Dietary Supplements Forum this week, a scientist warned consumers that reading labels and comparing prices are not the best means to determine a dietary supplement s efficacy and potential side effects. Larry Augsburger, Ph.D., immediate past president of AAPS, chair of the meeting and professor at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, stressed that consumers need to engage in critical pre-purchase research on any dietary supplement they wish to purchase. In fact, a product testing industry has evolved that has the potential to prey on consumers by selling a seal of approval that may or may not be meaningful. Case in point, a highly marketed energy bar for women does not warn against excessive doses of Vitamin-K that could interfere with certain blood clotting medications.
People assume that anything in a capsule or pill gets absorbed into the body.
The fact is, substances added to herbs or botanicals to create the capsule or pill can affect their ability to be absorbed. For example, in a recent study, two out of nine commercial Melatonin products did not disintegrate after more than 20 hours. Another suggestion is that consumers only use products cited in successful clinical trials. Interested parties can obtain this information by reviewing original studies via internet or by contacting the study s author. Where to Go for Help Several independent organizations exist with the purpose of insuring quality and consistency in dietary supplements.