In response to the request for more journalistic content in the website which may have broader appeal, please find below a short article by Ron Leon. Ron works locally in Prestwood. His website is located here: https://ronleon.co.uk
Article by Ron Leon
Let me start off by saying I am a strong proponent and advocate of the dietary supplement industry, having taken supplements, recommended them in clinical practice, and seen their benefits for well over 20 years. The impetus for writing this article, however, is to provide those who take dietary supplements, and those considering taken them, with guidance, so that they are able to make more informed choices about which supplement brand to take.
According to Grand View Research, a UK based marketing and research consulting company, the UK dietary supplements market was worth $4.79b in 2024, whereas the US dietary supplement industry reached $69.3b in 2024, according to estimates from Nutrition Business Journal. The pharmaceutical industry, by contrast, is worth considerably more.
Pharmaceutical Industry
For context, in 2008, The New York Times reported Teva Pharmaceutical Industries exported the prescription medication diltiazem (used to treat high blood pressure) contaminated with odd blue flecks, which matched the colour of the paint on its factory doors. The company did not investigate whether previous shipments of the drug were contaminated, nor did it try to prevent future contamination, according to US regulators. In another incident, on 27 October 2010, the Guardian newspaper reported that GlaxoSmithKline agreed to pay the US Government $750m to settle civil and criminal charges related to manufacturing and selling adulterated drugs. These unusual isolated cases highlight manufacturing problems can still occur despite this industry being highly governmentally regulated. This is in contrast with the dietary supplement industry, where quality control regulations are less stringent.
Dietary Supplements Industry
The dietary supplements industry has also had problems, especially with quality control. The FSA’s position is that it is the responsibility of the seller to ensure their products are safe for consumption, and this is potentially a problem, because it is somewhat akin to a pupil being permitted to mark their own exam. US regulators take a similar position – dietary supplement manufacturers are not required to submit evidence of safety and efficacy prior to distribution, but rather are subjected to post-market surveillance, particularly when adverse events develop or a failure to comply with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) are identified. Consequently, both the UK and US governments essentially take a ‘hands off approach’ in relation to dietary supplements, and consumers may be unaware many dietary supplements purchased in the UK originate from US companies.
Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs)
Many dietary supplement companies extol the virtues of GMPs, but what does this actually mean? GMPs are ‘guidelines that provide a system of processes, procedures, and documentation to assure the product produced has the identity, strength, composition, quality, and purity that it is represented to possess’. On 25 June 2007, the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) published dietary supplement guidelines for current GMPs. However, these GMPs do not establish upper limits for microbial contamination, nor do they set safety levels for heavy metal contamination (e.g. mercury, lead). It is the responsibility of the manufacturer to identify potential contaminants and to establish limits.
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
Another set of guidelines, equally as important as GMPs, but not mandated by the USFDA, are SOPs. These are descriptions of specific tasks undertaken by manufacturers, and should include corrective actions to be taken if a particular task during the manufacture of a product is performed incorrectly. In fact, SOPs specify in great detail how to implement each procedure in GMPs. Thus, dietary supplement manufacturers that adopt both GMPs and SOPs are adhering to higher standards, and are therefore more likely to manufacture dietary supplements of higher quality. Reputable dietary supplement manufacturers should be willing and able to provide documented evidence, when asked, about their GMPs and/or SOPs, and to provide analysis on their products to demonstrate quality.
For further information please contact Ron Leon at https://www.ronleon.co.uk. Ron is based at the Prestwood Osteopathic & Natural Health Centre near The Chequers Pub. His email address is Ron@ronleon.co.uk if you wish to get in contact.
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