With supplements, it's buyer beware

With supplements, it's buyer beware

Making the headlines recently, the Lyn weight-loss supplement linked to fatalities was found to contain sibutramine, a drug that decreases appetite and caloric intake but was banned due to increased risk of cardiovascular issues.

A lab analysis of another dietary supplement under the same brand found bisacodyl, a stimulant laxative drug.

The Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stated that categorised as food, the two products are contaminated with harmful ingredients and warned consumers about purchasing and ingesting them.

Headlines like these raise awareness on how unlabelled and illegal ingredients can be sneaked into dietary supplements. Consumers need to take heed and do their due diligence before putting any supplement into their bodies. The best way to lose weight is still through diet and exercise. Consult your physician before taking any weight-loss pills.

Since lifestyle changes require more of an effort than popping a pill, people seek the miracle cure, believing claims that a pill could block fat or carbohydrate absorption, curb appetite, or speed up the metabolism -- though without proof of product effectiveness and safety.

There are many other types of dietary supplements available for sale that also lack clinical evidence while claiming an ability to create fair glowing skin, increase athletic performance, and improve health and overall wellness.

Still, there's big spending on vitamins, minerals and herbal products, whose makers claim will fill nutritional gaps from not eating enough fruits and veggies, boost antioxidants to fight free radicals as well as providing health and beauty benefits.

The booming supplement industry exploits factors such as an ageing population, and exploits the preventative healthcare trend along with its fads, resulting in the multitude of products shelved on drug stores and those of direct and online sales.

While the Thai FDA has to work on tightening regulations and enforcement in ensuring standards and safety, consumers have to be smarter about dietary supplements and be knowledgeable about the ingredients in them.

Like many other 50-somethings, I take daily supplements -- quite a lot actually. They include astaxanthin, vitamin C, garlic oil, omega-3 fatty acids and turmeric, with this self-prescription based on knowledge of their proven health benefits.

I'm especially a believer in omega-3 and turmeric since the veterinarian prescribed them for my late German Shepherd as alternative medicine for his skin condition, which resulted in giving him a healthy coat.

I have also started taking probiotics with seven strains. According to the Consumer's Health Report website updated in March, there has been an exploding probiotics market within the past few years as people take them as daily supplements while reporting improvements in overall health.

Loads of information on the internet can get consumers confused about contradictory data about health benefits of different types of dietary supplements. But some websites are found to provide useful information too.

Take the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) website operated by the National Institutes of Health in the US, for example. It was set up to educate the public, evaluate scientific information, encourage research and disseminate research results to build a better knowledge and understanding of supplements.

The research efforts will then help in evaluating the risks and benefits of dietary supplements, as it is still inconclusive whether they really have any effect at all.

Many people believe they need dietary supplements to treat vitamin and mineral deficiencies, which has led to wellness centres offering customised compounded vitamins based on a blood test analysing micronutrients -- this of course at a high price.

There are also business-like vitamin start-ups that in recent years have been the rage in the US. This trend has arrived in Thailand with a wellness clinic apparently offering personalised supplements delivered to your doorstep as a part of its services. It seems like a safer way to get the nutritional essentials based on your needs under medical consultation, but still, it's about a booming business that can flatten your wallet.

But amid all these healthcare business initiatives plus an array of good and bad products, consumer awareness is key to get us all through this. While the FDA is playing their role, consumers must play their part too.


Kanokporn Chanasongkram is a feature writer of the Life section of the Bangkok Post.

Kanokporn Chanasongkram

Feature writer

Kanokporn Chanasongkram is a feature writer for the Life section of the Bangkok Post.

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