

I'm going to tell you about 5 health functional foods that are a waste of money and you should absolutely avoid. Many people look for and purchase health functional foods like vitamins and omega-3s to take care of their health. But did you know that there are some foods or supplements that are a waste of money? Please keep this in mind when making a purchase.

1. Enzyme Products

Health functional foods that are a waste of money. The first one is enzyme products. Companies advertise them as if they are alive, but enzymes are not living microorganisms or bacteria. Enzymes were originally health functional foods, but due to a lack of scientific evidence supporting their effectiveness, they were even removed from the category of health functional foods.
 
Furthermore, for enzymes to enter our bodies and function, specific temperature and acidity levels must be simultaneously met, but these two conditions are incredibly difficult to achieve at the same time.
 
Therefore, most enzyme products sold on the market are unlikely to have any effect when consumed. Bromelain, a protein-digesting enzyme that many people consume, is a prime example of an enzyme that doesn't readily activate in the body.
 
There is no research whatsoever on what temperature and acidity levels activate grain-fermented enzymes or cereal-fermented enzymes that flood SNS. Therefore, believing fake reviews on the internet or SNS and consuming enzymes for swelling, weight loss, detoxification, and immunity purposes is simply being taken advantage of.

2. V-Line Products, Products that Claim to Reduce Swelling

The second type of product that is a waste of money is V-line products and products that claim to reduce swelling. If you look closely at products that claim to reduce swelling or create a V-line, you'll notice commonalities. They claim to prevent swelling caused by consuming salty foods. In other words, products that aim to reduce swelling caused by underlying health issues or weight gain cannot eliminate the swelling. The problem is that they don't even work properly for swelling caused by eating salty foods.
 
Swelling products often contain powders or extracts of fruits and vegetables like bananas, pumpkins, beets, moringa, and corn silk, which are known to be rich in potassium.
 
Potassium can help eliminate sodium from the body, which can prevent swelling caused by eating salty foods. However, the problem is that significant effects are seen only when consuming large quantities of these ingredients in their raw form, where sufficient potassium is ingested. Consuming powders, extracts, and juices used in swelling products simply won't produce any effect.
 
There are also products that claim to reduce swelling by incorporating various herbal medicines. How much of these herbal medicines would be in one stick pack? Moreover, herbal medicines are unpleasant to the taste, so it's difficult to add them in large quantities.
 
Instead of consuming such foods, please visit a Korean medicine clinic (한의원) and get a prescription for herbal medicine. Consuming foods or supplements that claim to detoxify or create a V-line is simply a waste of money. If you've eaten salty food, it's much better to simply eat a banana.

3. Probiotic Products Without the Health Functional Food Mark

The third type of product that is a waste of money is probiotic products without the health functional food mark. When purchasing supplements, it's best to avoid products without the health functional food mark.
 
In particular, you should be especially cautious of probiotics. If a probiotic or prebiotic product doesn't have the health functional food mark, avoid consuming it. Creating such products is simply unethical.
 
Why do I advise against consuming health functional food probiotic products? It's because you can't tell what condition the probiotics are in, how many are added, or how many are still alive.
 
There could be only one probiotic remaining, or the raw materials used could have all the probiotics dead due to poor storage conditions. Even if they advertise it as containing live probiotics, there's no legal issue as long as they don't make functional claims, unless it is a health functional food product.

4. Film-Type Propolis Products

The fourth type of product that is a waste of money is film-type propolis products. Most film-type propolis products are not health functional foods, so you can't know the propolis content or flavonoid content used. The reason why children eat these products so well is because the manufacturers focused on taste rather than propolis content when creating the product. These types of products won't have any effect no matter how long you consume them.
 
While you might find film-type propolis products classified as health functional foods, I don't recommend them either. This is because the flavonoid content is extremely low, even if they are classified as health functional foods. The reason why the flavonoid content is ridiculously low in these health functional foods is that there are no regulations that specify 'the flavonoid content must be at least this much' when creating oral antibacterial propolis products.
 
In other words, they are only superficially health functional foods, and they can simply add a bit more propolis than regular foods. If a film-type propolis product has sufficient propolis content and flavonoid content, then it's okay to consume it.

5. Complex Functional Psyllium Husk Products

The final type of product that is a waste of money, the fifth one, is complex functional psyllium husk products. It's best to avoid products that contain psyllium husk along with other functional ingredients.
 
This is because psyllium husk is excreted as stool, and other functional ingredients that are mixed in can also be excreted along with the psyllium husk. Ultimately, the probiotics don't play any role, simply entering our mouths and then being excreted as stool.
 
Of course, some functional ingredients that are quickly absorbed or dissolved in our bodies might escape the psyllium husk gel and be absorbed to some extent, even if they are trapped within it. However, a significant portion of these ingredients will inevitably be excreted along with the psyllium husk.
 
Therefore, when choosing psyllium husk products, select those that don't contain other functional ingredients. Also, it's best to avoid taking other supplements when consuming psyllium husk.