In a surging industry of health supplements and life-boosting pills, navigating pharmacy shelves to separate fact from fiction is an ever changing consumer challenge.
Advertised as an investment in personal longevity, health supplements have evolved considerably from the one-size-fits-all approach of multivitamins.
An umbrella term of dietary supplement covers everything from multivitamins and specialised compounds, to individual nutrients such as vitamins A, B, C, D, E and K – as wells as minerals like magnesium, iron or calcium.
Most are regulated as a sub-category of food, rather than medications or pharmacy drugs, and include a new category of supplements promoted to boost health at a cellular level like NAD, NMN and NAC.
Wording in promotional products allow manufacturers to exploit loopholes in official guidance.
That ambiguity leaves the door open for manufacturers to present products as having greater benefit than the science may suggest, experts said.
“Multivitamins work primarily to prevent or correct nutrient deficiencies, not to act as a general health boost for everyone,” said Swapna Mary John, a clinical dietician at International Modern Hospital, Dubai.
“For a person who consumes a balanced diet that includes all five food groups and has no diagnosed deficiencies, supplements offer minimal additional benefit and limited value for money.
“Most nutrients can be obtained through a varied, balanced diet that includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and dairy or fortified alternatives.
“Supplements like NAD precursors NMN and NR are marketed to support cellular energy production and anti-aging, but current human evidence is limited and inconclusive.
“Most benefits are seen in animal or lab studies, and there’s no proven need for healthy adults to take these supplements.
“For the majority of people, focusing on a balanced diet, regular exercise, adequate sleep, and overall healthy lifestyle is far more effective for cellular health than relying on NAD- or NMN-based supplements.”
Booming business
According to Market Growth Reports, the NAD supplement market was valued at around $339 million in 2024, and is expected to more than double to $800m by 2033, with China leading global production.
As supplements are not regulated the same as prescription drugs, labelling cannot make medical claims. However, guidelines do allow for phrasing such as; supports immunity or promotes reproductive health.
“Clearer labelling and stronger consumer awareness are important when it comes to supplements,” said Ms John.
“Many products exaggerate their benefits or provide vague dosage information, making it difficult for consumers to judge their effectiveness. Supplement labels should provide clear details on clinical evidence, dosage, and bioavailability so individuals can make informed decisions about what they are taking.”
One UAE brand hoping to break out into a crowded supplement market by launching nature-based health supplements is Forus. Its founders have developed a suite of dietary supplements they say offer tangible health improvements by improving gut health.
“People are starting to take more ownership of their health – connecting the dots between gut health, inflammation, and recovery, and how it impacts their wellbeing and longevity,” said Dave Catudal, co-founder of Forus.
Mr Catudal has worked with Hollywood stars Kate Hudson, Winona Ryder and Owen Wilson to improve their nutrition and overall health.
He was inspired to take a natural approach to life after beating testicular cancer at 23, and seeing his father die from the disease five years earlier.
Now, he believes so strongly in the natural approach to life, he hasn’t worn deodorant since his recovery 20 years ago.
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
“We got into the industry by solving our own problems and realising supplements are one of the most empowering things we can do,” said Mr Catudal.
“I was addressing supplements I knew were clinically backed to reduce inflammation and optimise my gut health. What Forus has done is go beyond supplements, we’re not giving you something that you could get through a diet. It’s literally taking our health into our hands.”
A monthly supply of the Forus combination of gut healthy peptides and natural probiotics begins from Dh870. Questions remain if supplements offer value for money by investment in a healthy future, or are merely a cash cow for the booming longevity industry.
Value for money?
Over supply of some vitamins and minerals can actually be harmful. High calcium intake has been linked to prostate cancer in some studies, while fat soluble vitamins such as Vitamin A taken to excess can cause nausea and headaches.
“Supplements that address clinically proven deficiencies or have strong research support tend to be the most beneficial,” said Jaseera Maniparambil, a clinical dietitian at Aster Clinic, Bur Dubai.
“For most people, whole foods provide vitamins, minerals, fibre and phytonutrients that supplements cannot fully match.
“However, some nutrients—like Vitamin D, B12 for plant-based eaters, and Omega-3 for those who rarely eat fish—may still require supplementation.”
Ms Maniparambil said individuals with diagnosed deficiencies, pregnant or breastfeeding women, anyone following restrictive diets or people with malabsorption issues such as post-bariatric surgery or digestive conditions can benefit from health supplements.
