Should the Food and Drug Administration Start Regulating Supplements?
I intentionally left this wide open to interpretation. We all know about things that have been taken off of the market, specifically stimulants and methylated forms of various steroids and cutting agents, but should the FDA make it a regular practice to regulate all consumer supplements? What are your thoughts?
Also, based on your certifications, what is your professional position on recommending supplements? If you’re a club owner, do you sell supplements in your facility?
My concern regarding this is great. As a natural competitor in the sport of bodybuilding, I rely heavily on supplements like Vitamin D, Fish Oil, Glucosamine, Whey, CLA, etc. I also take Melatonin to aid in sleep, Psyllium Husk for fiber, etc… It makes me uncomfortable to think of a government entity determining for me whether or not I should have certain supplements. I feel the same regarding alternative medicine (chiropractic care, accupuncture,etc).
As a trainer who is admittedly not a nutritionist or dietician, I routinely refer clients to a local nutrition professional or even to my own nutrition coach who holds a doctorate in Nutritional Science.
In a word “yes.” Regulation could and should lead to actual standards in terms of the ingredients in the supplements and also the claims of the purveyors of the items. To me, that’s a good thing. Regulation by the fed DOES NOT automatically mean that the end-users will also be regulated (as in requiring a prescription). Although it COULD result in that, I think that most discussion and consideration of supplement regulation goes to the manufacturers of these “drugs,” to help insure the quality.
As a trainer I do NOT recommend supplements to my clients or anyone for that matter. I leave that topic up to nutritionists, physicians, and RDs. In my opinion this is a subject outside a personal trainer’s scope of practice.
I hope this helps.
LaRue, CSCS
www.lecfitness.com
[email protected]
“YES” in capital letters. Control by the FDA does not automatically mean that people do not have access to the supplement any more. But it would mean that there are certain safeguards that will ensure (hopefully) that there is a correlation between the label on the bottle and its content.
On the other part of your question, I am also in complete agreement with LaRue. I do not sell supplements and I do not make recommendations. I have subscribed to the Nutrition Action Healthletter by CSPI of which I think highly. The issues are at my studio, and my clients can read the articles for themselves.
It seems a bit insulting to the consumer for the government to assume the responsibility of regulating our nutritional intake. I encourage my clients to do their homework, consult experts in nutrition, abd then make responsible choices. The government has no business getting into nutritional supplement business. Regulations often lead to new and difficult hurdles as well as increasing the costs of said regulated products.