Which? says menopause supplements no better than cheap multivitamin
Consumer group Which? analysed 26 menopause supplements and found none contained the right nutrients in the right doses, with some costing up to 20 times a supermarket multivitamin.
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The story, neutrally told
Which? published an analysis concluding that supplements marketed for menopause are overpriced and no better than a basic supermarket multivitamin. The GuardianLC “Menopause supplements costing more than £400 a year are no better than a £22-a-year multivitamin, according to analysis by the consumer watchdog Which?.” Read at The Guardian ↗ Daily MailR “Supplements that claim to tackle symptoms of the menopause are overpriced and no better than a bog-standard multivitamin, researchers have concluded.” Read at Daily Mail ↗ Its nutritionists examined the active ingredients in 26 supplements aimed at women in perimenopause, menopause or over 45, sold by retailers such as Boots, Holland & Barrett and Superdrug. The GuardianLC “Nutritionists from Which? examined the active ingredients in 26 popular supplements sold by retailers such as Holland & Barrett, Boots and Amazon” Read at The Guardian ↗ Daily MailR “reviewed 26 supplements aimed at women going through the perimenopause, menopause or those over 45” Read at Daily Mail ↗ Which? said none contained the right combination of nutrients at appropriate doses for menopause, with many having doses too low to help or omitting important vitamins and minerals. The GuardianLC “none of the supplements it studied contained the correct nutrients in the right doses to support their use for menopause.” Read at The Guardian ↗ Daily MailR “not a single product analysed contained the right combination of nutrients at appropriate doses to support their use specifically for menopause.” Read at Daily Mail ↗
The comparison product was Asda's A-Z multivitamin at 6p a day (£22 a year), while Wild Nutrition's Women's 45+ Daily Multi Nutrient cost £1.27 a day (£468 a year) yet had 60mg of calcium and 30mg of magnesium, well below NHS recommended amounts. The GuardianLC “Asda’s A-Z Multivitamins & Minerals, costing 6p a day (£22 a year)” Read at The Guardian ↗ Daily MailR “it contains just 60mg of calcium and 30mg of magnesium, both way below the daily dose recommended by the NHS.” Read at Daily Mail ↗ The best-scoring product, Vitabiotics' Menopace Max, cost 93p a day (£340 a year), more than 15 times the multivitamin's price. The GuardianLC “The highest-scoring menopause supplement analysed, Vitabiotics’ Menopace Max, cost 93p a day (£340 a year)” Read at The Guardian ↗ Daily MailR “Vitabiotics Menopace Max costs £340 over the course of a year - over 15 times more than Asda’s 6p multivitamin.” Read at Daily Mail ↗ Which? nutritionist Shefalee Loth said the industry had become a "wild west" and that regulators were not doing enough about dubious marketing and unchecked quasi-medical claims. The GuardianLC “Which? is concerned that the supplements industry has become a wild west and regulators are not doing enough to get a grip on dubious marketing” Read at The Guardian ↗
The findings follow University College London research into 201 UK supplements, which found fewer than half contained vitamin D and calcium. The GuardianLC “research by UCL into 201 supplements sold in the UK that found less than half of products contained vitamin D and calcium” Read at The Guardian ↗ Daily MailR “The findings come weeks after UK experts warned that some menopause supplements on sale contain potentially toxic ingredients.” Read at Daily Mail ↗ Dr Xand van Tulleken called the pricing and marketing exploitative, while the Health Food Manufacturers' Association's Martin Last said menopause can raise nutritional needs that supplements may meet alongside a healthy diet. The GuardianLC “the pricing and marketing is exploitative and confusing.”“Many life stages, including the menopause, may create increased nutritional demands on an individual” Read at The Guardian ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on.
Left1 outlet
- Framing
- Consumer-watchdog analysis led with the price gap, backed by named expert and industry responses.
- Emphasis
- Detailed product comparisons, a UCL academic's criticism and a response from the supplements industry body.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not use the 'marketing hype' or 'fairy-dusting' language; does not mention toxicity warnings.
- Charged language
- “wild west”“massive rip-off”
- For example
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“Many products aimed at women over 45 lack meaningful quantities of key nutrients, consumer watchdog Which? found” — The Guardian
“They are a massive rip-off for consumers who desperately want to be well.” — The Guardian
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right1 outlet
- Framing
- Leads with 'marketing hype' and a 6p comparison, presenting the findings as an exposé of overpriced products.
- Emphasis
- Price extremes, 'fairy-dusting', the toxicity warning from earlier UCL work and prevalence of menopause symptoms.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Includes no response from the supplement industry or manufacturers.
- Charged language
- “marketing hype”“eye-wateringly priced”“menopause gold rush”“fairy-dusting”
- For example
-
“Other eye-wateringly priced products include Wild Nutrition Women's 45+ Daily Multi Nutrient” — Daily Mail
“women are falling victim to a 'menopause gold rush'” — Daily Mail
What every side reports
- Which? reviewed 26 menopause-oriented supplements.
- None had the right nutrients in the right doses for menopause.
- Asda's multivitamin costs 6p a day and Menopace Max is over 15 times dearer.
- Wild Nutrition's Women's 45+ product costs £1.27 a day and has 60mg calcium and 30mg magnesium.
Where accounts differ
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Whether Menopace Max matched the multivitamin
- Left
- Calls it the highest-scoring menopause supplement analysed.
- Right
- Says it was the only product with beneficial calcium and vitamin D, but that the amount was identical to the multivitamin's, though also that it had higher calcium doses.
Which (consumer group) organisation
Says the supplement industry is poorly regulated and that firms use quasi-medical claims to exploit health anxieties; recommends a good multivitamin plus targeted supplements where needed.
“a high-quality multivitamin alongside targeted supplements where needed was often cheaper and potentially more effective” — The Guardian
“cash in on health anxiety and insecurities” — Daily Mail
Left1 article
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Menopause supplements costing more than £400 a year ‘no better than cheap multivitamin’
Neutral Reports the Which? analysis with prices, expert criticism and an industry reply.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right1 article
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Critical Presents the findings as evidence of industry hype and overpricing, with vivid language.
- 30 Sep 00:37 First Daily MailR Menopause supplements are all 'marketing hype' and no better than 6p multivitamin, investigation reveals
- 30 Sep 07:00 +6h 22m The GuardianLC Menopause supplements costing more than £400 a year ‘no better than cheap multivitamin’
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.