Just Breathe

The Science Of Supplements
By Liz Applegate
Featured on Runner’s World

It’ll make you fast, lean, and strong. Do you want some? Who wouldn’t? That kind of marketing is hard to resist – an estimated 40 percent or more of people living in the United States take some form of dietary supplement. The problem is that with more than 29,000 supplements to choose from, separating what you need from what the manufacturers want you to think you need can be tricky.

Sorting through the Hype
Unlike the restrictions put on food products, the FDA allows supplement manufacturers to make virtually any claim other than that their product can prevent a disease. These structure-and-function claims, as they’re called, generally suggest that a supplement improves the body’s functioning. For example, a supplement might say that it boosts immune health rather than state that it prevents bacterial infection.

The FDA doesn’t regulate supplements because they fall into an odd category. They are definitely not a food, but because they are available over the counter, they are not classified as drugs. The FDA does evaluate structure-and-function claims and will pursue a supplement company over consumer complaints or if adverse side effects occur. From time to time, the FDA will issue statements regarding specific supplements, especially if it considers them dangerous. Still, as a smart consumer, you should keep in mind that when a supplement claim sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Be on the lookout for words and phrases such as “breakthrough,” “magical,” “miracle cure,” and “new discovery.”

In addition, testing has shown that many supplements don’t contain the active ingredients that are listed on the labels. (To see how various US brands stack up, go to www.consumerlab.com.) Many supplements claim to do amazing things for your body with virtually no science to back them up, so you’ll need to do your own research to make sure you get what you pay for.

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