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Dietary Supplement Policy

Despite the fact that there is no evidence that dietary supplements are inherently safer, more effective or produce fewer side effects than conventional therapies, the use of dietary supplements is widespread and growing.

The increasing popularity of dietary supplements among Americans is not simply the result of societal trends favoring products that call themselves “natural.” It is also the result of very calculated campaigning (and campaign contributions) by the dietary supplement industry. The resultant 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) clarified that supplements were to be regulated essentially as foods, not drugs, and thus were exempt from the tougher regulation accorded to drugs.

We are critical of any decision that may potentially lead to adverse events in the public, and thus our work reflects our support of the application of more rigorous safety and efficacy standards to dietary supplements.