Group of Attorneys General Asks Congress to Probe Supplements Industry

AP Gov't Unit 4: Congress
4 April 2015

http://www.wsj.com/articles/group-of-attorneys-general-asks-congress-to-probe-supplements-industry-1427980292

14 state attorneys (Connecticut, District of Columbia, Indiana, Idaho, Hawaii, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Northern Mariana Islands, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island) asked Congress to push an investigation by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration that would involve supplements from brand names.  This controversy started in early 2015 when investigations of supplements from varying stores (including GNC) had discovered that herbs and other ingredients were improperly listed or not listed at all on the ingredients list.  The United States health advocates have a close relationship with supplements and other dietary pills.  Being a country where so much of that population is overweight or obese people are looking for simpler ways to get nutrition with our without the exercise.  The types of investigations that were performed on these supplement brands consisted of DNA testing that highlighted certain herbs listed on the labels not actually included in the material of the supplement.  The tests also had shown high levels of metals such as lead, mercury, and arsenic.  These state attorneys are subjecting the FDA to engage in more strict oversight of herbal, vitamin and dietary supplements such as of the oversight of pharmaceutical products.  Letters sent to the subcommittee that deals with product safety and health for consumers whose head chairpersons are Kansas Senator, Jerry Moran and Pennsylvania Representative, Joe Pitts are still waiting on response and hoping for positive news, the letter will be brought to the attention of full committees, interest groups, and lawmakers.

Over half of the U.S. adult population uses supplements (majority of them being multi-vitamins, with Calcium and Vitamin D have increased significantly in the past years), according to a statistic by the Center for Disease Control, 2011.  It is no surprise that we are a nation of health addicts while the majority of our population is obese or overweight.  Supplements can make people feel that there is no need to exercise, that these magical pills or powders will make them as buff as superman.  Yet what happens when we are not able to trust the labels on these supplements and hidden ingredients are added or the herb that we are purchasing is not even in the supplement itself?  14 attorneys are calling for Congress and the FDA to take action against store brands that may have did just this.  While these stores would not agree to the accusations and simply state that they are "doing their best at maintaining their products and ensuring their safety" the tests that these attorneys are signing on say otherwise.  As a consumer of supplements myself (typically vitamins, yet sometimes others) I found it disturbing that I may be consuming heavy metals or the supplement I am purchasing may not even have the ingredient it promises will change my life.  Hopefully an iron triangle can take hold on this situation and produce a promising outcome for consumers.