Dietary Supplements in the USA: Problematic Trends

Overview

Journal Public Health Nutr

Publisher Cambridge University Press

Date 2021 Feb 26

PMID 33632363

Citations 2

Authors

Bryan E Denham

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

More than 25 years have passed since the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 classified dietary supplements as a subcategory of food, thereby exempting manufacturers from providing premarket evidence of product safety and efficacy. In this commentary, I discuss problems in the supplement industry through an examination of cases introduced or decided in US federal courts between 2010 and 2019. More than half the cases located involved defendants charged with introducing misbranded food or drugs into interstate commerce. Contaminants included anabolic steroids, erectile dysfunction medications, weight-loss drugs, workout stimulants and mind-altering substances. As the article points out, raw powders obtained in bulk quantities facilitate the practice of 'home brewing' and the introduction of prescription drugs into dietary supplements.

Citing Articles

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Optimizing Maternal Nutrition: The Importance of a Tailored Approach.

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