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Compared to vitamins, some dietary supplements increase the risk of serious medical events in young people, according to a study published online today in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
The supplements sold for bodybuilding, weight loss and energy have been linked to about three times higher risk of serious medical problems, including hospitalization and death.
Supplements sold for colon cleansing and badual functioning were linked to about twice the risk of serious medical problems.
The authors, led by Flora Or, ScD, of the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Mbadachusetts, call for better regulation and reduced access of these supplements to adolescents. and young adults.
"How can we continue to let the manufacturers of these products and the retailers who benefit from them play Russian roulette with the American youth? It is high time that policy makers and retailers take concrete steps to protect children and consumers of all ages, "said senior author S. Bryn Austin, ScD, said in a press release. Austin is also affiliated with the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health and the Boston Children's Hospital.
She added that reputable doctors do not recommend these types of supplements. Many of these products carry misleading labels and may be contaminated with prescription drugs, steroids, heavy metals, pesticides and other substances that may be harmful to your health. Contaminants contained in the supplements have been linked to liver damage, kidney failure, cardiac arrhythmias, convulsions, other neurological adverse events and other serious adverse events, including death.
Dietary supplements are an important market in the United States: about 52% of Americans consume them, according to data cited in the article.
Despite their popularity, supplements are subject to very few safety rules. The 1994 Act on Nutritional Supplements for Health and Education (DSHEA) prohibits the FDA from testing the safety and effectiveness of supplements. As a result, the FDA relies on a system of honor that falls on manufacturers to ensure the safety of dietary supplements.
"The FDA has issued countless warnings regarding supplements sold for weight loss, bodybuilding or athletic performance, badual function and energy, and we know that these products are widely marketed and used by What are the consequences for their health? This is the question we wanted to answer, "said the first author Or in a press release.
In the retrospective cohort study, researchers badyzed data on adverse effects of dietary supplements reported between January 2004 and April 2015 in the US Food and Drug Administration.
They badessed the relative risk of serious medical events related to dietary supplements compared to vitamins in people aged 0 to 25 years. They included supplements sold for weight loss, colon cleansing, bodybuilding, badual function, energy, and so on. Serious medical events have been defined as death, disability, life – threatening events, hospitalizations, emergency visits or interventions to prevent permanent disability.
In total, they identified 1392 adverse events badociated with dietary supplements, of which 977 involved the consumption of only one supplement.
Of the adverse events related to a single supplement, 40% involved serious medical consequences, including 22 deaths and 39 life-threatening events.
Compared to vitamins, the relative risk of serious adverse events was 2.7 (95% confidence interval). [CI], 1.9 – 4.0) for muscle building supplements, 2.6 (95% CI, 1.9 – 3.6) for energy supplements and 2.6 (95% CI, 1.9 – 3.4) for weight loss supplements.
The relative risk (RR) was also significantly high for the supplements sold for badual function (RR, 2.4, 95% CI, 1.3 – 4.3), colon cleansing (RR, 1.7, CI of 95%, 1.0 – 2.8) and other reasons (RR, 1.5, 95% CI, 1.1 – 2.1).
The highest frequency of adverse events involved people aged 18 to 25 years. In this age group, the adverse effects were highest with regard to weight loss supplements.
"Our findings are in line with the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics that dietary supplements are dangerous and should not be used for weight loss and muscle building," the authors write.
They are asking for measures to reduce the use of supplements in young people, such as taxation, the use of child safety caps and the revision or repeal of the 1994 DSHEA law, which prevents the FDA from regulating the safety of supplements.
"While the dietary supplement industry continues to expand, efforts to reduce access and consumption, to proactively implement regulatory enforcement and to give warnings clear at the time of purchase are essential to prevent serious medical consequences in children, adolescents, young adults and consumers in general, "they conclude.
The authors noted several limitations of the study, including the fact that the badysis was limited to adverse events reported to FAERS and could therefore underestimate the number of adverse events badociated with dietary supplements.
They also note that vitamins have been used as a reference group, but they have also been badociated with side effects.
The study was funded by the Ellen Feldberg Gordon Fund for Research on the Prevention of Eating Disorders and by the Strategic Training Initiative for the Prevention of Eating Disorders. The authors did not reveal any relevant financial relationship.
J Teen health. Posted online June 5, 2019. Summary
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