Calls to poison centers about supplements increased by 50%
Between 2005 and 2012, the rate of calls to poison control centers regarding dietary supplements increased by 50%. Most of the exposures were in children younger than 6 years old, as a study published in the Journal of Medical Toxicology states.
Dietary supplements were defined in the study as any product that supplements the diet, including vitamins, minerals, herbs, botanicals, homeopathic agents, amino acids, concentrates and metabolites. In the study, the most dangerous supplements were named, among them being ma huang, yohimbe, homeopathic agents and energy drinks. Ma huang is a stimulant that contains ephedra – which was outlawed by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2004. Yohimbe – promoted as a male sexual performance enhancer – as well as energy drinks containing caffeine or other stimulant ingredients, are still on the market.
The researchers used data from the National Poison Data System, to which poison control centers submit their call information. From 2000 to 2012, there were 274,998 dietary supplement exposures reported to poison control centers across the US, according to CNN. The symptoms associated with supplement ingestion included tachycardia, vomiting, nausea, irritability, drowsiness and dizziness.
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According to the FDA’s website, the agency “regulates dietary supplements under a different set of regulations than those covering ‘conventional’ foods and drug products. Unless the products are intended to treat or prevent a disease, this means the FDA does not require companies to conduct clinical trials of dietary supplements.” The FDA said it does not comment on specific studies, but it is reviewing these findings.
“Because dietary supplements are not regulated by the FDA, there are not robust studies done to ensure that they are efficacious or have a reliable safety profile,” Jeannette Trella, managing director of the Poison Control Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said. “We’re often going down a path of unknowns, and for possibly no benefit at all. We really don’t know if there’s a benefit to taking any of these supplements, because of the lack of studies. People need to be aware of that. Just because it’s a natural supplement doesn’t mean it’s safe. I often use the example, technically, that cocaine is also natural. But that doesn’t mean it’s safe.”
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