Supplements such as vitamins, minerals, herbs or botanicals, amino acids or fish oils are consumed by both adults and children alike. While the FDA doesn’t review products before hitting store shelves, it does keep an eye out for any reports of illnesses or adverse reactions from users.
A successful supplement should be safe, contain the appropriate dosage and cause no unwanted side effects or contain harmful contaminants.
Quality
Supplements provide numerous health advantages; from individual vitamins and minerals to complex blends of herbs and nutrients. Unfortunately, however, it can sometimes be hard to distinguish which products are of high-quality against those which could potentially waste your money or even be dangerous.
Dietary supplement manufacturers do not need to adhere to a set of quality parameters like drug manufacturers do, and FDA does not conduct premarket review of dietary supplements and herbal medicines – meaning the market for these products remains highly unregulated.
Clinicians should be mindful of this issue and advise patients to look for products marked with quality assurance seals such as USP Verified mark. In addition, consider the brand name and reputation of the product’s manufacturer: supplements produced by large pharmaceutical or food companies tend to meet strict quality control measures and undergo extensive testing processes.
Safety
Dietary supplement products span from vitamins and minerals to herbs and botanicals and amino acids. Manufacturers must follow stringent Good Manufacturing Practices to ensure that their supplements are pure, free from contaminants, and have the strength listed on the label.
Unfortunately, supplement companies can sometimes make mistakes. They may include illegal ingredients or novel substances; use substandard or adulterated ingredients (due to lack of testing); add too much or too little of an ingredient; or pad their products with cheaper but less effective fillers–known in industry circles as “fairy dusting”.
Many supplement products interact with prescription drugs and present significant safety risks, which is exacerbated by current statutory limitations on FDA regulation and oversight of these products. Consumers can help by reporting adverse events believed to be associated with dietetic supplements; this information is vital for public health surveillance purposes and can be submitted directly to FDA via the Safety Reporting Portal.
Third-Party Testing
As the dietary supplement industry expands and matures, third party testing becomes an ever-more crucial element of regulation. This process involves sending products directly to independent laboratories which conduct an objective evaluation that ensures quality standards are being met and all ingredients listed on labels are present in products being evaluated.
Third-party testing of supplements helps protect consumers against purchasing counterfeit or falsified goods. Organizations offering sports-certified supplements, for instance, verify each batch contains no banned substances and that its content matches up with printed labels.
Though many companies maintain internal testing and quality control procedures, having a third-party evaluation can provide an unbiased viewpoint and give consumers peace of mind knowing their product has been scrutinized before being released for sale.
Legality
Though the Food and Drug Administration does have some authority over dietary supplements, its limited statutory framework limits its ability to do so, potentially exacerbating public health risks. Congress could pursue reforms that strengthen FDA’s ability to promote consumer protection.
Supplement manufacturers must abide by labeling regulations, including warnings, precautions and allergen statements. Regulatory authorities monitor the marketplace to identify companies or individuals making false or misleading claims in an effort to take appropriate actions against any making false or misleading claims.
Under law, supplement sales to persons under eighteen are restricted; retailers should collaborate with their retail partners to put systems in place that ensure covered supplements are only sold and signed for by adults. Brick-and-mortar stores should create and communicate policies regarding age-restricted products while simultaneously creating systems to verify purchaser ages – this could involve requiring customers to present valid identification before being permitted to buy supplements from that store.
