I would like to respond to the articles and letters concerning the debate over vitamin and mineral supplements and the FDA's efforts to more responsibly regulate them. I feel the media have done a poor job of providing Americans with both sides of the story.
Advocates of the supplement industry argue that it is a matter of "freedom of choice" to take supplements and that the FDA is trying to get supplements off the market.I strongly disagree. The FDA is simply trying to hold supplement manufacturers to a minimum standard similar to that which it requires of the food and drug industries.
Many vitamin, mineral and/or food supplement manufacturers make claims (either explicit or implicit) that their products can have medicinal benefits (treat or prevent disease, give increased energy, help lose weight, etc.). However, many of these claims are either unproven or have been disproven.
When we open the medicine cabinet to take something for a headache, we make some assumptions - namely that the product is both safe and effective. We assume that before the product came onto the market, the drug was tested to prove it is safe and that the recommended doses are effective and nontoxic. We also expect warnings about potential side-effects and interactions with other medications will be listed.
Why shouldn't the vitamin and supplement industry be held to the same standard since some of them encourage people to take their products and claim all sorts of health benefits?
With respect to the subject of safety: Many vitamins are potentially toxic. Yet, with a few exceptions, FDA cannot regulate the amount of a nutrient that is placed in a vitamin preparation. As little as five times the RDA of vitamin D is toxic. Vitamin B6, a commonly overconsumed vitamin, is toxic in high doses.
Iron poisoning from vitamin preparations is the most frequent cause of pediatric deaths by poisoning in the United States. Even vitamin C has potential dangers in high doses. Some herbs are also potentially harmful. Since 1985, at least seven cases of liver disease, with one death, have been associated with ingestion of the herb comfrey.
Americans spend over $25 billion each year on "health" products that do not work or have not been proven to work. Yet a myth abounds in our society that taking supplements will make us healthy. In fact, many falsely believe that "the more the better."
If the supplement industry wants to sell its products, that is fine. The FDA is not trying to put them out of business. It is just trying to make them a little more responsible.
Susan Fullmer
Salt Lake City