Buyer Beware: Supplements May Equal Danger

By Christopher Theberge

About 59 percent of the U.S. population consumes some sort of dietary supplement. This has led to a multi-billion dollar empire in the supplement industry. The major drawback to this is that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which ensures a safe food supply, has been overwhelmed with ensuring the safety and efficacy of the millions of dietary supplements available to consumers.

Two drugs have been under scrutiny recently because of problems associated with their use: Kava Kava and a weight-loss drug known as LipoKinetix.

Kava Kava (Piper methysticum) is a natural herb that has been claimed to promote a feeling of euphoria and relaxation, as well as preventing sleeplessness, reducing anxiety and many more.

Kava is often consumed as tea, but the plant can also be incorporated into whole foods. The FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition has released a statement that Kava may be damaging to the liver.

Several cases of liver-related injury have been noted, including cirrhosis, hepatitis and liver failure. The recommendation is now to avoid Kava itself, or products containing the herb. If you consume or have consumed Kava, stop so immediately until more research can be done.

LipoKinetix is a supplement that has been claimed to "mimic exercise." It contains norephedrine, caffeine, yohimbine, 3,5, diiodothyronine (mimics the thyroid gland) and sodium usniate. Several cases of liver damage have been noted, as well as one individual requiring a liver transplant. Sodium usniate is the likely culprit for the problems associated with the supplement. If you are consuming any supplements containing any of those found in LipoKinetix, stop so immediately.

These are just two examples of problems that can occur in supplements. Supplements are not regulated by the FDA. "Dietary supplements" should contain a statement on the side of the bottle that reads, "This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease."

In 1994, Congress passed the Dietary Supplements Health and Education Act. This law allows for structure/function claims that suggest nutritional support for supplements. This type of assertion allows food supplement sellers to make claims supported by less evidence than the FDA requires for traditional health claims. An example of a structure/function claim is for an anti-cancer supplement that says, "supports immune function" on the label. The claim doesn't explicitly say, "prevents cancer," but it is quite apparent what the supplement is touted to do. Unlike health claims, nutritional support statements do not need to be approved by the FDA before manufacturers market products bearing the statements. The only requirement is that the FDA is notified no later than 30 days after a product that bears the claim is first marketed. Basically, the FDA must now prove that the claims are valid by researching the supplement themselves. This is a rather lengthy process, and considering the number of supplements available, an almost impossible one. This has allowed the supplement industry to make a substantial profit and expand the kinds and amounts of supplements it releases to the public.

Consumers are often unaware of some of the dangers associated with using unregulated dietary supplements. Rarely do problems related to certain supplements make national headlines. Even when dangerous supplements are supposed to be withdrawn from the market, oftentimes they remain on store shelves.

What you see is not always what you get. Research conducted on products that claim they contain a certain ingredient has shown that rarely is that ingredient in that product. Saw palmetto and gingko biloba are two examples. After looking at a variety of different products, almost none of these compounds were found in the product. Some reasons for this are that they are expensive to extract or purchase, or that they just don't "survive" the packaging process.

As consumers are bombarded with unsubstantiated claims, purchasing dietary supplements will remain a "buyer beware" market. Watch out for claims that suggest something is "revolutionary," "breakthrough," "ancient secret," etc... Manufacturers will say whatever they have to in order for you to buy their product.

Not knowing what you are buying may be damaging to your body and your wallet. Read more about what you intend to buy before you actually spend your money on a supplement. Professional literature is your best bet, not something from a health magazine. Be Healthy!