Risk vs. reward of
dietary supplements
Do you know what is in your dietary supplement? Dietary supplements come in many forms –
powders, shakes, pills, liquid, and capsules.
With everything that is offered, it is challenging distinguishing the
good from the bad. Not all dietary
supplements are created equal.
Within the United States, the federal agency responsible for
regulating biologics, food products, medical devices, and drugs is the Food and
Drug Administration (FDA). However, the
majority of dietary supplements are not considered drugs. Therefore, they are not subject to the same
strict rules and regulations created and enforced by the FDA. This government agency turns a blind eye on
dietary supplement companies, as manufacturers are permitted to market and sell
products without informing the FDA or providing scientific evidence of safety. Only after a dietary supplement has been
shown to cause significant harm or death, is the FDA responsible for taking
action. Additionally, these companies do not have to
provide proof that their products truly contain what is listed on the
label. Therefore, dietary supplements
may contain anything and everything from pure sugar to banned substances. There is also a high incidence of cross
contamination between different dietary supplements.
“The New York Times
reported that 80% of herbal supplements evaluated from major retail stores
didn’t contain any of the herbs listed on the label. Furthermore, a popular store brand of ginseng
pills only contained powered garlic and rice.
A study in the Journal of the
American Medical Association indicated that out of the 274 dietary
supplements recalled between 2009 and 2012, 67% contained one or more
pharmaceutical drugs in the product.
This included drugs such as Viagra and the diet rug Meridia, which was
pulled from the market because of heart attack and stroke risks.” (National Athletic Trainers’ Association)
Despite the FDA not regulating dietary supplements, third-party
supplement testing and certification helps to decrease risk of accidently ingesting
harmful substances. Third-party testing
helps to ensure purity of dietary supplements.
If a dietary supplement is third-party tested, there is a seal on the
label of the dietary supplement. The
gold standard of third-party testing is the NSF International. The NSF verifies label claims, protects
against contamination of supplements with prohibited substances, and helps to
identify banned substances in finished products.
By: J. Scott, DPT, ATC
Sources:
National Athletic Trainers’ Association News. Dietary
supplement safety: Risk vs. reward for athletes. October 2019.
National Strength and Conditioning Association
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