Many Americans use dietary supplements, but they may not understand the risks of those products
Many people don’t know enough about supplements’ active ingredients, recommended dosages, possible side effects and drug interactions.
Dietary supplements include a dizzying array of products — vitamins and minerals combined in one pill or as single components
Yet the public’s understanding of these products — how they are regulated, whether they work and are safe — falls far short of the level experts say is needed.
One of the biggest misperceptions about dietary supplements is that they are regulated by the FDA in the same way as prescription medications
“Many people are not aware that the supplement industry is not regulated by the FDA in the same way pharmaceuticals are,” said Begdache
If a supplement turns out to be harmful, such as when a product contains harmful components, the FDA can take actionTrusted Source to protect the public
The current lax approach to regulation of supplements in the United States may soon change — somewhat