Dietary supplements can provide additional vitamins, minerals and herbs; however, they may cause side effects. Therefore, it’s essential that you discuss all dietary supplements you are taking with your physician.
Vitamins and minerals are vitally important to our wellbeing, making up part of an individual’s daily nutrition intake. Supplements provide people with access to more of these essential nutrients in pill, powder, gummy or liquid form.
They are not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Dietary supplements are products containing vitamins, minerals or herbs found naturally in food or manufactured synthetically; these dietary supplements can be consumed through tablet form (tablet, capsule, softgel softgel softgel powder or liquid), with no regulatory oversight such as prescription or over-the-counter drug regulations (if they had medicinal effects they would need approval and more stringent regulation).
The FDA oversees dietary supplement regulation through various statutes and laws, such as the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA). They monitor illegal products that could pose safety concerns or make misleading or false claims in the marketplace; their oversight is supplemented by that of the Federal Trade Commission which also monitors product advertising.
Clinicians must understand the role dietary supplements play in patient care. They should educate patients about quality differences among dietary supplements as well as potential drug-supplement interactions, while discussing potential causes of unexpected adverse events with them.
Clinicians must also be mindful that there may be placebo effects from taking certain supplements, particularly when patients strongly believe they will provide benefits. Placebo-mediated therapeutic responses could lead to incorrect diagnoses and treatments in children and seniors, and medical providers must be ready to report any suspected adverse events (AEs) while patients are taking dietary supplements. The American Medical Association recommends that clinicians utilize resources available from the National Institutes of Health and Medline Plus to help identify scientific information regarding specific dietary supplements. This will enable them to provide patients with accurate health advice. NIH websites contain links that offer extensive details regarding supplements’ sources, safety, effectiveness as well as public health and wellness information.
They are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Dietary supplements are substances added to our diet for additional health benefits. They come in various forms such as pills, capsules, powders, drinks and foods and may include vitamins, minerals, herbs or amino acids.
The Dietary Supplement Industry is overseen by two federal regulatory bodies – FDA and FTC. The former oversees labeling, manufacturing, and marketing processes; can remove unsafe products from market; enforces these regulations through both Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act as well as Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994; while FTC enforces them through unfair trade practices act (FTCA).
According to law, dietary supplements must be manufactured in facilities adhering to current Good Manufacturing Practices. These practices help ensure the identity, purity, strength and composition of dietary supplement products while simultaneously minimizing contamination risks. FDA routinely inspects such facilities.
Under current laws, supplement manufacturers don’t need to demonstrate that their supplement works as advertised before marketing and selling it, leading them to make false claims that are unsafe or ineffective without providing evidence supporting these statements. This presents consumers with potentially hazardous products which don’t deliver what is promised – an issue of grave concern as this means taking potentially harmful products which do not deliver the promised health benefits.
The American Medical Association Journal of Ethics published this study as a reminder to physicians and their patients to carefully consider the risks associated with supplements before deciding whether or not to take them. As a result of these findings, AMA urges lawmakers to continue supporting safety and consumer protection measures within the dietary supplement industry. As such, this week AMA supported bipartisan legislation introduced into the Senate by two senators. Legislation would strengthen oversight of the dietary supplement industry and increase transparency to avoid misinformation, according to more information provided here. It’s wise to speak to your healthcare provider before beginning a supplement regimen if you have serious medical conditions or are pregnant/breastfeeding – particularly before beginning taking new supplements during this timeframe. For this reason, consult with your physician or other provider first if consuming new vitamins/supplements could potentially pose risks during this time frame.
