An investigation into the £171 billion UK wellness industry by consumer group Which? and ITV has found vitamins on sale at 5 times the safe upper limit stated by the NHS – which could have serious side effects if taken daily.
A shocking investigation into the £171 billion UK wellness industry has found vitamins on sale at 5 times the safe upper limit stated by the NHS.
Consumer organisation Which? joined forces with ITV’s Tonight programme for a deep dive into wellness – the fifth largest industry in the world.
They discovered wellbeing supplements for sale online in doses far higher than is considered safe to consume on a daily basis.
One product contained 1,250 micrograms of Vitamin D per tablet – 12.5 times the safe daily amount recommended by the NHS.
Consistently taking too much Vitamin D can lead to increased blood pressure, weakened bones and kidney failure.
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Oli Patrick, a physiologist and wellbeing expert, says: “Wellness is a wild west of people telling people what wellness is.. The constant bombardment of people who look perfect, sound perfect, and allegedly feel perfect is really challenging for the average person, who just wants to feel a bit more well.”
Shefalee Loth from Which? warns we could be wasting our money on unsafe supplements. She says: “We’ve found supplements that are in really high doses. Doses that are way higher than are safe to be consumed on a daily basis.” Which? also found injectable supplements for sale online, which should only be available on prescription from a doctor.
She continues: “We want online marketplaces to be held accountable for what they’re selling. We also want to see better regulation at a government level and stricter rules, so that unsafe high dose supplements can’t be sold to consumers. If you are buying supplements online, look at the dose, check how much of your daily requirement it meets. If it’s way in excess – don’t take it.”
After finding high doses of vitamin B12, imported from Spain and India, which aren’t legal to sell in the UK, Which? approached the online marketplaces responsible – AliExpress and Etsy -for comment. Etsy said: “The listings flagged by Which? are no longer available on our marketplace, and our team is actively monitoring for any injectable supplements that violate this policy.”
Ali Express also said it has removed the high strength Vitamin D supplement found by Which? adding it “takes product safety very seriously” and has “strict rules and policies in place” to ensure that “all third party sellers must comply with the law”. A Department of Health spokesperson said any benefits claimed by sellers of supplements need to be backed by evidence, adding: “Companies that break these rules may be subject to enforcement action by local authorities”.
Collagen supplements have also been scrutinised by the Tonight team. Sold as tablets or powder, collagen is a protein most commonly found in animal skin, bones and oily fish, with claimed benefits including improving our skin, and supporting joints. In a survey last year, 10% of adults said they’d used collagen, with nearly a third spending £20 to £50 on it per month.
Dr Ophelia Veraitch, a consultant dermatologist, is sceptical about its effectiveness, saying: “I think the claims can often be misleading. If patients have got specific concerns about their skin or hair or joints, they should go and see a specialist in that area and get treatments that actually do work.”
But the wellness industry continues to thrive. Nationwide survey results released this month found almost a fifth of us will spend up to £200 a month on wellness. Former actress Davinia Taylor, now a wellbeing advocate with more than a million followers on social media, started ‘biohacking’ – a DIY approach to wellness, optimising physical and mental performance – after suffering postnatal depression.
Davinia, who gave up alcohol and ultra processed food and carbohydrates, says her real turning point came when she tried MCT oil, a food supplement made from concentrated fats, which the body absorbs and converts into energy. Davinia explains: “Women of our generation have been told to fear fat, that it’s really bad for you, but those fatty acids fuel your brain.
“I’m not inventing the wheel. Good fats, good proteins, you’re satisfied. Bone broth used to be in our gravy, it used to be in our stews. It’s just the basics and we’ve just forgotten how to use it.”
Can technology improve wellness?
ITV Presenter Charlotte Hawkins tested an Oura ring, which is fitted with tiny sensors to monitor a range of body functions including heart rate and sleep – costing £349, plus £70 annual membership for the app. Results revealed her biological age to be seven years younger than her actual age, with strong scores for nutrition. But they flagged consistently high stress levels, driven by a relentlessly busy life of early mornings and long days, juggling work and family.
She says: “My biological age is lower than my actual age, which I’m very relieved about. Good news also on nutrition. But the bad news really is my stress levels. If I don’t do something about that, then that could be serious.”
But Dr Rachael Kent, from King’s College London, warns that wellness technology can have a negative effect. She says: “Over relying on the device is problematic, because we’re not listening to how we think and feel on our own bodies. We don’t feel like we’ve accomplished anything unless we capture some data about it.”
How about fitness?
Exercise can protect against major illnesses and reduce our chances of early death by up to 30%. Mum of three Charlotte, a regular gym goer, now gets tailored advice on areas like sleep and nutrition through a new ‘wellness’ membership.
As well as working out at the gym, Charlotte now sets aside time to meditate and do extra stretching exercises at home. Everyone Active has rolled out the scheme nationwide – basing the wellness programme on advice from government guidelines and scientific studies.
Caroline Leek launched ‘MenoBox’ classes in Catford, South East London, and says: “When you get inside into a boxing class, you can’t think of any anxieties, you can’t think of anything, because you have to think about your feet, your guard, your punching and everything.
“Women get out of this session a physical workout, a big physical work because boxing is intense. You’re kind of working on core muscles which are really important. And then people come for that – ‘I just want to get some a bit of aggression out.’
“You get a constructive way of using your anger essentially, hitting something as hard as you want with no repercussions.”
And mushrooms?
Chinese medicine has used mushrooms, which contain compounds with potential health benefits, for centuries, but there’s no proof they improve wellness. Ade Rose runs The Pendle Mushroom Company, making tinctures – a type of liquid herbal extract – in his lab in Bolton-by-Bowland, Lancashire.
Made by soaking mushrooms in alcohol and water to draw out special compounds, they allegedly have huge health benefits. And small-scale scientific studies have suggested lion’s mane mushroom could combat some menopausal symptoms. Ade says: “The amount of handshakes and hugs I’ve had off of people that said it’s made a real difference in their lives.”
Wellness: What Really Works? Will air on Thursday at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX
