Supplements

Supplements: The Untold Risks Behind the Wellness Hype

For years, supplements have enjoyed an almost sacred status in the wellness world. Seen as safe, natural, and a smarter alternative to pharmaceuticals, they’re sold in supermarkets, pharmacies, influencer feeds, and health food stores across Australia.

But what happens when “natural” isn’t harmless?

Liver failure, toxicity, and the supplement blind spot

A growing body of international research is highlighting what Australian regulators and consumers have been slow to confront: supplements are not risk-free. A 2022 study in Liver Transplantation found that supplement-related liver failure in the U.S. had increased eightfold over 25 years. In Australia, adverse reactions to complementary medicines—including liver damage, kidney stress, and drug interactions—have quietly made their way into hospital admissions and TGA adverse event reports.

The TGA receives hundreds of reports of supplement-linked side effects each year. These range