How to Tell If Your Supplements Are Fake (Before You Waste Money)

💬 Are your supplements helping you… or are you just paying for sawdust?

The supplement industry is booming, but it’s also one of the easiest industries to fake. In this episode, Dr Karan is joined by Dr Darshan Shah (surgeon and longevity expert) to break down what actually works, what’s likely a waste of money, and how to avoid supplements that can genuinely cause harm.

⚡We cover contamination, Amazon “ratings”, the creatine gummy scandal, drug interactions, GLP-1 supplement marketing, and the simple blood tests that help you figure out what YOU actually need.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡ Why so many supplements don’t contain what the label says

➡ The “essentials” most people are missing (and how to test for them)

➡ Why gummies are often just expensive sweets

➡ The supplement mistake that can mess with blood tests, surgery and medications

➡ How to spot quality: third-party testing, COAs and real dosing

➡ Why GLP-1 “supplements” are mostly marketing

➡ The simplest framework to stop wasting money

#DrKaran #HealthPodcast #MedicalScience #HealthEducation #Supplements #Creatine #Longevity #GutHealth

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📕 Chapters

(0:00) Coming up (episode teaser)

(0:56) Intro: Dr Darshan Shah returns (supplements, quality, and what actually works)

(1:51) The real problem: “unregulated” quality + fake Amazon ratings

(3:36) Dr Shah’s supplement stack (and why powders make compliance easier)

(4:50) Creatine: why he takes it (and how much)

(8:43) Creatine + poor sleep: the cognition link

(11:24) The patient story: supplements causing blood sugar spikes

(14:33) Supplements are chemicals: liver injury + drug interactions

(15:45) Dr Karan’s creatine kidney scare (creatinine vs real kidney function)

(18:57) Sponsor: LOAM

(20:06) The creatine gummy scandal: “I was basically eating Haribo”

(22:18) A simple consumer playbook: the “bell curve” of supplement users

(24:06) The essentials list (what most people actually need)

(27:02) The 3 buckets: dose, form, and evidence (why gummies usually fail)

(29:58) Should you use PubMed (and how not to get misled by studies)

(34:48) Why almost no supplement companies run real trials

(36:42) “Black labelling”: influencer supplements as a cash grab

(38:43) Surgery story: the St John’s Wort mistake that wouldn’t stop bleeding

(43:22) How to check quality: third-party testing, heavy metals, and COAs

(48:07) Sponsor: Throne

(49:05) GLP-1 “supplements”: marketing 101 vs real value

(51:46) Where to start: the key blood tests to guide supplements

(53:20) Does supplement timing matter (or is consistency the real win)?

(54:28) Omega-3 quality: fish oil vs algae vs krill

(56:48) Red flags: proprietary blends + choosing the right magnesium forms

(57:59) Next-gen probiotics vs the simplest lever: fibre

(1:03:12) Dr Shah’s “simple stack” recap

(1:03:45) Closing

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