Buyer Beware

Dietary supplements are not regulated the same way that conventional food and drug products are.  The supplement company is the one doing their own safety testing and labeling before putting it on the market.  There is no third-party testing required to ensure safety or effectiveness. This blew my mind about 20 years ago and it is still the same today.  The FDA will step in if consumers are being harmed by the supplement, but this is after the product is already on the market.  I had firsthand experience with this when I took the dietary supplement Hydroxycut.  I was young and naïve and wanted to lose weight quick for a vacation.  I was in my early twenties and ended up suffering from a TIA (Transient ischemic attack).  The left half of my face went numb.  Fortunately, it went away, and I didn’t have any noticeable long-term damage.  In 2004 the FDA banned products containing Ephedra because of the serious safety risks.  Ephedra was one of the ingredients in Hydroxycut at the time.  These products have been associated with heart attack, stroke, seizure, and sudden death.  If you are considering using any type of supplements, make sure that you trust the company and do your own research.  You really are at their mercy if they have “dietary supplement” on the label.