Dietary supplements can be useful, but they should never replace prescription medicines or a varied diet. Furthermore, many supplemental substances can be harmful in high doses over a prolonged period of time – for instance excessive vitamin A intake could result in bone loss.
Be sure to speak with your physician first if you require supplements; they can recommend the appropriate one for you.
They are popular
Many people turn to dietary supplements in an attempt to combat deficiencies or boost general health, including vitamins, minerals, herbs, and energy bars. Unfortunately, taking high doses without consulting with a doctor may be harmful; taking too many can interfere with medications and cause other health issues as well as provide misleading alternatives in place of proper nutrition and exercise programs.
Although many claims for dietary supplements can seem exaggerated, they can provide essential support when medical treatments or illnesses prevent people from eating properly. Furthermore, supplements have been shown to boost mood and energy.
Dietary supplements come in the form of tablets, capsules, powders or liquid drinks and can contain various nutrients. Unfortunately they don’t meet the same safety regulations as drugs; for an accurate evaluation of supplements randomized clinical trials are conducted where volunteers either receive the product under investigation or an inactive placebo and researchers monitor their health outcomes.
They are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Health supplements are regulated differently than drugs or food. Unlike medications, supplement manufacturers aren’t required to demonstrate that their product is safe before selling it; rather, the FDA only intervenes if a supplement causes illness or injury. Most supplements don’t cause major side effects, although some contain toxic or illegal ingredients which could interfere with other medications in large doses.
For optimal safety, it is advisable to select a reputable manufacturer with stringent quality standards and third-party certifications. Furthermore, store associates should be trained not to provide health advice or discuss disease states when selling dietary supplements.
The Food and Drug Administration has extensive authority over dietary supplements, including the ability to demand that manufacturers recall adulterated or misbranded products voluntarily. Unfortunately, however, the FDA has been inconsistent in applying its tools effectively to protect consumers; furthermore, bekker, Flores and Sinha have reported that the FDA does not possess sufficient power to conduct post-market research in order to verify claims made about supplements sold on the market.
They are not regulated by law
Dietary supplements are an enormous industry, yet are unregulated in the same way medications are. Prior to selling in the US, drugs must undergo stringent safety testing and evaluation by FDA experts. Once on sale, adverse reactions and potential issues should be monitored closely by them – yet people still take various supplements believing their claims.
Though supplements do not need FDA pre-approval, they must abide by its Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs). This ensures products are safe and effective as well as discouraging companies from including ingredients with unproven safety or adding too much of any one particular component.
In its May issue of the AMA Journal of Ethics, there was a comprehensive examination of dietary supplement purity, efficacy and legal issues. Social media influencers are being used to promote supplements with little oversight while only limited legal means exist to regulate them.
They are not regulated by science
Though governments issue these products with official designation, this doesn’t ensure their safety and effectiveness; on one side of the border, Canadian system requires manufacturers to demonstrate product efficacy through rigorous scientific methods; this would help prevent false claims or traditions but costs money from the industry.
The FDA’s primary responsibility in terms of dietary supplement regulation lies with vitamins, minerals, herbal products, amino acids and extracts of certain other foods. They cannot make claims to treat or cure diseases but instead can make “structure/function” claims (like improving lung function).
As well as overseeing these statements, the FDA monitors reports of illness or injury caused by dietary supplements. They can order recall of said supplements; in extreme cases they can sue manufacturers who sold products not approved by them – an expensive and time-consuming process which could have significant ramifications on the supplement industry.
