A few weeks ago, Explain It to Me — Vox’s weekly call-in podcast — went on a field trip to our local Whole Foods supplement aisle, where there were powders and pills and tinctures galore. These supplements promised to do everything from reducing wrinkles, to maintaining focus, to keeping your gut biome intact. But how much of that is true?

According to Anahad O’Conner, health columnist at the Washington Post, supplements can be a mixed bag. But despite the dubious evidence behind some of them, a lot of us are taking these pills and potions. “The best statistics we have show that at least 60 percent of people in the United States alone use dietary supplements,” he said. “And that’s just one supplement or more. I know one doctor who had told a story of a patient who was taking 121 supplements in a day.”

How do we navigate the dizzying world of supplements? And what actually works as advertised? Below is an excerpt of our conversation with O’Connor, edited for length and clarity. You can listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts. If you’d like to submit a question, send an email to askvox@vox.com or call 1-800-618-8545.

We’re taking these products to feel better, but are they actually making us feel better?

There could be the placebo effect where people take supplements and think they’re getting benefits.

There have been studies showing that selenium is really good for your health and essential, and vitamin E is really good for your health, and it’s essential. And scientists will say, “Okaym we need to figure out what doses we should be telling people to take........

© Vox