Food supplements, be it pills, capsules, powder or liquid forms, are designed to supplement a diet lacking certain essential vitamins and nutrients. They should not be used to treat or cure diseases.
Vitamin and mineral supplements are often taken during pregnancy or when an individual has low levels of certain vitamins or minerals. Furthermore, many brands practice transparent ingredient sourcing as well as third-party testing of products.
Dietary supplements are wildly popular
Dietary supplements have become an increasingly popular method of providing essential vitamins, minerals, herbs, and other nutrients. Before taking them however, always read the label and consult a health professional first. Also ensure that any manufacturer abides by current cGMP standards and labeling regulations; should any issues arise you can report them directly to the FDA.
Dietary supplement products are defined as such by the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), with their contents required to carry a Supplement Facts label that displays servings per container, each ingredient and their quantity; including natural or synthetic sources like vitamins, minerals, herbs or botanicals, amino acids, animal-derived products or hormone analogs as well as concentrates, metabolites constituents or extracts derived from them.
Many people take dietary supplements as preventive healthcare and to enhance their overall quality of life, and this trend reflects shifting consumer preferences toward transparent labeling; eco-friendly sourcing; comprehensive health care coverage; as well as offering new opportunities for supplement manufacturers.
They aren’t regulated by the FDA
The Food and Drug Administration or FDA is an agency responsible for overseeing products that have an effect on public health, such as foods, pharmaceutical drugs, medical devices, cosmetics and even tobacco. While the FDA oversees their safety it does not pre-approve nutritional products such as supplements. Instead they draw a line between drugs and nutritional (food) products so any supplement containing existing ingredients are exempt from being submitted for pre-approval while new dietary ingredients must submit evidence that proves they should be safe before release on the market.
In other countries, such as Australia and Canada, dietary supplements are subject to regulation similar to pharmaceutical drugs; only ingredients deemed safe by the Therapeutic Goods Administration of Australia or Natural Health Products Directorate can be sold as dietary supplements.
Due to this trend, many supplements contain untested and potentially hazardous ingredients, so it is crucial that consumers read label information closely and look for third-party testing, certifications or seals that indicate quality products. It may also be wise to steer clear of products with ingredients known to cause allergic reactions or that interact negatively with medications and supplements; in such cases it would be prudent to seek the advice of either a dietician or physician prior to taking any type of dietary supplement.
They aren’t regulated by law
Dietary supplements can be powerful tools for improving health; however, there is the possibility that some may be sold as replacement therapies or may cause unintended harm. Consumers are therefore concerned about the safety of supplements and require clearer information in order to make more informed decisions.
Unfortunately, the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act undermines FDA’s efforts to protect consumers by permitting manufacturers to sell supplements without providing evidence they are safe or effective. This has become even more of an issue since recent revelations revealed nearly 1,000 products purporting to be dietary supplements are actually containing active pharmaceutical compounds from prescription drugs in their US marketplaces.
Solution: Grant the FDA authority to regulate supplements similarly to drugs, with mandatory product listing and recall authority being the cornerstones. This policy enjoys broad support among medical organizations, public health groups and 95% of Americans; it would assist FDA in quickly identifying potentially hazardous products or ingredients. Furthermore, premarket registration linked with an FDA registry would provide timely action against anyone engaging in improper practices to stop scamming consumers or hurting consumers again.
