My interest in dietary supplements goes way back—to when I was a kid barely into my double digits.
What I remember was secretly saving money to visit the drugstore and buy a supplement—a supplement promising me miraculous weight loss. My mom remembers it differently.
Apparently I first went to her with an ad I saw in some magazine. I’m sure I was seduced by the promising headline of miraculous weight loss. My mom however informed me not to pay attention to it—it was a rip off, a come on, it wouldn’t do anything for me. I didn’t believe her. What did she know?
I didn’t learn my lesson until decades later….with a much leaner wallet, but no leaner body. How much did I have to spend before I learned?
Lots.
A few questions for you
If you take a dietary supplement do me a favor and grab your bottle. Take a look at it.
- Do you think it was approved by the FDA before you bought it?
- Was it required to be safe and effective before being sold?
Truth…No.
Unlike food additives or drugs, supplements do NOT need to be proven safe and effective, nor do they need the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval before being sold.
Many believe that’s a good thing—limiting government’s involvement. I get that. Yet…
- How many resisted using a seat belt when it became law? (if you’re old enough to remember!)
- How many appreciate no smoking rules?
Since 1994 we’ve seen explosive growth of 475 percent ($8 billion to $46 billion)!
From 4,000 products to over 85,000.
Not one is required to be safe or effective. Not one.
What happened in 1994?
The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) was passed in 1994. I’ll explain in a moment, but first let me define what a dietary supplement is (according to DSHEA).
Watch the video!
Dietary supplement defined
A product (other than tobacco) intended to supplement the diet that bears or contains one or more of the following dietary ingredients:
- Vitamins
- Minerals
- Herbs or other botanicals
- Amino acids
- Concentrate, metabolite, constituent, extract or combination of above listed ingredients.
And…
- Is intended to be taken by mouth, in forms such as tablet, capsule, powder, softgel, gelcap, bar, or liquid.
- Is labeled as being a dietary supplement.
(source)
Types of dietary supplements
- Micronutrients – vitamins & minerals
- Macronutrients – e.g., fatty acids (omega 3s – ALA, EPA, DHA), protein, amino acids
- Herbs (botanicals) – e.g., St. John’s wort, ginseng, ginkgo biloba
- Phytochemicals – e.g., lycopene, isoflavones, resveratrol
- Others – e.g., probiotics, glucosamine, melatonin, creatine, CLA, bee pollen
In other words if you take a multivitamin (regardless the form—pill, powder, liquid, chewable) it’s a dietary supplement. Other products you might have purchased:
- The probiotic promising amazing gut health.
- The herbal supplement you bought to improve your brain health.
- Most anything you purchased thinking it would increase metabolism, improve health, help weight loss, transform you into a lean, mean machine, etc.
- The fish oil*, vitamin D*, calcium, magnesium recommended by your physician.
- The keto supplement you recently purchased because you thought Shark Tank endorsed it.
- The products your nutritionist recommended (and might have sold you from her office) for menopause symptoms.
- The products a friend or family member is encouraging you to buy from the direct selling organization she is affiliated with.
*There is a form of fish oil (omega 3) and vitamin D available by prescription only. They are regulated like pharmaceuticals.
What is the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act?
The bill that eventually became DSHEA was proposed by Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah in April 1993 and became law in October 1994. Its intention was to promote health of Americans by ensuring easier access to dietary supplements. It also shifted the burden of proof from the manufacturer to the FDA.
“Under (DSHEA’s) existing law, the FDA can take action to remove products from the market, but the agency must first establish that such products are adulterated (e.g., that the product is unsafe) or misbranded (e.g., that the labeling is false or misleading).” (fda.gov)
According to the 1994 law, a supplement is not required to:
- Have proof it works.
- Have proof ingredients listed on the bottle/package are there.
- Have proof ingredients are free of contamination.
- Provide warnings of potential side effects.
- Meet standards for potency or dosage.
Does that bother you? It does me.
- The net effect of DSHEA was a deregulation of the supplement industry. There are NO standards for potency or dosage and no requirements for providing warnings of potential side effects.
- Should a problem arise, the burden falls to the FDA to prove the supplement poses a “significant or unreasonable risk of illness or injury.” Only then will it be removed from the market.
- Although the law limits what can be said, many unsubstantiated claims are made ALL THE TIME by less-than-reputable manufacturers. It might be years before the FDA takes action.
- Although manufacturers are required to adhere to Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP), compliance is questionable.
- Claims like diagnose, cure, treat, prevent a disease are not legally allowed for a supplement. The only rule is this statement: “This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.”
“Unlike drugs, supplements are not intended to treat, diagnose, prevent, or cure diseases. That means supplements should not make claims, such as ‘reduces pain’ or ‘treats heart disease. ‘Claims like these can only legitimately be made for drugs, not dietary supplements.” (fda.gov)
What to look for
There are seals of approval assuring product(s) do not contain contaminants and the ingredients listed on the label are in the product. The seals do not guarantee effectiveness. In other words, it may or may not ‘work.’
Organizations offering these programs include:
- ConsumerLab.com Approved Quality Product Seal
- NSF International Dietary Supplement Certification
- U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) Dietary Supplement Verification Program
Their approaches are different and explained on each website.
To report an adverse event of a dietary supplement go to the FDA. Read my follow up post about the Keto Hoax and Shark Tank.
