FYI - Ban on new supplements?

[lightworker888]

I just read this and thought some of you might be interested in learning what is going on re natural supplements. I don't know how many of you include supplements in your diet, but for those that do use them, this information is very important. And it also is important as a trend regarding the practice of big pharma to infiltrate the lives of all.


http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/09/13/fda-to-ban-new-supplements-and-classify-them-like-food-preservatives.aspx?e_cid=20110913_DNL_art_1


LW888

[Uptown Girl]

Thank You for posting this. I am at a loss to add more.

[Barefoot]

I just read this and thought some of you might be interested in learning what is going on re natural supplements. I don't know how many of you include supplements in your diet, but for those that do use them, this information is very important. And it also is important as a trend regarding the practice of big pharma to infiltrate the lives of all.


http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/09/13/fda-to-ban-new-supplements-and-classify-them-like-food-preservatives.aspx?e_cid=20110913_DNL_art_1


LW888

I'm a big believer in natural supplements. But .... Dr. Mercola sells many "natural" supplements through his website on the internet. So he has a vested interest.

[blueash]

Prior to the 90's the FDA regulated all medications. It required two elements to be documented prior to marketing... Safety and efficacy. These are relative terms. A medication for a cold needs to be much "safer" than a cancer chemotherapy agent. In the 90's a powerful Utah senator with a huge number of companies in his state that made enormous campaign contributions to him, had the law changed to allow companies to market "general" claims without any data and exempted those products from requiring prior FDA review. In other words the Sumter Natural Foods Company can sell a pill that "stimulates your immune system" and "supplements your nutrition" and "may help with joint pain" and the pill can be just randomly ground up plants and rocks. The FDA can do nothing to protect the consumer and can only act after patients are harmed as thousands are alleged to have been over the years. The FDA is trying to protect the consumer. Sometimes regulation is needed. You probably would like to know what is in the pill you are swallowing, and whether it is safe and whether it is effective. If you take a regulated medication, and have a significant side effect, the manufacturer is required by law to report that side effect to the FDA. This post marketing surveillance helps identify rare side effects that may slip through the pre-marketing testing. The supplement industry is even exempt from that regulation. So if Sumter Foods get a bunch of calls that users are being identified with lead poisoning, or failing drug screens due to steroids in their pills, they are not required to do anything about it. The newly proposed regulations will not even address either of these problems for any product introduced prior to 1994, only those new drugs as was allowed in the 1994 legislation.

[misky]

I take several natural supplements. Before I take any, I always review them with my MD first. In that way, he can verify if any will have any adverse reactions with meds I might be taking. The MD can also check individual ingredients (I always take the bottles with me) to see if they are safe. He checks them in a database he has access to.

Long story-short. Don't just rely on the internet to determine the safeness or effectiveness of any suppliments.

[blueash]

Misky, sounds like you are thinking this through, and great that you have a MD who is open to your health care preferences. Just keep in mind that his database can only include known reported interactions, and more importantly, he can only look up ingredients that are on the label, which may or may not conform to what is in the bottle.

"Of the first 571 supplements tested by one program, ConsumerLab.com, did not contain the amount of the product stated on the label, were contaminated, or did not dissolve properly! Ginseng from 22 companies was tested and only 9 products passed. Eight products contained unacceptable levels of both quintozene and hexachlorobenzene. Hexachlorobenzene is a probable human carcinogen and has been banned from food crops throughout the world. Quintozene is a potential carcinogen that is considered toxic to various organs and is generally not allowed for use on food products in the U.S. Two products contained lead above the acceptable level (3 micrograms per daily serving). Seven products had less than the required concentration of ginsenosides (the active ingredient). Their main ingredient? Sawdust!"

There are now a few organizations that do issue certificates verifying the accuracy of supplement labels. These organizations seem to be independant and being sure your supplement is certified would seem to be a worthwhile endeavor.