By Dr. Alex Teo
Dr Alex Teo is the research, development and scientific affairs director for Herbalife Nutrition in Asia Pacific.
Consumers today are demonstrating a significantly higher understanding of health and wellness, increasingly aware of the importance of staying in the pink of health to avoid a visit to the clinic or hospital.
Preventive healthcare is vital to consumers in Asia Pacific (APAC), with 92% saying that it is important to their overall well-being, and an even higher 95% in Malaysia, according to a recent study by Herbalife.
Many are taking steps to improve their health, including intentionally making healthier food choices, exercising and taking health supplements.
Today, supplements are seen as a way to support general health, boost immunity, and help individuals achieve their health goals. It is not uncommon for doctors, nutritionists, healthcare companies, and even friends to recommend supplements.
Indeed, two in five consumers in Malaysia take supplements regularly, according to Herbalife’s survey of 9,000 consumers across 11 markets in May 2025. At the same time, it also revealed a worrying trend – only 65% of the people surveyed expressed confidence in whether they are making responsible supplement decisions.
Making responsible supplement choices means obtaining a thorough understanding of a health supplement product’s ingredient composition, product quality, recommended dosages, consumption limits and possible interactions with other supplements and medication. Without thorough knowledge, consumers could find it challenging to benefit from safe and effective supplementation and bolster their preventive healthcare efforts.
Consumers’ knowledge gap
To overcome this challenge, it is important to understand where the gaps are in consumers’ knowledge of supplements. Across age groups, Herbalife’s study found that consumers are unclear about how to take supplements safely and effectively. Worryingly, they are not aware of the appropriate dosage and the upper limits for the supplements that they are consuming, especially if they are taking a combination of supplements. Among the Malaysian participants, 24% are unaware of the effects of over-consuming a health supplement.
From the study, half of the Boomer respondents in APAC consume supplements daily, but only 30% are concerned about making informed supplement choices, making them the least concerned group. They are also the least confident, with just 42% expressing confidence in their supplement decisions compared to other age groups.
In contrast, Gen Zs are the strongest believers of making informed decisions (47%) and most confident (58%) in their ability to make good supplement decisions.
Another area of concern is that consumers do not have enough knowledge of how their supplements could interact with their medications. For instance, St. John’s Wort could potentially reduce the effectiveness of medications such as warfarin and certain statins.
Another example is with the use of calcium supplements that are commonly taken to build and maintain strong bones. Excessive intake could cause hypercalcemia, a condition in which the calcium level in the blood becomes too high and results in weakened bones and kidney stones.
Herbalife’s survey found that 59% of the Malaysian respondents are not aware of the daily upper limits for calcium consumption, while 74% are not aware of the effects of over-consuming calcium.
A shared responsibility is key
On a more positive note, Malaysian respondents acknowledge they themselves have a crucial role to play, with 84% recognising the importance of making good decisions. The issue, however, is not just for consumers alone as both supplement providers and consumers have a role to play.
While consumers today have easy access to information, making good supplement choices requires considerable effort. They need to study labels, conduct their own research, and seek guidance from credible sources.
In parallel, consumers need more proactive input from trusted professionals who bring a science-based approach to supplementation. While around half of the Malaysian consumers surveyed by Herbalife look to doctors or nutritionists (58%) to guide their supplement decision-making process, there are also many who do not do so.
Hence, multiple parties have a role to play here. Consumers should seek out the right advice and information, healthcare professionals must provide science-backed advice, and supplement providers have to offer clear labelling and transparent communications about how to consume supplements safely. To back up these efforts, stringent product quality controls, validation, safety and efficacy assurance must form the baseline on which consumer trust in supplements is built.
Paving the way for better health
From Herbalife’s study, consumers believe that supplementation plays an important role in improving health and well-being, which underlines the importance of ensuring that the right supplements are consumed correctly.
To drive better health outcomes, supplement providers need to work hand-in-hand with consumers to support their health goals. Nutrition companies can play a bigger role as nutrition thought leaders, while supplement-related consumer education should be stepped up to empower consumers to make better supplement choices. Doing so will pave the way for responsible supplementation to be a way of life for consumers across the region, helping them to better succeed in staying healthy for longer.
