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New York, October 15
Nearly 800 non-prescription food supplements from 2007 to 2016 contained unapproved drug ingredients, according to a new analysis of data from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Pieter A. Cohen, an associate professor at Harvard University, said the FDA had discovered 746 adulterated supplements.
More than one unapproved pharmaceutical ingredient has been found in 20% of these supplements.
The presence of prescription drugs, often at unknown concentrations, means that these supplements are essentially "unapproved drugs" that could harm the health of users, according to the researchers.
"These products can have serious adverse health effects due to accidental misuse, misuse or interaction with other drugs, health problems under or drugs that are part of the same dietary supplement, "led researchers led by Madhur Kumar of the California Department of Health Food and Drug Branch, was quoted by CNN.
For the study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, Kumar and his co-authors reviewed the FDA's Tainted Products database marketed under the name of Dietary Complements-CDER for the period from 2007 to 2016.
Most adulterated products, about 45%, were marketed to improve sexual performance, lose weight (about 41%) or develop muscle (12%).
Sildenafil, tadalafil and vardenafil are drugs in prescription drugs for the treatment of erectile dysfunction that, if overused, can cause serious damage to the blood vessels.
The most commonly detected pharmaceutical ingredients in adulterated weight loss products were sibutramine, which had been withdrawn from the US market in 2010 due to cardiovascular risks, and laxative phenolphthalein.
Many adulterated bodybuilding products contained undeclared anabolic steroids which, if abused, can lead to short-term mental problems and kidney problems, liver damage and long-term heart problems.
Antidepressants and antihistamines, which can have side effects and interact with other medications, are among the other medications that are found in adulterated supplements.
"Only 360 out of 746 (48%) have been recalled, leaving the majority of falsified supplements, more than 350 products, available for sale," said Cohen.
Thus, according to Cohen, "it will take more than the FDA to ensure that all falsified supplements are effectively and quickly removed from the market." IANS
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