From Emergen-C drink mix to diet pills, the colossal ambiguity of supplements makes it difficult to distinguish between the advantages and dangers of their usage.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration defines a dietary supplement as “a product taken by mouth that contains a ‘dietary ingredient’ intended to supplement the diet. The ‘dietary ingredients’ in these products may include: vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids and substances such as enzymes, organ tissues, glandulars and metabolites.”
In 1994, the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act was signed into law by then-President Bill Clinton. DSHEA established new regulatory framework for the safety and labeling of dietary supplements. Previously, dietary supplements were subject to the same requirements as food products. With DSHEA, manufacturers must register to the terms of the Bioterrorism Act before producing or selling their products. Also, a firm outside of the FDA is responsible for determining the safety of dietary supplements. It must ensure any representations or claims made about supplements are substantiated with adequate evidence.
However, anyone who has seen an advertisement about a diet pill knows how misleading claims tend to be.
According to these laws, dietary supplements do not need FDA approval before they are marketed, except in the case of a new dietary ingredient that must undergo a pre-market review.
However, if this firm proposes a safe dietary supplement and it is not, “The FDA is responsible for taking action against any unsafe dietary supplement product after it reaches the market,” explains the FDA’s dietary supplement webpage. “FDA’s other responsibilities include product information, such as labeling, claims, package inserts and accompanying literature. The Federal Trade Commission regulates dietary supplement advertising.”
So why, if the FDA is responsible for unsafe dietary supplements that are available to the public, should it not be the organization that determines their legitimacy before possible misconduct?
The problem lies in the FDA’s lack of resources. A vast array of supplements and lack of assets create a roadblock for the agency. The mere attempt to remove unsafe products from the market is expensive and time-consuming.
“In that (the) FDA has limited resources to analyze the composition of food products, including dietary supplements, it focuses these resources first on public health emergencies and products that may have caused injury or illness,” the FDA website divulges.
While the FDA lacks the resources necessary to ensure 100 percent safety of all supplements, the U.S. Council for Responsible Nutrition lays out general tips to follow while shopping for supplements.
The CRN recommends consumers manage expectations of supplements and not look for quick fixes, because if it sounds too good to be true it most likely is. Be sure to only buy legal products from trusted resources and take notice of quality seals. Also check each company’s legitimacy by visiting its website, looking at ingredient lists, inquiring about the business’s longevity and being weary of any company that regularly undergo name changes.
When used correctly, supplements are an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. Vitamins, minerals, amino acids, essential fatty acids and glyconutrients are all examples of vital supplements utilized to maintain or build a strong immune system, replace and repair dying and damaged cells and remove toxins.
Those interested in beginning a supplement regime may want to start simply with a daily A-Z multivitamin. From there, cautiously explore specific products suitable for individual needs and lifestyles.
