Article
FDA's Reluctance to Regulate Health Supplements Indicative of a Broader Problem?
While the Canadian health authorities acted swiftly to pull some of these supplements off the shelf, the FDA has been slow to react over the years. This article in The New York Times digs deep to understand why.
Popular weight-loss and workout supplements on sale in hundreds of vitamin shops across the nation contain a chemical nearly identical to amphetamine, the powerful stimulant, and pose dangers to the health of those who take them, according to a new study. The Canadian health authorities in December called the chemical, BMPEA, “a serious health risk,” and pulled supplements that contain it from store shelves.
The FDA documented 2 years ago that 9 such supplements contained the same chemical, but never made public the names of the products or the companies that made them. Neither has it recalled the products nor issued a health alert to consumers as it has done with other tainted supplements. The FDA said in a statement that its review of supplements containing the stimulant “does not identify a specific safety concern at this time.”
Link to the complete article in The New York Times:
