Health supplement labels make extravagant claims, but all too much often they are hard to swallow
Retired attorney John Callahan, 81, of Manhattan, NY, was concerned that he was losing short-term memory, and consulted a pharmacist at his local CVS. “You might try this,” he recalls the pharmacist saying, pointing to a dietary supplement rich in omega-3 fatty acids. “This is something we produce. It has been clinically tested and should work.”
However, the supplement didn’t work, and “I started getting stomach cramps and headaches,” Callahan said, after three weeks of unpleasant side effects and no discernible results. Callahan then thought that enough is enough. He is now a plaintiff in a federal lawsuit accusing CVS of misleading advertising.
Americans buy $37 billion worth of nutritional supplements annually, and range from simple vitamins and mineral pills to sleep aids, muscle powders, memory enhancement, and self-proclaimed disease cures. Sales are rising thanks to millions of boomers who are now facing age-related health conditions, including memory loss. A study published recently by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago found the proportion of adults between the ages of 62 and 85 using supplements rose from 51.8 percent in 2005 to 63.7 percent in 2011. Those using multiple supplements jumped nearly 50 percent.
Unlike prescription or over-the-counter medicines, supplements are regulated by the U.S. government as food and not medicine. Consequently, manufacturers don’t need to prove to regulators that their products are effective or safe before coming to market. Many supplements safely help prevent various health issues. But some supplement makers put claims on their labels that are false – and sometimes even dangerous.
The problem often lies within a product’s marketing scheme. Regulators prohibit supplement manufactures from making false or misleading claims, but regulators don’t actively police the industry. Instead, they usually take action only after getting complaints from consumers. Consequently, tens of millions of dollars are being spent on ineffective or even dangerous supplements, which older adults can ill afford, advocates say. In some cases, users of these products are missing out on approved treatments or remedies, and are taking supplements with life-threatening ingredients or using them in high-risk combination with prescription drugs.
BOGUS CLAIMS
To target older consumers, a host of new products now claim to boost memory, with some even suggesting that they can head off or reverse dementia and/or Alzheimer’s disease –even though mainstream science has yet to find a cure. Luckily, these claims are now starting to get attention from regulators and lawmakers.
“There’s a special place in hell for anyone marketing dietary supplements that falsely claim to cure Alzheimer’s disease or dementia – but that’s exactly what we have seen manufactures doing,” Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo), the ranking member on the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, said in a statement . Last year, McCaskill sent letters to 15 retailers seeking information on their policies and procedures for marketing supplements, after she learned about a supplement called Brain Armor that was being advertised as “protection” against Alzheimer’s, dementia, and stroke.
Last November, the Justice Department announced a nationwide sweep of more than 100 makers and marketers of such supplements. The companies were accused of making unsubstantiated claims about everything from treatments for Alzheimer’s disease to cures for people addicted to pain medications.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently settled charges against a California firm that claimed one of its supplements relieves symptoms associated with menopause, including hot flashes and weight gain. The agency also settled charges against two supplement marketers who claimed that their products could prevent gray hair or restore its natural color.
Subsequently, we need stricter laws to prevent these companies from abusing the consumers stealing their money. However, it is not only that which must be prevented, but also to prevent the risk of our citizens’ health.
Source: Rick Schmitt
