Should dietary supplement regulation bechanged?
The last 2 modules have discussed vitamins and minerals.Many of these micronutrients are sold as dietary supplements.People typically assume that the supplements they purchase are assafe as the medications they take. What they may not know is thatthe FDA regulates dietary supplements under a different set ofregulations than those covering “conventional” foods and drugproducts (i.e., prescription and over-the-counter medications).Under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994(DSHEA), the dietary supplement manufacturer, not the FDA, isresponsible for ensuring that a dietary supplement is safe beforeit is marketed. The FDA can take action against an unsafe dietarysupplement product only after it reaches the market. Do you thinkthat the FDA should be responsible for ensuring the safety ofdietary supplements before they reach the market as they are fordrugs? What would be the pluses and minuses of this change inregulation?
