Use Caution Buying Dietary Supplements Online
What are they?
Dietary supplements are products taken as a supplement to the diet. Examples of dietary supplements are:
vitamins
minerals
herbs
botanicals
amino acids (the individual building blocks of proteins needed for all life)
Dietary supplements are classified as foods and not drugs.
The Facts Of Dietary Supplements
The Facts Of Botanical Dietary Supplements
Problem sites
Web sites cannot claim that dietary supplements will prevent, treat, or cure any disease. This would make the product an unapproved and illegal drug. Web sites can't make claims that a dietary supplement will have an effect on any structure or function of the body when the claims are not substantiated.
Risks
In promoting some products, companies are telling patients not to undergo surgery, chemotherapy, or other needed treatment. This causes concern if people are forgoing legitimate medical treatment.
Consumers also have to worry about ingesting harmful substances.
Companies may call a product "natural," but that does not mean it's safe.
Dietary supplements are intended to supplement diets, not replace them.
Too much of some nutrients can cause problems.
There is also a danger of dietary supplements interacting with other drugs you may be taking. For example: The prescription medicine warfarin, the herbal supplement gingko biloba, aspirin, and vitamin E all can thin the blood, so taking any of them together can increase the potential for internal bleeding.
Regulation
Under DSHEA, dietary supplements are products that are intended to supplement the diet and that contain one or more of the following dietary ingredients:
a vitamin
a mineral
an herb or other botanical
an amino acid
a dietary substance that supplements the diet by increasing the total daily intake, or a concentrate, metabolite, constituent, extract, or combination of these ingredients
Dietary supplement manufacturers must notify the FDA at least 75 days before marketing products containing some "new dietary ingredients." Those not marketed before Oct. 15, 1994. This includes providing the agency with safety information about the supplement.
Except for dietary supplements containing new dietary ingredients, the safety and labeling of most dietary supplements is monitored only after they reach the marketplace.
The FDA evaluates the safety of dietary supplements after they are on the market, overseeing safety, manufacturing, and product information on the labeling.
The FTC regulates the advertising of dietary supplements under the FTC Act, which prohibits deceptive claims in advertising.
Under DSHEA, the FDA generally has responsibility for showing a dietary supplement is unsafe before it can take action to restrict the product's use.
Tips
What Dietary Supplements Are You Taking?
Consumers who choose to buy dietary supplements on the Internet should consider who operates the Web site and what evidence is provided to substantiate claims.
Dietary supplement makers are responsible for making sure that their products are safe before they go on the market and that claims on labels are accurate, truthful, and substantiated with adequate scientific evidence.
By law, supplement manufacturers are allowed to use these types of claims, when appropriate:
Nutrient-content claims such as "high in calcium" or "excellent source of vitamin C."
Health claims that show a link between the supplement and reduced risk of a disease or health condition, when the use of the claim has been approved by the FDA. For example: women who get adequate amounts of the B vitamin folic acid during pregnancy have a decreased risk of having a baby with a neural tube defect.
Qualified health claims, which are for dietary supplements only and came about as a result of a 1999 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in the case of Pearson v. Shalala. The court's ruling requires the FDA to allow appropriately qualified health claims that would be misleading without such qualification. These qualified claims are based on the weight of the scientific evidence.
Claims regarding a benefit related to a classical nutrient deficiency disease, such as vitamin C and scurvy.
Claims that a dietary supplement has an effect on the structure or function of the body, when such claims are supported by scientific evidence. An example of such a claim is "calcium builds strong bones" for a supplement that contains calcium.
Claims that describe general well-being from consumption of the product.
The FDA recommends that consumers contact their health care providers before using dietary supplements. This is especially important for people who are:
pregnant or breast-feeding
chronically ill
elderly
under age 18
taking prescription or over-the-counter drugs.
