Nearly 800 dietary supplements soiled with unapproved ingredients such as viagra and steroids

The researchers found that nearly 800 food supplements consumed by Americans are actually contaminated with one or more drugs.

Experts ask the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take urgent action to remove the relevant products from the market.

Food supplements adulterated

More than half of American adults consume dietary supplements daily, ranging from vitamins and minerals to amino acids and plants. These products are not intended to prevent or treat diseases, but represent a $ 35 billion industry. Unlike drugs, which are regulated by the FDA, the 1994 Dietary Supplements, Health and Education Act classifies dietary supplements as foods and therefore does not have to be subjected to the same tests.

In an analysis of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, researchers of a new study published in JAMA Network open now found that nearly 800 dietary supplements were adulterated with unapproved drugs. Specifically, between 2007 and 2016, 776 dietary supplements were identified as containing one or more hidden drug ingredients, involving 146 dietary supplement manufacturers.

Viagra, banned weight loss drug and synthetic steroids

Most adulterated dietary supplements have been marketed to improve sexual performance, lose weight and build muscle. Sildenafil, the active ingredient of Viagra, is the hidden ingredient of the most common drug, while the most used additive in weight loss supplements is prohibited from the sibutramine, a banned drug for weight loss, and synthetic steroids.

Unfortunately, less than half of the adulterated products have finally been recalled and some remain on the market, even to this day. According to the data, the FDA has sent warnings to companies, with 28 products named two or three times as adulterated products. However, despite the agency warnings, in 19 out of 28 cases, the products even contained new ingredients that were not approved by the second or third warning, rather than the original, unapproved ingredient being removed.

Urgent action

A previous study combined dietary supplements with 23,000 emergency visits and 2,000 hospitalizations each year in the United States. In addition, poison control centers have received more than 1,000 reports of adverse effects from dietary supplements over a three-year period.

As such, the experts are now urging the FDA to take urgent action to remove these products from the market. These products pose serious health risks, especially for users who are unaware that the supplements they take are actually adulterated with medications. For example, sibutramine can increase blood pressure and heart rate, so it could be particularly risky for someone with a history of stroke.