Dietary Supplements: Sense or Nonsense

Instructions:

Read the information below to familiarize yourself with the topic of supplements. Answer with your initial response using the questions below as guidance. 

Supplements can serve a purpose and may be needed by certain populations. The problem is there is little oversight in the dietary supplement industry due to the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA).

There is a video with late-night comedic talk show host John Oliver which aired in 2014 after Congressional hearings in which Dr. Oz testified. It is humorous and portrays a part of the problem in the supplement industry. It also does an excellent job of highlighting the state of the industry.   Late night with John Oliver.

Following is information to read and assess. Many articles are short, and I think you’ll find the information interesting if you’ve ever bought a dietary supplement!

Dietary Supplements: The truth about the pills you’re popping – Neily’s blog post also the video!

If you take a dietary supplement do me a favor and grab your bottle. Look at it.

Do you think it was approved by the FDA before you bought it? 

Was it required to be safe and effective before being sold?   continue reading…

Keto Hoax and Shark Tank – another Neily post and the video version

Years ago, my mom sent an email almost every week. An acquaintance would forward her something with the message, “I wonder if your daughter knows about this. She is studying nutrition, right?” or “Monet, if your daughter doesn’t know about this, she should.” continue reading…

Warning: Don’t get scammed by a keto supplement – one more Neily post

A few months ago I wrote a post about keto supplements, keto hoax and Shark Tank. (If you’re not familiar with the ketogenic diet or ‘keto,’ read this post.) It broke my heart to see a comment from a woman who fell victim to the scheme. Several people contacted me with similar stories. Sharon gave me permission to tell her story (edited for space)—we hope we can prevent others from something similar happening.  continue reading…

What does it mean for a supplement to be “Clinically Proven”?

Not much. Here’s how manufacturers can use the claim to sell us supplements we don’t need.

Hazards of Hindsight — Monitoring the Safety of Nutritional Supplements – by Pieter Cohen, Harvard Medical School in New England Journal of Medicine. Epidemiologists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently confirmed what an astute liver-transplant surgeon in Honolulu already suspected: OxyElite Pro, a popular over-the-counter supplement, was responsible for a cluster of cases of severe hepatitis and liver failure. Read more...

St. John’s Wort: What’s Really in the Bottle?  If you take the herbal supplement St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) for mild to moderate depression, be aware that many products are adulterated.   Read more…

FDA Approved?  Maybe you saw those words on a company’s website, or in a commercial promoting a new product or treatment. Some marketers may say their products are “FDA approved,” but how can you know for sure what the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves? Read more…

These websites provide excellent information about supplements and DSHEA, but it makes it sound like the FDA has a lot of control and is doing much to keep manufacturers in line…but after reading the above?  

FDA website – Dietary supplements

Dietary Supplements – What you need to know

A MINIMUM of 200 words.

What did you know about dietary supplements before you read this information and what do you know now?

What are the arguments for and against the use of dietary supplements?

• According to DSHEA, dietary supplements may be marketed without any evidence of effectiveness or safety. Supplements with new ingredients are supposed to provide the FDA with evidence of safety, but this part of the law is rarely enforced. Both the industry and the FDA acknowledge that most supplements are currently on the market without any assessment of safety. Why?
• How can marketers of dietary supplements get away with false advertising?