Dietary supplements can be dangerous for your health

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration found that in most of the cases the presence of such ingredients was not noted anywhere on supplement labelling. While some products cited the warnings, especially the weight-loss products the other conveniently ignored it.

By: Debjani Arora | | Published: October 16, 2018 10:42 am

The US health officials have issued more than 700 warnings to the companies to regulate the sale of the supplements that contained unapproved and potentially dangerous ingredients. © Shutterstock

The general perception is dietary supplements won’t harm you like other potent drugs even if you go overboard with them. But this is not true. In the recent past to be more precise during the last decade the US health officials have issued more than 700 warnings to the companies to regulate the sale of the supplements that contained unapproved and potentially dangerous ingredients. In fact, a study done to calculate the health status of these supplements revealed its truth.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration found that in most of the cases the presence of such ingredients was not noted anywhere on supplement labelling. While some products cited the warnings, especially the weight-loss products the other conveniently ignored it. The supplements that were most questionable were the sexual or libido enhancers, weight-loss supplements and muscle gainers. In fact, the number of supplements adulterated with drugs is rapidly increasing. A study that was led by Madhur Kumar, of the California Department of Public Health’s Food and Drug Branch and published in JAMA Network Open highlighted this fact. The agency classifies dietary supplements — including vitamins, minerals, botanicals, amino acids and enzymes — under the category of food, rather than drugs. The FDA explicitly warns that supplements aren’t a replacement for either over-the-counter or prescription medications, and should not be viewed as a way to treat or prevent disease.

Since supplements are not vetted by FDA they don’t follow strict guidelines of safety or efficacy found the study. This is why you should be wary about the supplements that you use or take without discussing with your doctor. However, if you still want to use supplements, here is something that you should know: If your doctor has not asked you to use any supplement for your health sake, then it is likely that you don’t need it. If you still wish to buy supplements avoid buying the ones which have some exorbitant health claims such as improving immunity or strengthening muscles they could be loaded with toxins.

Published : October 16, 2018 10:42 am

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