The Food and Drug Administration should regulate the content of Essay

The Food and Drug Administration should regulate the content of vitamins and supplements to ensure the American public is safe - Essay Example Dietary supplements are defined under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) as products that contain the one or a combination of the following dietary ingredients: vitamins, minerals, herbs and other botanicals, amino acids, hormones, concentrate or metabolites. Supplements usually come in the form of pill, tablet, liquid form or capsule with some being administered intravenously. They differ from pharmaceutical drugs for most of them have unproven therapeutic benefits and is considered more like a food product with the exception that they bear a ‘dietary supplement’ label. With the influx of dietary supplements in the marketplace, claims of medical benefits abound with little scientific proof. The problem is that human society have become so conscious with their health but so lazy to maintain it by exercise and proper food intake that dietary supplements have become so popular and so much in demand. In the face of this dilemma, there is only one possible resolution: for the FDA to strictly monitor and control the production and entry to market of dietary supplements. This paper aims to underscore this choice of action through an analysis of facts and events. A preliminary analysis to serve as a platform for a full scale research is presented in the following passages. Vitamins and minerals have long been recognized by medical science to have beneficial medical effects. For example, Vitamin C more commonly known as ascorbic acid, have been shown to stimulate the production and function of white blood cells thereby boosting the body’s immunity. It has also been found to prevent the formation of carcinogenic compounds such as nitrosamines. Vitamin A, a pale yellow primary alcohol, improves eyesight by aiding in the formation of mucous membranes and tear glands. Almost all vitamins have some