If you’re like me and have ever perused the dietary supplement aisle of your local drug store, I’m sure you’ve been intrigued. Next to the usual vitamins and minerals are also herbs, botanicals, and other mixtures claiming to “aid in fat metabolism” or “protect your heart” or even serve the “female libido.” Who needs a doctor when there are so many cures for so many ailments right here in aisle three of Walgreen’s?
One of the most remarkable things about dietary supplements is their promise to improve or prevent our most troubling health problems. They allow consumers to self diagnose, self medicate, and take health into their own hands. Another remarkable thing about supplements—at least for the companies that make them—is their penchant for taking our money while providing no evidence to support their promises.
While some dietary supplements, like vitamins and minerals, are well-studied, essential for health, and have known side effects, other supplements are not. Their labels often make wide-sweeping claims, sometimes unsupported by science and sometimes in direct conflict with findings that scientific studies have proven otherwise. These claims are accompanied by an asterisk, and linked to the obligatory “These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.”
While pharmaceutical companies often get a bad rap (and rightfully so) for trying to wrongly influence the regulatory bodies designed to ensure their products are safe and effective, at least these mega companies have to own up to someone. Supplement companies do not. They do not have to show a product is safe, and they do not have to prove a product is effective. As a result, we sometimes end up with potentially unsafe and ineffective products on the market. Worse yet, it’s the responsibility of dietary supplement manufacturers and distributors to ensure that their own label claims are accurate and truthful. Hmmm, might that be a slight conflict of interest?
The FDA does not analyze the contents of supplements. Quantities are not standardized and neither are dosages. Consumers do not know how much of an herb they are getting, nor do they truly know what it is doing. The only time the FDA gets involved is after a supplement on the market has problems. Remember the diet pills containing ephedra? This is what happens when companies are allowed to self regulate with no oversight.
