Dietary Supplement Health Risks

On the risks of ignoring scientific evidence did not clarify that the actions of the us food and drug administration fda do not strengthen regulations on dietary supplements or further protect patients from unsafe or ineffective supplements.

Dietary supplement health risks. Dietary supplements are products designed to augment your daily intake of nutrients including vitamins and minerals. In spite of the risks of using diet supplements the demand for these products continues to rise especially among individuals with eating disorders. Print share pdf 246kb en español spanish dietary supplements can be beneficial to your health but taking supplements can also involve health risks.

Contaminated products conceivably one of the greatest supplement risks especially over time can be easily avoided by taking high quality science based pure vitamins and supplements. The health risk assessment of consumers of dietary supplements showed in an extreme case that taking this supplement for only one week poses a health risk associated with exposure to pb. These include glucosamine for joint pain and herbal supplements such as echinacea immune health and flaxseed oil digestion.

Contrasting that to the health risks of dietary supplements a lax and weak regulatory system of fda dietary supplement regulation which does not even mandate to analyze test or approve supplements for safety and effectiveness prior to marketing as discussed in the 3 part article on exploring the shady world of dietary supplement regulation. And unlike drugs dietary supplements are mostly self prescribed with no input from informed medical sources like doctors nurses or pharmacists. Nevertheless one of the facts about dietary supplements is that overall the health risks with dietary supplements are low.

The health effects of some other common supplements need more study. Many are safe and offer significant health benefits but there are some that pose health risks especially if overused. Up to 50 of those who meet the criteria for an eating disorder use over the counter diet pills herbal supplements or prescription drugs to lose weight according to eating behaviors.

But sellers aren t required to do research studies in people to prove that a dietary supplement is safe. The contamination issue associated with lots of dietary supplements leads to harmful risks to overall health. Vitamin k for example will reduce the ability of blood thinners to work.

Many supplements have mild effects with few risks.