Health and Food Supplements Information Service (HSIS) responds to Make Me Well by Xand Van Tulleken

In response to Make Me Well: The Truth About the Wellness Industry, Supplements, and Personalised Health by Xand van Tulleken – published today (Thursday 10 September) Dr Carrie Ruxton, dietician from the Health And Food Supplements Information Service – www.hsis.org –  explains why a healthy balanced diet can include appropriate supplementation to help bridge any dietary gaps.

Dr Carrie Ruxton says: “A healthy, varied diet should always come first. But presenting vitamin and mineral supplements as unnecessary or dangerous ignores both the evidence on how people in Britain actually eat and the fact that supplements sold in the UK and European Union are regulated. Vitamin D is the clearest example of why a simplistic “food is always enough” message doesn’t work. Few foods naturally contain much vitamin D and, in the UK, sunlight cannot reliably provide enough during autumn and winter. Government advice is that everyone should consider taking a daily vitamin D supplement during the autumn and winter.

The uncomfortable reality is that millions of people are not meeting recommended intakes for key nutrients. The latest National Diet and Nutrition Survey 2019-2023[1], summarised in the new report “Dietary deficits and future health and wellness fallouts: why we all need to future-proof our diets” which was published by HSIS in July 2026, reveals substantial shortfalls, particularly among teenagers, women and older people. These are not theoretical imperfections in an otherwise ideal diet; some groups persistently have intakes below the Lower Reference Nutrient Intake (LRNI), a level likely to be sufficient for fewer than 3% of people. Dr Carrie Ruxton explains further: “That does not mean every product sold online is suitable for every person, or that “more” is better. People should buy from reputable retailers, follow the label, avoid taking several high-dose products at the same time, and seek advice from a healthcare professional if pregnant, taking prescription medicines or managing a chronic health condition.”

 In response to claims in the book that the supplements industry makes misleading claims about disease prevention, Dr Ruxton notes: “This is untrue. For the past 20 years, it has been illegal in the UK and European Union to claim that a dietary supplement can treat, cure or prevent a disease. That includes cancer, heart disease, diabetes, obesity and the common cold. However, certain nutrients are permitted to carry authorised health claims, such as vitamin D contributing to the normal function of the immune system, which must not be presented as a claim to prevent or treat a specific disease. Supplements from reputable companies are not being advertised in this way.

“It’s a fact – and Dr Xand van Tulleken acknowledges this in his book – that people don’t get enough fruit, vegetables and other healthy foods. This has a major impact on our diets and explains why a large percentage of us are at risk of deficiency. For example, a fifth of teens and adults are vitamin D deficient according to the government’s own definition. A third of women and girls don’t meet even the minimum daily iron recommendation and one in ten are iron deficient – this is in the National Diet and Nutrition Survey, which is funded by the UK government.

The UK and European food-supplement sectors operate within detailed legal frameworks covering permitted vitamin and mineral forms, composition, manufacturing and food safety, labelling, dose instructions and nutrition and health claims. Claims on pack and in marketing messages must be authorised and supported by scientific evidence; labels must state the recommended daily amount and warn people not to exceed it. European scientific bodies also establish ‘tolerable upper intake levels’ to guide safe use.

Dr Ruxton adds “The food supplement industry in the UK is regulated to ensure safety of ingredients and legality of marketing claims. That is a good thing and gives people the reassurance they need that their daily nutrient top-up is a worthwhile part of their diet.”

[1] National Diet and Nutrition Survey 2019 to 2023 – GOV.UK