| Are you one of the 19 billion Americans who have | | | | prove it is unsafe before the supplement is removed |
| taken a dietary supplement? You know what I mean | | | | from public sale. |
| by dietary supplement...those pills which promise a quick | | | | This is a huge difference! |
| and painless way to lose weight.. the "get skinny | | | | Of course if the system worked as it was designed, |
| without exercising" variety? | | | | the FDA should have adequate control over all |
| If so, read on for some things you might not have | | | | supplements marketed, being able to prevent the |
| realized about the safety of these diet pills! | | | | unsafe ones from being sold. |
| The term dietary supplement was legally defined in | | | | Unfortunately this is not the case, as you well can |
| 1994 as part of the Dietary Supplement Health and | | | | imagine. There are just too many supplements |
| Education Act. | | | | currently available for the FDA to keep close tabs on. |
| In order to be considered as a dietary supplement, a | | | | This means not every supplement on the shelf is safe |
| product must be identified as such on the label. | | | | to take! |
| Additionally, the product must be intended to add to the | | | | Quality control is another potential problem with dietary |
| diet, it must be taken orally as a capsule, tablet, pill or | | | | supplements. In other words, what the label says the |
| liquid, and it also must contain at least one of the | | | | product contains and what it actually does may be |
| following: vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals or | | | | two different things. Standardization is not required by |
| amino acids and other substances. | | | | law. It is up to the manufacturer to give accurate |
| What makes a dietary supplement different than a | | | | information about the supplement ingredients on the |
| food or drug? Under the jurisdiction of the Food and | | | | label. |
| Drug Administration (FDA), dietary supplements are | | | | Hopefully this information has given you pause to |
| more or less regulated as a food. | | | | consider your supplement-buying practices. Not that all |
| This means a manufacturer can market a product | | | | supplements are bad or harmful, that's far from the |
| without having to go through the rigorous safety | | | | truth, but the take home message is this:weigh the |
| testing that drugs do prior to being put on the market. | | | | pros and cons carefully before you decide to buy! |
| Drug companies must prove a drug is safe before it is | | | | You may not be getting what you think you are. |
| marketed. With dietary supplements, the FDA has to | | | | |