These are dangerous times. As our nation’s leaders zealously mull war and terrorism, we face another domestic threat that lies not in the brains of Muslim extremists. On the shelves of our health stores sit herbal remedies and diet supplements ready for consumption. Some are for weight loss, some are to soothe anxiety. Many look shady.
Recently, though, dietary supplements have muscled their way into the media through bad publicity through tragic events, such as ephedra falling suspect in last month’s death of Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler. The Food and Drug Administration finally has stepped up and taken control of a sector of the market that actually falls somewhere between food and drugs.
The FDA is planning on placing new rules on dietary supplements requiring what the FDA’s Web site calls “current good manufacturing practices” in its manufacturing and packing. The proposed addition in rules would put forth standards ensuring the supplements contain no impurities or contaminants.
“This proposed regulation would require that dietary supplements provide accurate information on the type and amount of ingredients they contain and that dietary supplements are produced using safe methods,” said FDA commissioner Mark McClellan.
This makes one wonder why the FDA has taken so long to place restrictions on supplements. McClellan said the supplementary market has been a sort of “buyer beware market,” as before now there have been few regulations over the manufacturing processes and monitored ingredients entering the supplements. According to a recent New York Times article, the FDA discovered dietary supplements from some companies have included “bacteria, glass, pesticides, lead and other contaminants.”
Apparently the FDA had the power under a 1994 law, the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, to place regulations on dietary supplements but refrained from doing so, for the act also placed dietary supplements somewhere between food and drugs. Because the supplements already were released to the public, it was up to the FDA to prove a product was hazardous, whereas pharmaceutical companies must spend large sums to prove their drugs’ efficacy. The FDA therefore took no action.
McClellan said “consumers should have access to dietary supplements that are accurately labeled and are free from contaminants.”
No kidding. In times like these, when the dorm food emporium began stocking duct tape only few weeks ago, and we should buy plastic sheeting to protect us in the case of the successful completion of a fanatic’s wish, we shouldn’t have to worry about whether or not the pills we take contain heavy metals.
According to the New York Times article, though, the new measures will not tell consumers whether the supplements will work or whether they are dangerous to one’s health. This makes little sense. Why ensure a product contains no glass, yet not ensure whether the product will stop your heart?
The failure in logic here blows my mind. I’m still thinking twice before popping the next pill of St. John’s wart.