UPDATE May 25, 2012: Yesterday’s vote regarding Senator Durbin’s proposed amendment to the pending FDA Safety and Innovation Act was tabled. A Senate vote of 77 to 20 has removed Durbin’s amendment from consideration in the overall bill.

Durbin sponsored an amendment that would change the current FDA regulation of natural supplements and potentially cause many products to be removed from shelves. His amendment was introduced on Tuesday, May 22 and the voting took place two days later. In two days’ time supplement industries, consumer rights organizations, along with the Natural Products Association (NPA), American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) and Citizens for Health sent word to their supporters urging them to contact their Senators to oppose Durbin’s plan. As a result, the amendment was not passed and no change will occur to the current law regarding natural supplements. According to the Natural Products Insider, AHPA President Michael McGuffin is very pleased.

“I have worked with my colleagues from each of the other supplement trade associations over the last several days in this call for prompt and cooperative action, and I am pleased that this effort reaffirms the incredible unity of the dietary supplement industry when legislative threats to DSHEA emerge.”

A vote that takes place today could mean a major change for the supplement industry.

Illinois Senator Richard Durbin has proposed an amendment that would require supplement manufacturers to register with the FDA. Due to the terms of this amendment, if passed, many supplements will be ripped from shelves within the next 30 days.

The vote is scheduled to take place this afternoon, Thursday, May 24. If Durbin’s plan is accepted, a mandate will be placed on supplements requiring information to be provided to the FDA. That information includes a description of the supplement, a list of ingredients, a label for all supplements, and updated information for each new, reformulated, or discontinued product. All of these requirements will fall under the Senate FDA Re-authorization for User Fees bill.

If this amendment passes, supplement companies that fail to register with the FDA within 30 days will be considered “mis-branded” and may be subject to severe financial fees and possibly even jail time.

Currently, supplements operate under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA). This act states that the manufacturer is responsible for ensuring the safety of a supplement before it is marketed. The FDA is only involved if a product is found to be unsafe after it’s on the market.

While the amendment will affect pills and natural food supplements, Durbin seems to be most concerned about the content of energy drinks. He has even referenced a case of a young woman who died as a result of using an energy drink. The senator wants the FDA to evaluate the difference between a drink and a liquid dietary supplement, and feels energy drinks are dodging regulations by claiming to be a dietary supplement. If they were categorized as drinks they would have to be regulated like all other food and drink products.

Natural supplement suppliers and users have had a short window to petition their local senators and encourage them to vote against the amendment. Due to this, tomorrow may bring major change to the natural supplement industry as we know it.

Also Read:

Energy Drinks May be Doing Permanent Damage to Your Teeth 

Supplements 101: 4 Beneficial Diet Supplements 

Create Your Own Supplement Bar

In the midst of controversy over the weight loss drug Qnexa, a new drug has entered the arena of consideration after it was approved by an FDA advisory panel on Thursday.

The new drug, Lorcaserin, is made by Arena Pharmaceuticals and claims to control appetite through receptors in the brain. Experts tout its clinical trial results showed nearly half of participants lost up to five percent of their body weight.

The FDA committee approved the drug by a favorable vote of 18-4, and the FDA is slated to decide on its official approval by June 27.

Much like Qnexa, Lorcaserin was rejected in 2010 by the FDA advisory committee over numerous health concerns, including brain and breast tumors in rats during trials, as well as heart valve problems. However, these concerns dissipated after clinical trials showed these side effects did not appear on overweight and obese humans. The adverse effects experienced by those taking a 10 milligram dose of Lorcaserin included headache, dizziness, nausea, fatigue and dry mouth.
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The literal business of weight loss is a very lucrative industry. Tonight’s edition of ABC’s 20/20 will break down the numbers and many will be shocked by the story of, “Losing It: The Big Fat Money Pit.”

John LaRosa is the president of Marketdata, where he has been an analyst of the U.S. weight loss market for 23 years. He gave an interview to 20/20 along with other experts, about the impact the actual “industry” of weight loss has on our country. The interviews evaluate the use of celebrity endorsements for diet companies, weight loss scams, the popularity of diet pills and meal replacements, and much more.

The subject of weight and weight loss deals heavily with numbers. Some of the most interesting numbers are those of dollars spent. Here are just a few staggering statistics that will be covered in tonight’s show, airing at 10 PM E.T.

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It’s not a discussion often had or even pondered, but perhaps it’s one that needs to be. Did you know that there are dietary supplements that can actually interfere with the effectiveness of birth control? We think it’s certainly an issue most women should be aware of.

Dr. Josh Umbehr, MD, a practicing physician in Wichita, Kansas, says that what can cause the interference is if the supplement and the birth control pill are both being metabolized by the liver, because it increases the liver’s ability to break down estrogen, thus decreasing estrogen levels, and thus having the risk for decreased effectiveness. And because this theory goes both ways, some birth controls may interfere with the effectiveness of dietary supplements as well.

According to Dr. Umbehr, one example of a dietary supplement that may interefere with birth controls efficacy is Forskolin, because it increases the activation of liver enzymes, putting it in the category of posing a risk for decreased effectiveness.
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Gummy vitamins have become increasingly popular for both children and adults alike. Most vitamins are difficult to swallow and are what I like to call “horse pills.” However, medication in a more appealing vehicle makes it more likely for a person to remember to take them every day. And with all the seriousness of diabetes, a gummy multivitamin may help to provide a nutritional benefit with a little bit of fun.

Slice of Life Diabetic Health is a gummy multivitamin that contains cinnamon extract. It touts that it is sugar, dairy, and gluten-free and contains no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives.

Some supplements included in the product include alpha lipoic acid – a fatty acid that helps to better utilize blood sugar; chromium and biotin, which are believed to have effects on lowering blood sugar; and lutein, which is commonly found in eye vitamins to delay the progression of macular degeneration since one of the complications of diabetes and poor blood sugar control are vision problems and possible blindness.
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