The Food and Drug Administration wants consumers, educators and healthcare professionals to be educated on the proper use of dietary supplements, such as vitamins and minerals.
Called “Supplement Your Knowledge,” the new initiative wants to make clear the benefits, and possible dangers, of using supplements.
“Dietary supplements can be valuable to your health but taking some supplements can also involve health risks. It’s important for consumers to have a comprehensive understanding about dietary supplements as well as the ability to identify and safely use supplements that are beneficial to their health,” said Douglas Stearn, Deputy Director for Regulatory Affairs in the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
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Dr. Janis Coffin, who specializes in primary care and family medicine at Augusta University Health, said studies show almost half of all Americans are using some form of dietary supplement.
“Supplements can be good for the diet, but they can also be very harmful. So, taking one maybe good, taking 20 may be very harmful. Patients that are taking chronic prescription medications, it may interfere with their chronic prescription medication and may make the medicine not absorbable or less effective,” she said.
The FDA initiative is broken down into three categories: consumer – those who purchase and use supplements; educators – people who are teachers, especially those of teenagers who particularly vulnerable targets for misunderstanding what dietary supplements are; and healthcare professionals to help them understand how supplements are regulated, how to advise patients on safe use of supplements and how to recognize and report adverse events to the FDA.
“These Supplement Your Knowledge resources will help provide consumers and healthcare professionals with facts to make informed decisions when determining if they want to use or recommend dietary supplements,” Stearn said.
The section for consumers includes fact sheets and videos on understanding supplements and how to discuss them with your healthcare provider.
“In years past, we would just ask about prescription medications and we would not necessarily ask about supplements. But now that half of all Americans are taking supplements and they can interfere with your chronic prescription medications it is very important that your provider doctor know what it is that you’re taking both prescription and over the counter because they may be interfering with each other and it may be causing harm instead of good,” Coffin said.
She said the conversation should include a discussion of specific dosages for each supplement as well as possible side effects. For example, for women over the age of 50, who are postmenopausal, the recommended daily intake is 1,500 milligrams of calcium per day in association with vitamin D. Patients need to take time to read labels to check the dosage of what they buy.
As for side effects, calcium can cause constipation in some patients, while magnesium can cause diarrhea. Combining supplements can potentially cause rashes, nausea and vomiting that can also make your prescription medication less effective.
For teachers, the FDA developed Science and our Food Supply: Examining Dietary Supplements. It is an interactive curriculum for use in high school science classes. It is designed to encourage students to evaluate the accuracy and credibility of information.
“People are becoming more health conscious with what’s out on the internet and social media regarding health,” Coffin said. “And for some they think these supplements will help add to their overall wellbeing but in some instances may not. So, as an avid consumer, you want to be an informed consumer, meaning you want to be cautious of products that are marketed as dietary supplements that claim to diagnose, cure, treat or prevent disease.”
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Coffin recommended using the FDA website (www.fda.gov) and National Institutes of Health website (www.nih.gov) to learn more about supplements and whether they are appropriate for an individual.
Healthcare professionals will not only learn how to talk with patients but can also get continuing education credit. The American Medical Association collaborated with the FDA to develop the program.
“This is a wonderful thing that the FDA has done because they are providing not only credit so as a provider, if I watch these videos, I get continuing medical education credit towards my board certification, but it also keeps us up to date regarding our patients and what they may be taking,” said Coffin. “But again, we also have to be informed consumers and understand what it is that we’re taking. We have to be conscious about looking at the labels and making sure that it’s coming from a credible company.”
Coffin said this is not to discourage anyone from using supplements. In fact, supplements can ensure people get necessary nutrients.
“We should all hopefully be maintaining a healthy diet. But in this day and age, with work, stress, financial issues, sometimes we’re not able to do that. So, patients may supplement their diet. We just want to make sure that you know what it is that you’re taking. Talk to your provider, make sure that you do need that, that you’re not taking too much of it and that it’s not interfering with your other medication. It’s a balancing act with hopefully your provider and us being a concerned educated, informed consumer about what it is that we’re taking,” she said.
The ”Supplement Your Knowledge” materials are available online at https://www.fda.gov/food/information-consumers-using-dietary-supplements/supplement-your-knowledge
Dana Lynn McIntyre is a general assignment reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach her at dana@theaugustapress.com
