Many Dietary Supplements Are Tainted With Hidden Pharmaceuticals, Study Finds

Many over-the-counter supplements are contaminated with pharmaceutical ingredients. That is the main finding of my recent review.

My assessment of the Food and Drug Administration's Health Fraud Product Database showed that there were over a thousand unique dietary supplement products marketed between 2007 and 2021 that contained active ingredients found in prescription drugs or were deemed too dangerous to be used in people.

Fifty five percent of the supplements my study identified were for sexual function and 35 percent were for weight loss.

While many products are removed from the market once detected by the FDA, other products can make their way onto the market in their place.

Why it matters

58 percent of US adults use supplements. According to recent surveys from the Council for Responsible Nutrition, US consumers have a moderate level of confidence in the quality and safety of supplements.

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Why do these substances matter?

The FDA recommended removing the active ingredient in many of the weight loss supplements from the US market in 2010 after research showed that it increased the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

In 1999 the FDA reclassified phenolphthalein as not generally recognized as safe and effective, which led to it being removed from over-the-counter laxative products.

Studies show that the ingredient can damage people's genes and increase their risk of cancer.

My study showed the presence of ingredients approved for use in prescription drugs. The FDA approved the use of Viagra and Cialis.

The active ingredients in these drugs can cause serious side effects, such as loss of vision or priapism.

My study documented cases in which more than one active ingredient was combined in ways that were never studied for safety.

The risk of serious drug interactions is one of the reasons why hidden active ingredients are problematic. Life-threatening drops in blood pressure can occur when the active ingredients in the drugs are used with high blood pressure.

flibanserin, the active ingredient in the prescription drug Addyi, was found in two of the dietary supplements identified in my study. If used with alcohol, flibanserin can greatly reduce blood pressure.

Before giving a prescription, pharmacists check for drug interactions. It is impossible to prevent drug interactions with hidden ingredients in supplements.

What still isn't known

The FDA does not require proof of good manufacturing practices from supplement manufacturers before they can sell their products in the US.

It is difficult for the FDA to take action against a product that is unsafe when there are over 29,000 products in the US.

FDA assessments are expensive because they aim to detect other problems such as the presence of heavy metal or mold in supplements.

The assessment process of these supplements is poorly funded by the agency. The FDA attempts to remove products from the market when it discovers that they have been found to be fraudulent.

If the product you are thinking about using is on that list, don't use it. If your product is not included in the database, it means that it hasn't been assessed.

C. Michael White is a professor at the University of Connecticut.

This article is free to use under a Creative Commons license. The original article is worth a read.