Since taking dietary supplements has become the new norm, it’s fairly simple understand why the supplement industry is booming. Whether it be herbal, vitamin, or other pills, they all claim to have some sort of health benefit for the individual consuming them. However, the supplement industry is loosely regulated, meaning that many of supplements available are not up to the health standards that they should be. The FDA (Food and Drugs Administration) may have a product removed if people are being harmed from a product, but that’s only after the case has been confirmed.

Unlike a prescription drug, supplements oftentimes don’t receive the rigorous testing before the product hits the market. Why? Well, the FDA only requires supplement manufacturers to adhere to their guidelines. As this has raised eyebrows in the expert and common folk communities, many have come forward for regulations to be tightened.

Classifications of Supplements

A major challenge that comes with the classification process is that many supplements are classified as food. Although there’s plenty of arguments to counter this claim, it makes one wonder the difference between a carrot and a supplement in terms of classification.

For example: The DOJ (Department of Justice) had to issue an indictment against USPlabs because they were utilizing a synthetic stimulant that was created in China, but they were marketing the product as if it were made from plant extracts. This caused major concern because (as listed in the indictment) the product had been linked to liver toxicity.

Regulation Challenges

A primary concern about unregulated supplements is that they either don’t reach the attention of the FDA or they go underreported. Believe it or not, poison control centers oftentimes receive more complaints regarding supplements than the FDA does (according to recent statistics.)

Lacks of Information & Resource

There’s around 80,000 to 90,000 products floating around in the supplement industry market, so finding the resources to stay on top of this booming industry is quite a challenge. What makes the situation even more difficult is the fact that the FDA has a hard time taking action due to the lack of information. For example: Linking a health issue to a supplement is incredibly difficult.

Supplement Effects & You

Every year, studies have shown that almost 23,000 U.S. citizens have had bad reactions to supplements and were sent to the emergency room. Since many cases go unreported, this number could be even higher than what’s listed in the studies.

So considering the information above, you may have consumed a supplement that may have not correctly stated its ingredients and became ill. If so, you might have someone who can help you in this time of need. So in the event you may have consumed a supplement that was harmful to your health and require compensation, feel free to contact us for more information on how we can help you!