Americans love vitamin and herbal supplements. Supplements are a $70 billion industry. But, in most cases, people are better off not taking them. Julia Belluz reports for The New York Times on how “public demand” is pushing the FDA to allow the sale of six peptide supplements.
Supplements are largely unregulated, which means that they can contain ingredients that could be harmful to your health. And, many do. Companies selling supplements are not required to subject them to clinical trials and to prove their safety and efficacy, as must companies selling prescription drugs.
Consequently, Americans generally have no clue whether the supplements they take have any benefit or, worse still, could endanger their health. Studies have shown that thousands of Americans end up in the emergency room each year because of the supplements they take. And, one study showed that supplements can cause harm to people’s livers.
Peptides could be the latest supplement to skirt the need for clinical trials or proof that they are safe and effective, if the FDA upholds the advice of its advisory committee. The FDA advisory committee has approved the sale of six different peptides without FDA approval, though there is little if any evidence of their value. Of note, six new members of the committee are connected to the peptide business.
The FDA’s own scientist expressed concern about allowing peptides to be sold as supplements. One of the peptides could possibly foster cancer cell growth.
To be sure, peptides can be good. Our bodies manufacture peptides. Insulin and Ozempic are peptides. But, when companies manufacture them, peptides could have serious adverse effects. If the FDA approves their sale as supplements, however, we won’t know about advserse effects.
Here’s more from Just Care:
- Avoid supplements with these 15 ingredients
- Supplements: John Oliver vs. Dr. Oz
- Yes, you need vitamin D, but not from supplements
- Herbal remedies, including supplements, can cause serious harm
- New study finds no benefits to Vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acid supplements