“Supplements provide value when they address a confirmed deficiency or meet a specific medical need,” said Ms Maniparambil.
“Taking supplements unnecessarily, without assessment, may offer little benefit and lead to unnecessary expense. Evidence-based, personalised use is always more effective than general supplementation.”
Dr Mark Hyman, founder of Cleveland Clinic Centre for Functional Medicine and Board Member for The Institute of Functional Medicine, said modern farming practices, food processing and environmental factors had stripped many natural foods from their nutrients.
That has led supplements to take on a more significant role in our everyday lives.
“Vitamin and mineral supplements aren’t just a nice option—they’re a crucial tool for maintaining and optimising your overall health,” he said.
Data from Statista showed vitamins and minerals generated $112.70m of business in the UAE in 2024 and will see an annual growth rate of 2.26 per cent expected until 2029.
Other trends seeping into the health and wellness market are intravenous ozone therapy, blood-filtering and at-home genetic testing to understand which supplements may be best suited to an individual.
Costs for such tests and treatments can run into the tens of thousands of dirhams.
Bespoke services
“For decades, wellness has been built on population averages—treating symptoms after they appear, assuming everyone’s biology is identical, and peddling one-size-fits-all solutions that work for almost no one,” said Aly Rahimtoola, founder of Bien-Etre, a DNA-personalised wellness platform in Dubai, combining biomarker testing with precision supplements.
“Demand is exploding because people are tired of guessing what works for them.”
Biological tests cost up to Dh2,000, while optimised supplement protocols start from Dh700 a month.
“People want to know their biological age, their NAD+ status, their metabolic and inflammatory markers, their skin ageing pathways, and increasingly, their hormonal health,” said Mr Rahimtoola.
“We provide proof, not promises – we’re not selling dreams.
“Our customers see their biological age shift, that’s wellness with accountability and if they don’t see the benefits then they can leave very easily.”
Meatless Days
Sara Suleri, with an introduction by Kamila Shamsie
Penguin
THE BIO
Age: 30
Favourite book: The Power of Habit
Favourite quote: “The world is full of good people, if you cannot find one, be one”
Favourite exercise: The snatch
Favourite colour: Blue
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
Polarised public
31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all
Source: YouGov
The Pope’s itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 – Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder’s Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 – Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
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Other must-tries
Tomato and walnut salad
A lesson in simple, seasonal eating. Wedges of tomato, chunks of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, coriander or parsley leaves, and perhaps some fresh dill are drizzled with a crushed walnut and garlic dressing. Do consider yourself warned: if you eat this salad in Georgia during the summer months, the tomatoes will be so ripe and flavourful that every tomato you eat from that day forth will taste lacklustre in comparison.
Badrijani nigvzit
A delicious vegetarian snack or starter. It consists of thinly sliced, fried then cooled aubergine smothered with a thick and creamy walnut sauce and folded or rolled. Take note, even though it seems like you should be able to pick these morsels up with your hands, they’re not as durable as they look. A knife and fork is the way to go.
Pkhali
This healthy little dish (a nice antidote to the khachapuri) is usually made with steamed then chopped cabbage, spinach, beetroot or green beans, combined with walnuts, garlic and herbs to make a vegetable pâté or paste. The mix is then often formed into rounds, chilled in the fridge and topped with pomegranate seeds before being served.
SPECS
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The five pillars of Islam
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Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
Three tips from La Perle’s performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or ‘guaranteed’ returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions – this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics – creating urgency, offering ‘exclusive’ deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Celta Vigo 2
Castro (45′), Aspas (82′)
Barcelona 2
Dembele (36′), Alcacer (64′)
Red card: Sergi Roberto (Barcelona)
The specs: 2018 Peugeot 5008
Price, base / as tested: Dh99,900 / Dh134,900
Engine: 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power: 165hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 240Nm @ 1,400rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.8L / 100km
Russia’s Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
Dunbar
Edward St Aubyn
Hogarth
Tonight’s Chat on The National
Tonight’s Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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FA Cup semi-finals
Saturday: Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur, 8.15pm (UAE)
Sunday: Chelsea v Southampton, 6pm (UAE)
Matches on Bein Sports
RESULT
West Brom 2 Liverpool 2
West Brom: Livermore (79′), Rondón (88′ )
Liverpool: Ings (4′), Salah (72′)
Kanye%20West
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Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children’s Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
