FDA on dietary supplements: the agency raises concerns about harmful products and illegal marketing

FDA warns of risks of harmful dietary supplements, alerts consumers to false claims, unknown and potentially unknown ingredients dangerous products.

"The big question is what's in there, you do not have to look at it or analyze it before you market it," Dr. David Agus told CBS This Morning on Friday. "And so we need quality, and at the same time, we must stray from claims – [like] we will stop Alzheimer's disease and cancer with these pills. Without data, many claims are made. "

In February, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb announced further efforts to modernize the regulation of the dietary supplement industry, stating, "The popularity of supplements has increased, as has the number of entities marketing potential products. dangerous or making unsubstantiated claims that they can offer. " The FDA has also warned companies that illegally sell products as food supplements, falsely claiming to treat or cure Alzheimer's disease, among other health issues.

Americans spent more than $ 40 billion on supplements last year. According to the FDA, three out of four Americans regularly consume a supplement in an industry that has gone from about 4,000 products to more than 50,000 in the last 25 years.

"Right now, the FDA, when you submit a drug, it checks and assures that it's perfectly pure before you give it in. And it's based on a clinical trial to say, can you claim does it work? " Agus said. "The supplements, they just put them on the market, and it's voluntary if they can be analyzed by something that's called the American Pharmacopoeia."

While you will find supplements bearing the "USP" label of the American Pharmacopoeia, Agus said that "of the 50,000 on the market, 100 are approved by the Pharmacopoeia".

To find out if a supplement is safe for you, Agus said, "The first question is: should you take supplements?"

"Make sure your doctor knows you are taking them because they could interact with the medications you are taking, the number one."

Unless you are pregnant and taking prenatal vitamins, or have certain eye diseases, Agus said there was "no data" showing that many of these supplements were effective.

Agus also warned against some herbal supplements.

"Many of these derived plants absorb heavy metals from the soil, so there could be contaminants that could be a problem," he said. "At the same time, these are medications, and you're taking them in. Some of these high-dose vitamins can actually increase cancer rates, bone fractures, and many diseases."

The Council for Responsible Nutrition, the leading professional group representing the dietary supplement industry, said it supports the FDA's efforts to improve safety and quality: "We welcome additional enforcement measures to bring to justice those who would cynically use the halo effect of the industry to quickly earn money by ignoring the safety and health of consumers. "