The burgeoning menopause supplement industry, now valued at approximately £13 billion globally, is under fire for allegedly exploiting women's anxieties with products lacking scientific backing and often employing misleading marketing strategies. Doctor and broadcaster Xand van Tulleken, in an exposé adapted from his upcoming book, highlights how a misunderstanding of a key 2002 trial on Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) fueled a surge in demand for alternative wellness products.
The 2002 Women's Health Initiative (WHI) trial, which linked combined HRT to a 26% increase in breast cancer risk, was later found to be flawed, with the actual increased risk being a mere 0.5% over five years. However, the initial alarming headlines led many women to abandon HRT, inadvertently creating a lucrative market for supplements.
An analysis of 201 menopause supplements by a University College London medical student found a lack of consensus on ingredients, with not a single ingredient appearing in every product. The most common ingredient, Vitamin B6, was found in nearly 70% of supplements, sometimes at doses exceeding 4,000% of the recommended daily allowance, a level associated with nerve damage. Other supplements contained high doses of zinc, linked to urinary tract infections, or black cohosh, implicated in liver injury. Evidence supporting the efficacy of most ingredients for menopause symptoms, beyond Vitamin D and calcium, is scarce.
This supplement boom is inextricably linked to the influencer industry. With the global supplement market valued at over $200 billion, influencer marketing alone generated an estimated $6.8 billion in 2022. A former performance marketer for a large supplement company revealed that these businesses are data-driven operations, not health-focused ones. Products, often manufactured cheaply in China, are marketed through sophisticated digital advertising strategies that leverage social media content creators.
These creators, often not genuine influencers but individuals hired for short footage, are directed to produce dramatic 'before' and 'after' clips, frequently featuring "paid presenters" and "simulated results" in minuscule disclaimers. Thousands of hours of raw footage are then edited by low-cost teams in countries like El Salvador and the Philippines. This content is A/B tested to identify the most effective appeals, which often target common anxieties and insecurities. "Playing on people's anxiety or their worries is good for business," noted the former marketer.
Doctor Michael Greger, an anti-aging advocate, has stated that the immense profits in the diet and anti-aging industries create an irresistible temptation to promote products with unsubstantiated claims. The wellness industry's narrative emphasizes self-optimization through data and supplements, a premise that critics argue overlooks genuine well-being. The investigation suggests that many in the industry do not even use the products they sell, highlighting a disconnect between marketing promises and product reality.
