Supplement Medications
Dietary supplements are expected to provide consumers with an adequate amount of essential nutrients, with its main function associated to the treatment, cure, diagnosis, or prevention of a disease. These supplements are composed through a variety of approaches such as plant and animal isolation, microorganism production, and artificial synthesis via test tubes(3). Dietary supplements including vitamins, minerals, botanicals, amino acids, and live microbial are often prescribed by medical doctors or physicians to create balance in the nutrient diet of the patient, or to make up for a severe deficiency of certain nutrients. Essentially, dietary supplements are drugs that are utilized to help an individual meet their daily essential nutrient requirement. For instance, calcium and Vitamin D are associated with the improvement of bone health by reducing bone loss and maintaining the strength of the bone, folic acid is suggested to decrease the risk of certain birth defects, and Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oils may improve the heart's condition.
Risk of Dietary Supplements
Many dietary supplements contain active ingredients that have a strong effect on the body. Manufacturers may add dietary supplements into daily foods that individuals consume, such as breakfast cereals and beverages. As a result, a high dose of dietary supplements in addition to one's diet may cause health implications and side effects. Headaches and liver damage could occur due to the excess intake of vitamin A, nausea and vomiting are symptoms from iron overconsumption, and the symptoms continue depending on the circumstance or nutrient. Additionally, some dietary supplements may interact with medications, interfere with lab tests, or have dangerous effects during surgery, which may include the increased risk of bleeding or change the body's response to anesthesia.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Regulations
According to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act), established in 1994 to define dietary supplements and outline the authority that the FDA possessed in regulating such products, the FDA does not have the authority to approve the safety and effectiveness of dietary supplements, nor provide approval to the product’s labeling before introducing them to the market. The FD&C Act categorizes the responsibility to ensure a dietary supplements’ safety to dietary supplement companies(1). Furthermore, the FDA establishes Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), which mandates dietary companies to guarantee the identity, purity, strength, and composition of each product. This act, alongside similar ones, reduces the inclusion of incorrect ingredients, the risk of contamination or improper packaging, and incorrect labeling of the product.
However, there are still some individuals who argue for the need for a stronger Federal oversight of dietary supplements by enhancing FDA’s authority in supplements regulation. Even though the FDA does oversee supplements, the FDA does not review or test the product’s safety. Therefore, it is unlikely for the agency to know the exact supplements are on the market, as well as the composition of each product. In addition, the FDA has no authority to mandate recalls for supplements that may be tainted with illegal pharmaceuticals(5). As a potential solution, some non-profit organizations such as Pew Charitable Trusts have been involved in exploring the damages of supplements and promoting consumers’ rights to be protected from illicit ingredients. Hence, in expectation, the creation of a more similar-like organization that exposes the dangerous product to the public would be beneficial to both healthcare regulation and consumer health protection with.
Dietary Supplements Association with Economy
Dietary supplement manufacturers and ingredient suppliers operate all over the nation, which allows all individuals in the United States to have access to dietary supplements. Dietary supplements are strongly correlated with the national economy in terms of employment and healthcare costs. When the FERC used the IMPLAN economic modeling system in 2011 to analyze the economic effects of the dietary supplement industry in Wisconsin, the result was an economic multiplier that shows the increases in employment rates in the dietary supplement industry. An economic multiplier is a quantitative measure of economic impact that shows the interdependence of entire economic networks and activities. Specifically, since the dietary supplement business needs to pay for several expenses to operate, such as utilities, insurance, and maintenance fees, these expenditures have an indirect impact on the industry by generating new jobs and opportunities. This impact defines the employment multiplier in that the overall number of jobs produced is determined by multiplying the amount of jobs directly innovated in the industry by the amount of workers. According to the University of Wisconsin Whitewater, Wisconsin had resulted in approximately 3796 new employments, a $163,799,773 increase of labor income, $273,633,585 of value added, and a $778,653,942 increase in output(2). Such significant change was not merely the result of indirect effects, but as the direct and induced effect. The direct effect is associated with the increased demand for the product such that as the public increased the purchase rate for supplement products, the rate of manufacturing also increased and simultaneously reduced the costs for dietary supplements. Meanwhile, the induced effect is related to the change in household income due to the additional employment created by the direct and indirect effect. Overall, dietary supplements demonstrate a positive impact on the employment rates, household incomes, and improvement of life quality.
Important Awareness
Although the FDA mandates the dietary industry to adhere to safety regulations for supplement products, it is imperative for consumers to be informative with the ability to differentiate healthy and hazardous products. First, prior to the purchase of supplements, consumers should communicate with their own healthcare professional to determine the best supplements suitable for their conditions and circumstances. Additionally, consumers may contact the manufacturer for detailed instructions and information regarding the product. Third of all, consumers must not substitute dietary supplements for prescription medicine or conventional foods. Lastly, it is crucial for consumers to follow the precise instructions described on the label of the supplement while also being aware of overly exaggerated advertisements, marketing, and false claims regarding the product. Consumers are encouraged to inform and report to the FDA if they experience any adverse side effect due to the product. Such action will benefit both the consumer themselves and others by labeling the harmful supplements as potentially dangerous products, and may bring attention towards the product or bringing for its retraction from the market. Finally, the dietary supplement industry and companies should remain constantly attentive to the product manufacturing process to avoid accidental contamination, improper ingredient mixture, or inaccurate proportion of the ingredient.
References
1 Food and Drug Administration. (2022, June 02). FDA 101: Dietary Supplements. https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/fda-101-dietary-supplements
2 Kashian, R. (2012, July). Dietary Supplements: Impacting Wisconsin’s Economy. University of Wisconsin Whitewater. https://www.uww.edu/documents/colleges/cobe/ferc/dietarysupplementsweb.pdf
3 Lichtenstein, A. H. (2023, October 25). How Are Vitamin Supplements Produced, and Is It Better to Get Vitamins Through Foods Instead? TuftsNow. https://now.tufts.edu/2023/10/25/how-are-vitamin-supplements-produced-and-it-better-get-vitamins-through-foods-instead
4 National Institutes of Health. (2023, January 4). Dietary Supplements: What You Need to Know. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/WYNTK-Consumer/
5 Talkington, K. (2023, January 26). Stronger Federal Oversight of Dietary Supplements Will Protect Consumers From Unsafe Products. Pew Charitable Trusts. https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2023/01/26/stronger-federal-oversight-of-dietary-supplements-will-protect-consumers-from-unsafe-products
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