Dietary Supplements: A Framework for Evaluating Safety
Committe on the Framework for Evaluating the Safety of the Dietary Supplements, National Research CouncilBooks.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.
Overview
The growing consumer interest in health and fitness has expanded the market for a wide range of products, from yoga mats to the multiple dietary supplements now on the market. Supplements are popular, but are they safe? Many dietary supplements are probably safe when used as recommended. However, since 1994 when Congress decided that they should be regulated as if they were foods, they are assumed to be safe unless the Food and Drug Administration can demonstrate that they pose a significant risk to the consumer. But there are many types of products that qualify as dietary supplements, and the distinctions can become muddled and vague. Manufacturers are not legally required to provide specific information about safety before marketing their products. And the sales of supplements have been steadily increasing—all together, the various types now bring in almost $16 billion per year. Given these confounding factors, what kind of information can the Food and Drug Administration use to effectively regulate dietary supplements? This book provides a framework for evaluating dietary supplement safety and protecting the health of consumers.Synopsis
Consumers may not be aware that under the Dietary Health and Education Act of 1994, manufactures of dietary supplements are not required to provide safety data. So rather than focusing on the efficacy of increasingly popular supplements, this committee was charged with developing a framework for the Food and Drug Administration's evaluation of their safety based on existing data. The project's legal context and evidence-based approach are overviewed. Appendices provide further details on other frameworks; the scope of the current project; the plant families reviewed; and offer examples of prototype monograph summaries, and summary tables of clinical case reports and animal studies. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR