Protein powders, collagen gummies and biotin: Are teenagers taking too many supplements?

Walk into any pharmacy in urban India today, and the supplement aisle tells its own story.

Whey protein tubs stacked next to collagen gummies shaped like sweets, biotin tablets promising thicker hair and clearer skin, all displayed at eye level, all conveniently priced, and all increasingly bought not by bodybuilders or new mothers, but by school-going teenagers chasing an Instagram-worthy jawline or a flatter stomach.

Experts say the trend reflects a growing culture of appearance-driven supplementation among adolescents, often without medical advice or an actual nutritional deficiency.

A worrying trend emerging in clinics

According to Dr Sharwari Sudhir Dabhade, Consultant, Internal Medicine, Diabetology & Endocrinology, Madhukar Rainbow Children's Hospital, the issue is becoming increasingly visible in clinical practice.

"As a diabetologist, my consulting room is usually reserved for adults managing blood sugar, insulin resistance or metabolic syndrome. But over the past couple of years, a curious pattern has crept in: parents bringing in teenagers, not for diabetes, but with vague complaints like fatigue, irregular periods, unexplained weight fluctuations, and even early insulin resistance on their reports."

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"On probing, a common thread emerges. Most of these adolescents have been self-medicating with supplements for months, sometimes years, entirely unsupervised."

Dr Dabhade points out that adolescence already provides the body with what it needs for healthy growth.

"Natural growth hormone surges during puberty help in muscle building with the help of regular exercise, such as playing sports, swimming or functional training. Similarly, dietary plant-based proteins in millets and non-vegetarian foods like lean meats, eggs and natural cheese can take care of the daily protein requirement."

"So the best advice for teens would be staying active and eating healthy, home-cooked food."

The appeal is understandable, but the physiology is complex

Teenagers are biologically primed to care about appearance. Puberty brings acne, growth spurts, hormonal fluctuations and heightened social comparison, all amplified today by social media. Supplements are marketed as a shortcut: a scoop of protein for muscle definition, a gummy for glowing skin or a tablet for luscious hair.

What is rarely advertised is how these products interact with an adolescent endocrine system that is still maturing.

Protein powders, for instance, are not inherently harmful, but most teenagers already meet their protein requirements through an ordinary Indian diet of dal, milk, eggs and pulses.

Layering an additional 25 to 30 grams of processed protein every day, often flavoured with added sugars and artificial sweeteners, increases the overall calorie and sugar load. In growing bodies with erratic eating patterns, it may also influence insulin secretion patterns in ways researchers are only beginning to study in adolescents.

Excess protein, contrary to popular belief, does not simply convert into muscle. Unused amino acids are processed by the liver and kidneys, organs that are still developing their full metabolic capacity during adolescence.

Why collagen gummies and biotin tablets deserve closer attention

According to Dr Shreya Dubey, Associate Director, Paediatrics & Neonatology, CK Birla Hospital, Gurugram, collagen gummies warrant particular scrutiny.

"Collagen gummies deserve particular scrutiny. Marketed as a beauty supplement, most gummies on Indian shelves derive their sweetness from sugar syrups or maltodextrin, and a teenager consuming two or three gummies daily, believing them to be 'just vitamins', may unknowingly be adding a meaningful spike to their daily sugar intake."

"Collagen itself is a protein the body already produces abundantly during adolescence. Supplementing it externally has scant evidence of benefit before the body's own collagen synthesis naturally begins slowing, which happens well into the mid-twenties, not the teenage years."

Dr Dubey says biotin supplements also carry a separate medical concern.

"Biotin tablets carry a different, more clinical concern. Beyond the limited evidence for biotin improving hair or skin in individuals who are not actually deficient, high-dose biotin is known to interfere with common laboratory assays, including thyroid function tests and, notably, certain cardiac and glucose-related tests."

"A teenager on high-dose biotin who later needs blood work for an unrelated concern may receive a falsely altered result, leading doctors down the wrong diagnostic path entirely. This is not a rare footnote. It is a documented interference that clinicians are trained to ask about specifically."

The real danger goes beyond a single supplement

Experts say the biggest concern is not necessarily one tablet, powder or gummy, but the culture surrounding their use.

The danger lies in unsupervised, appearance-driven supplementation during a stage of life when hormonal and metabolic systems are still calibrating themselves.

Adolescence is precisely when patterns of insulin sensitivity, eating behaviour and body image are being established for adulthood. Introducing unregulated substances, often in doses designed for adults, without baseline testing or medical supervision, is a gamble many families do not realise they are taking.

What parents should know

For teenagers without a diagnosed nutritional deficiency, a balanced, home-cooked diet continues to outperform most supplements.

If a genuine deficiency exists, such as low vitamin D or iron, which are common among Indian adolescents, supplementation should be guided by blood tests and a doctor's prescription rather than social media trends or advertising.

Experts say parents should ask one simple question before buying any supplement: Has a doctor actually recommended it, or has an advertisement?

Teenage bodies are not simply smaller versions of adult bodies. They deserve evidence-based nutrition and medical guidance, not shortcuts.