HHS HealthBeat (October 24, 2012)

What the label says

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

If the label on a dietary supplement says it can do something good for you, can you believe it? An investigation by the Office of the Inspector General in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says the answer is not necessarily. The IG’s office bought a sample of 127 supplements, and checked the accuracy of the claims.

The investigators noted that the Food and Drug Administration wants supplement companies to have solid evidence that the supplements do what they claim they do.

Researcher Melissa Hafner says the companies’ support generally fell short:

“Most of the evidence didn’t involve the actual supplement, and most didn’t even test the supplement or its active ingredients in humans, as FDA recommends.”

The report says 20 percent claimed to treat or prevent illness, which drugs can claim but supplements can’t.

Learn more at healthfinder.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: October 24, 2012