New England Journal publishes supplement warning.

An editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine has expressed great concern about the dietary supplement marketplace.

The editorial noted:

**Lenient regulatory oversight over dietary supplements, combined with the FDA's lack of resources, has created a marketplace in which manufacturers can introduce hazardous new products with virtual impunity.

**Although manufacturers have since 2007 been required to report serious supplement-related adverse events to the FDA, the great majority of the estimated 50,000 adverse events that occur annually remain unreported.

**A 2002 Harris Poll found that most consumers mistakenly belied that dietary supplements are approved by a government agency

**A recent survey of internal medicine residents found that one third mistakenly believed that dietary supplements require FDA approval and the majority did not know that adverse events suspected to have been caused by supplements should be reported to the FDA.

**In an attempt to evade detection, some manufacturers have spiked products with modified forms of drugs, the safety of which is unknown.

The author concluded:

"Congress should give the FDA the requisite authority and resources to regulate dietary supplements so that the public can make well-informed decisions regarding the potential risks and benefits of consuming such supplements. Until that happens, millions of Americans will continue to be exposed to unacceptable risks in exchange for purported but unproven health benefits."

Cohen PA. American roulette - contaminated dietary supplements. New England Journal of Medicine, Oct 8, 2009