FDA targets illegally marketed dietary supplements

[Eugene]

Source: CNN

(CNN) — The US Food and Drug Administration is taking new action against dietary supplements, sending warning letters to companies who claim, without proof, that their products can prevent or treat Alzheimer's, diabetes and cancer, the agency announced Monday.

The FDA vowed to update its policies on dietary supplements, promising "one of the most significant modernizations of dietary supplement regulation and oversight in more than 25 years," according to a statement by FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb.

The FDA does not review dietary supplements before they hit the market, but it can intervene when products are deemed unsafe or carry false, misleading or unproven claims about their health benefits. The agency said these claims can cause real harm when people forgo approved treatments that have been proven safe and effective.

Roughly three-quarters of American consumers regularly take dietary supplements -- including 4 out of 5 older adults, Gottlieb said. The industry has swelled with tens of thousands of products collectively worth more than $40 billion, he added.

-snip-

By Michael Nedelman, CNN
Updated 1816 GMT (0216 HKT) February 11, 2019


Read more: https://edition.cnn.com/2019/02/11/health/fda-dietary-supplements-alzheimers/index.html

[hack89]

1. Very few supplements actually do anything

In most cases people are simply creating expensive pee.

[pnwmom]

2. My opthalmologist has me taking magnesium, and has showed me,

on his computer, pictures of how my eye shape has changed (for the better) as a result.

My internist has me taking Vitamin D because many people in the NW don't get enough from the sun, and my blood levels are too low otherwise.

I also have to take B-12 because my levels were too low and in the past, I have had to take iron.

There's a difference between taking supplements under medical supervision and taking them because you saw an ad somewhere.

[empedocles]

3. With advanced computer scans, you can tell what supplements would be helpful,

and over time, see physical results, as well as determine benefits. Many athletic programs are heavy into supplements.

[hack89]

4. I very much agree with you.

If you have a medically diagnosed deficiency then supplements are beneficial.

[CountAllVotes]

11. same here

Very low vitamin D levels. I took prescription vitamin D for years (ergocalciferol). It is a difficult problem to treat and many blood draws are required.

I also take other supplements that are OTC that my health care provider deems necessary.

I too take magnesium btw.

& recommend.

[Honeycombe8]

5. They're helpful if a person is low in something that's important.

It's not helpful to take a vitamin supplement, if you aren't lacking in it.

But it's hard for people who don't eat that many calories to get all the nutrition they need from diet alone, though that is preferred.

Once I created a complicated chart containing a list of all vitamins & minerals that were important, and I worked out how many grams or mg or whatever I needed daily for optimum health. Then I tracked my eating carefully for a while. I discovered that it was almost impossible for me to take in all those vitamins & minerals through diet alone, one reason being because I couldn't eat that many calories without getting overweight. If you're trying to be healthy, being overweight/overfat is one of the unhealthiest things you can be.

It's easier for men, since they can eat more calories.

My dr told me to take Vitamin D for a deficiency (necessary for bone health).

[pnwmom]

9. Right. And not all foods are as high in nutrients as they used to be.

For example, when magnesium levels are depleted in the soil, they're lower in plants grown there.

[GulfCoast66]

6. Wow. Some things are still working.

The number of crazy, non scientific claims being made about products today is mind boggling.

[Major Nikon]

7. Just so you know, all Extenze does is make your hands smaller

Don't ask how I know.

[GulfCoast66]

8. You win DU tonight!!!

[Dem2theMax]

10. I know how you know.

You looked at Trump's tiny hands!