A new research from federal researchers revealed that thousands of Americans visit emergency departments annually for health problems related to dietary supplements.
ABC News reported that the riskiest ones are energy-boosting ad weight-loss products. The study, which was published in this week's New England Journal of Medicine said "a limited regulatory framework makes it challenging to accurately monitor the safety of supplements."
Moreover, researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) estimated that number of emergency department visits across the U.S. based on population and determined how often Americans are going to the emergency room due to supplement intake.
The study authors wrote that there is a total of 23,005 emergency department visits stem from supplement-use problems annually and an average of 2,154 of those visits result in hospitalizations each year. Furthermore, researchers have defined each case as an emergency department visit where a clinician who treated the patient explicitly attributed the patient's complication to dietary supplement use.
"They sound like big numbers but they really aren't," trade group Council for Responsible Nutrition President Steve Mister said of the ER visits. "The risks are so, so small" when you consider the millions of people who use the products, he said.
"The most common symptoms linked to weight-loss and energy products were heart symptoms, including palpitations and chest pain," Time informed. "Cardiac symptoms were also common among emergency visits linked to bodybuilding and sexual-enhancement products. The most common health problems associated with micronutrients, like vitamins and minerals, were allergic reactions or trouble swallowing."
"Like anything that we do at CDC, we are trying to identify opportunities for reducing harm," study author Dr. Andrew Geller, a medical officer in CDC's Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, said. "People may not realize [supplements] can cause adverse effects."
Meanwhile, the supplement trade organization Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) released a statement in response to the report. "The results of this study reinforce that dietary supplements are safe products, particularly when put into context with the number of people-over 150 million Americans-who take dietary supplements every year..." the statement read. "However, we do appreciate the elements of this study that present reasonable takeaways for the industry, and are pleased to confirm that companies are already responding to many of these suggestions made by the study authors."
"[Supplement use] is continuing to be an interest of ours," CDC's Andrew said. "Patients should always tell their doctors if they are taking supplements."
A new research from federal researchers revealed that thousands of Americans visit emergency departments annually for health problems related to dietary supplements.
ABC News reported that the riskiest ones are energy-boosting ad weight-loss products. The study, which was published in this week's New England Journal of Medicine said "a limited regulatory framework makes it challenging to accurately monitor the safety of supplements."
Moreover, researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) estimated that number of emergency department visits across the U.S. based on population and determined how often Americans are going to the emergency room due to supplement intake.
The study authors wrote that there is a total of 23,005 emergency department visits stem from supplement-use problems annually and an average of 2,154 of those visits result in hospitalizations each year. Furthermore, researchers have defined each case as an emergency department visit where a clinician who treated the patient explicitly attributed the patient's complication to dietary supplement use.
"They sound like big numbers but they really aren't," trade group Council for Responsible Nutrition President Steve Mister said of the ER visits. "The risks are so, so small" when you consider the millions of people who use the products, he said.
"The most common symptoms linked to weight-loss and energy products were heart symptoms, including palpitations and chest pain," Time informed. "Cardiac symptoms were also common among emergency visits linked to bodybuilding and sexual-enhancement products. The most common health problems associated with micronutrients, like vitamins and minerals, were allergic reactions or trouble swallowing."
"Like anything that we do at CDC, we are trying to identify opportunities for reducing harm," study author Dr. Andrew Geller, a medical officer in CDC's Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, said. "People may not realize [supplements] can cause adverse effects."
Meanwhile, the supplement trade organization Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) released a statement in response to the report. "The results of this study reinforce that dietary supplements are safe products, particularly when put into context with the number of people-over 150 million Americans-who take dietary supplements every year..." the statement read. "However, we do appreciate the elements of this study that present reasonable takeaways for the industry, and are pleased to confirm that companies are already responding to many of these suggestions made by the study authors."
"[Supplement use] is continuing to be an interest of ours," CDC's Andrew said. "Patients should always tell their doctors if they are taking supplements."
