According to the FDA, a drug is a substance (other than
nutrients) intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation,
treatment, or prevention of disease, or to affect the structure or
function of the body. Seems clear enough — that is, until politics
and big money get involved.
With the aid of a 1994 law crafted by Senators Orrin Hatch
and Tom Harkin, the mega-billion dollar supplements industry has
done a splendid job of obfuscating this definition. By
taking advantage of consumer’s scientific naïveté and some
legislative doublespeak, the supplements industry
has successfully perpetuated the myth that what it is selling
is drug free and safe. This couldn’t be more wrong.
It’s a timely topic, given that the U.S. Army is now
investigating whether the deaths of two young soldiers last year
were related to the “dietary supplements” called Jack3d and
OxyElite Pro, which they had taken.
But what the soldiers actually took is an amphetamine-like
synthetic chemical called dimethylamylamine, a stimulant with
multiple cardiovascular and central nervous system effects. It
alters the function of the body — so it’s a drug. It is
also a banned doping agent used by athletes, but you can buy it at
the Vitamin Shoppe or GNC.
“Health” stores have huge displays of similar products
— drugs that are falsely labeled as supplements. Another
example is DHEA, a steroid that’s converted in the body to various
anabolic and neurohormonal steroids, all having profound
physiological effects. Is this a drug? You bet.
Another supplement, the subtly named RockHard Weekend,
contains extracts from certain bark and roots, including the
always-popular Horny Goat Weed. There must be dozens of chemicals
in the bottle — but does anyone know what all of them are, let
alone whether they’re safe or effective? No.
The mindset exploited by this industry is so pervasive
that many people believe supplements— especially those derived
from plants — can do no harm. This is utterly false. Plants do not
exist to benefit humans—their purpose is to survive and reproduce;
accordingly, many plants have evolved ways of making some
really good poisons to avoid being eaten.
Hemlock, the poison that killed Socrates, comes from an
herb. Strychnine (rat poison) comes from the Nux vomica
tree. Ricin, one of the most toxic substances on earth, comes from
castor bean roots. And even legitimate plant-derived drugs, such as
digitalis and taxol, are sufficiently toxic that their use
must be carefully controlled.
So why are companies allowed to sell drugs under the guise
of supplements that aren’t even subject to minimal FDA oversight?
This is where the double-speak comes in.
The Hatch-Harken law provided the supplement industry with
a legal but anti-scientific end-run around the FDA by
introducing some terms that permitted the marketing of unregulated
drugs. As long as they were called “dietary supplements,” and made
no specific health claims, they could be sold. But these
“restrictions” are wholly disingenuous.
Does anyone really believe that anabolic steroids
and stimulants should be labeled as supplements? Exactly what are
they supplementing? By this logic, just about anything you can
swallow could then be called a “dietary supplement.”
And to avoid making medical claims, the meaningless term
“supports,” as in “supports heart health,” was concocted. Please.
When you see “supports” (wink, wink), just mentally substitute
“this will cure.” Duplicity at its finest.
The FDA is now attempting to establish some control over
supplements, although it is not remotely sufficient. For instance,
the regulations would require that all new supplements “can
reasonably be expected to be safe.” Are they kidding? Pretty low
standards, if you ask me.
Pharmaceutical companies spend hundreds of millions of
dollars to determine the safety of new drugs, only to
have many of them fail anyhow due to unexpected side effects. But
manufacturers of supplements are not held to any regulations that
even approach this level of scrutiny.
Supplement regulations are driven by money and
sleight-of-hand, not science. But drugs are drugs. They should all
be treated the same.