—
A topic near and dear to me, this post about dietary supplements is one of several forthcoming. Since the 1990s and my days in grad school, I learned more than I ever imagined. It’s my mission to provide you unbiased relevant health and nutrition information so you can make educated decisions.
Please subscribe to my blog so you don’t miss my updates! I also speak on this topic to groups. Let me know if interested.
-Neily
Remember, nothing takes the place of a nutrient-rich minimally processed plant-based diet.
More Resources
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
- National Institutes of Health – Office of Dietary Supplements
- Dietary Supplement Label Database
- LiverTox – livertox.nlm.nih.gov
Jennifer “Neily” Neily, MS, RDN, LD, FAND
Neily on Nutrition
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
Wellcoach® Certified Health Coach
Fellow of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Photo credits: Neily on Nutrition, pixabay.com, ConsumerLab, U.S. Pharmacopeia
Website & blog: NeilyonNutrition.com
Thanks for the advice to look for seals of approval before buying dietary supplements. I want to use a weight loss management supplement. I’ll make sure to research before I buy anything.
Oh my gosh! I needed this information! I have been scammed so many times by pills that claim to help with weight loss. It is so frustrating that I believed claims that weren’t FDA approved and was buying all kinds of different things from different countries and really had no idea what I was taking. Now at least I can look for seals of approval so I know there won’t be any contaminates. I will be sharing this info with my friends and family because I know they have fallen for the same scams. It is scary and frustrating that these companies are getting away with it.
Glad you found this info helpful! As a matter of fact our third Discussion Board is devoted to dietary supplements.
-Neily
Knowing this, what would you recommend for someone with limitations on the fruits and vegetables one can eat? I have to avoid all fruits with sugar alcohols, and everything has to have seeds and skin removed, and be cooked. I cannot have leafy greens, and anything higher than a low fiber diet makes my health worse. I also cannot have anything with capsaicin.
Hey Danny – sounds like you’ve got a challenging restrictive diet. There are some fruits very low in sugar alcohols…but that they need to be cooked is challenging. For example red grapes…but, would be rather hard to peel them 😉 …and cooked? Hmmm. One of the best resources for the sugar alcohol in fruits is the FODMAP app by Monash University.
I recommend finding a dietitian who can help you with your issues. Check out eatrightpro.org and search for one.
Good luck!
Neily
Existing without the answers to the difficulties you’ve sorted out through this guide is a critical case, as well as the kind which could have badly affected my entire career if I had not discovered your website.
I LOVE how informative this is for the average person who has NO idea where to start on supplements. I have been tempted in the past to buy weight loss supplements but was always afraid it would be just a waste of money. Sure enough, this just proves my point. Not big on taking supplements as I would like to get them through my diet, but if I ever need them in the future or for any friends, at least now I know what to look for.
I’m so glad you found that helpful Cynthia! That is my point in providing this info. My goal is to provide unbiased relevant health and nutrition info so people can make educated decisions!
Best-
Neily
Professor Neily,
I really enjoyed reading your post. Thank you for informative and thorough about dietary supplements. I had always thought the dietary supplements are only good for our health; however, it’s not as amazing as i thought it was. Now i can tell my friends and family member to be careful when taking it.
I enjoyed reading your post and thank your for valuable information about dietary supplement. I finally have a better insight what to look for when i purchase one. Now, i can pass on what i have learned to other friends and family member. Thank you
I have always assumed that taking a multivitamin was necessary! I had no idea that they counted as supplements and in reality may not work. I do have a question though. What do the people who are vitamin deficient do? Do they take a supplement even though it isn’t regulated and may not work or should they adjust their diet?
Thanks for asking Rashon. And it is not that supplements don’t work – they do and can be beneficial for some people. The deal is though…you must take caution and buy one from a reputable manufacturer. I recommend looking for the USP label verifying it’s been tested for safety.
Neily
I am looking for Dietary Supplements information on the web for last 2 hours and finally I got the right solution here. I think you made some good points in this post. Thank you for this.
So glad you found my blog John. I’m curious what you were looking for – and how what I wrote gave you the answer. Please lmk!
Neily
I purchased the KETO supliment and the only thing l lost was my money. No weight loss no refunds. Don’t go KETO
Interesting article! I’ve actually been doing some research on dietary supplements of all kinds and if they are even worth trying. Over time I have been curious and it seems I have gathered that they some actually work and give you some benefits, but others don’t really do much at all. I guess it just depends how you use them and what you use them for.
This was incredibly helpful! I can’t believe how uninformed I was on the lack of regulation over the dietary supplements industry. This is something I will definitely keep in mind the next time I see an advertisement promising me that a supplement can help me lose weight.
Thanks Wendy – glad you found the information helpful!
Neily
It’s scary to think what I may be taking instead of what is on the label. It does not make sense that these are not regulated to at least assure the product is what is being sold.
You will learn a lot in this week’s class Discussion Board!
Neily
Your article is quite helpful! I have so many questions, and you have answered many. Thank you! Such a nice and superb article, we have been looking for this information about dietary supplements the truth. Indeed a great post about it!!
Well thank you very much! There is much confusion in the world of dietary supplements…just try to state the facts.
Neily
Nothing works as good for weight loss as learning to keep one’s mouth shut from stuffing food (among other various things) in it unnecessarily. This includes so-called supplements.
Simply put, try to stick to a normal, healthy diet and only as you need it. Do your research, learn for yourself what you need.
You’ll be happier for it and less poor.
Oh how right you are Solomon!