The Problem with Googling

Why you can't trust online search results when researching supplements

We love the internet for everything from cat videos to shopping to research. But you can't trust it for researching supplements. Here's why.

The internet is a huge economic engine, so we all know it's hard to find information that isn't skewed by advertising dollars or companies with deep pockets.

So, when you search for the "best blender" or the "best laptop," the search engines return pages of results, many of which appear to come from legitimate, unbiased reviewers.

But the truth is those reviewers are frequently publishers whose real goal is maximizing revenues. They do it by taking product placement or referral fees from the companies whose products they claim to evaluate. Then they optimize their pages for search engines and/or pay to place them at the top of your search results.

All that careful, behind-the-scenes manipulation means there are few - if any - unbiased reviews. Even so, the system usually works for many products. That's because publishers are generally "reviewing" (e.g., promoting) the top-selling products, which are frequently the best.

But that economic manipulation of search results doesn't give you trustworthy information about nutritional supplements.

The online supplement industry is a huge, fast-growing business. The largest companies and the most popular products are NOT the best in their category. Instead, the top-selling products are often those backed by the biggest conglomerates or the most aggressive venture capitalists. Their goal isn't to improve your health; it's to grow their profits - which might mean cutting corners or using lower-quality ingredients.

The best nutritional supplements are produced by specialized companies and are only sold to healthcare professionals. By definition, they aren't the most popular products on the internet, so publishers who chase ad dollars and referral fees have never heard of them, much less "reviewed" them. So, when you search for the "best" supplements, the information you get is misleading.

Thankfully, there is a solution.

Your healthcare professional has unique expertise in this area and carefully vets all the products they recommend. Plus, they are motivated to improve your health. They are ultimately going to save you money by recommending high-quality products that are well-matched to your health.

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