• What are
  FAVORITES?
  Bookmark any page of our site conveniently in this one area.
  
  Sign In or Register so you can take advantage of all of the features of After Fifty Living

It's hard to find a bigger advocate for dietary supplements than Naz Agemy.

Agemy owns Tampa's 15-year-old Discount Nutrition Center, and he understands how adding vitamins, minerals and herbs to a regular diet can reduce all kinds of health risks.

But Agemy, 48, battles high blood pressure, and he also knows the active ingredients in some supplements will clash with his prescription medication, triggering serious adverse reactions. He won't go near supplements such as bitter melon, for instance, because it can stimulate his heart rate.

"I'm not going to take a chance with my health," he says.

Not everyone, however, approaches supplements with an eye on the potential consequences, says Andrew Shao, senior vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs for the Council for Responsible Nutrition. Most buyers focus on finding the miracle powder or pill that will make them lose weight, feel more energetic or look years younger.

"Dietary supplements are not magic bullets," Shao says.

Americans spent $27 billion last year on all sorts of natural supplements: vitamins, minerals, herbs, botanicals or other substances, such as enzymes or metabolites. Supplements are meant to affect subtle health improvements over time and, unlike pharmaceuticals, cannot claim to treat, cure, prevent or diagnose a disease, says Siobhan DeLancey, spokeswoman for the Food and Drug Administration.

Shao says few consumers are aware that the supplement industry is self-regulated, meaning the FDA doesn't test or approve products before they are put on store shelves.

The agency does follow up if claims made about the supplements are alleged to be false or misleading. But, Shao says, "Consumers don't differentiate between drugs and dietary supplements. It doesn't matter what the regulatory category is. Consumers are ignorant and just want to know if it offers the quick fix."

The fix most people want involves fish oil and omega-3 supplements, aimed at reducing the risk of heart disease and a slew of other conditions, and joint-and cartilage-boosting glucosamine, according to a 2007 National Institutes of Health national survey.

Omega-3, however, isn't for everyone. People taking blood thinners or anti-platelet drugs may be at increased risk of bleeding. And diabetics are warned that glucosamine can affect blood sugar levels.

Another well-known supplement, St. John's Wort, can be dangerous for persons taking prescription anti-depressants, birth control pills or medications for HIV-infection.

"Before you take any dietary supplement, talk to your doctor. They know your history," DeLancey says.

Shao says some people avoid telling the doctor about taking supplements, fearing a tongue-lashing.

"Don't look to your practitioner to give you permission to use supplements, but they do need to be informed," he says.

Some, but not all of the customers at DNC are there on a doctor's recommendation, manager Kelly Nauyokas says. She often asks people about their current diet and medication to make sure the best supplement is selected.

She also points out how a supplement can affect your daily recommended allowance of vitamins and minerals. A body will use only what it needs for exercise and flush out the excess. That surplus can overload organs, such as the liver and pancreas, she says.

The biggest concerns, in and outside the dietary supplement industry, may be with the "lifestyle" supplements that promote weight loss, sexual enhancement or muscle-boosting powers. It's an area where the FDA has been able to flex its muscle, by testing hundreds of products with questionable claims.

In December, the FDA announced a new crackdown on more than 250 supplements that DeLancey says are "little more than drugs masquerading as supplements." Tests by the FDA found many include potentially harmful ingredients not included on the label, and that they violated the law by boasting unsubstantiated health benefits.

"The real deception is that a lot of these products are labeled as natural and are assumed to be safe," she says of the products, which often are sold only online.

It's understandable why people fall for the claims; who wouldn't want to lose 10 pounds in a week with 100-calorie protein powder shakes, or add 50 pounds of muscle in a flash with 1,200-calorie drinks?

But the more extreme the claim, the more skeptical you should be, Agemy says. He offers only about 15 brand names in his store to whittle down questionable supplement sources.

Shao suggests consumers shop in person or with a known retailer to avoid getting burned. Successful companies know better than to lose business by being more than a healthy addition to a person's daily diet.

"Choose a brand you know and trust," he says. "They have too much to risk to get it wrong."

Copyright (c) 2011, Tampa Tribune, Fla. 

Leave a Comment -

Guidelines: We welcome your thoughts, but for the sake of all visitors to AfterFiftyLiving.com, please refrain from the use of obscenities, personal attacks or slurs. All comments are subject to our terms of use and may be removed. Repeat offenders may lose commenting privileges.