RECENT JAMA ARTICLE OFFERS MISLEADING IMPLICATIONS ABOUT INTERACTIONS BETWEEN MEDICINES, FOODS AND SUPPLEMENTS

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WASHINGTON, D.C., January 17, 2002 — The Council for Responsible Nutrition issued the following statement in response to an article ("Recent Patterns of Medication Use in the Ambulatory Adult Population of the United States") in the Jan. 16 issue of JAMA.

Background: The article highlights the fact that every week over 80 percent of Americans use one or more medications. About one-quarter of women over 65 took at least five prescription drugs, and 12 percent took at least ten medications. The article notes that ‘adverse reactions to drugs are among the leading causes of hospitalization and death in this country.’ The authors of the article also report that there has been ‘a considerable increase in the use of herbal products and other natural supplements,’ with about 14 percent of the population surveyed using at least one herbal or natural supplement during the week covered by the questionnaire.

Annette Dickinson, Ph.D., vice president, scientific & regulatory affairs, Council for Responsible Nutrition states: "The rate of adverse reactions to drugs and the possibility of interactions among these various medications are a legitimate and serious source of concern. There is an implication in the article that herbal supplements present an equally serious risk of interactions, but in fact, there is no evidence that interactions with most supplements present any more of a risk than commonly recognized interactions with various foods. It is the drug/drug interactions that may occur when multiple pharmaceuticals are used that should be the major focus of concern.

"Food/drug interactions are well recognized, and many organizations provide consumer education on this topic. For example, the National Consumers League and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have jointly prepared an extensive brochure that provides reliable information on food/drug interactions. In addition, consumers obviously are encouraged to tell their physician or pharmacist about all the products they are using–including dietary supplements–and to take the health professionals’ advice about avoiding interactions.

"The JAMA article also asserts that herbals and similar supplements are ‘by law not subject to FDA regulation.’ This is simply false. It is true that dietary supplements are not regulated like drugs, but this does not mean they are unregulated. Under current law and regulations, ingredients of dietary supplements are required to be either ‘grandfathered’ or supported by safety information submitted to the FDA. Every aspect of product labeling is controlled by the FDA, and all advertising must comply with laws and regulations of the Federal Trade Commission."

The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), founded in 1973, is a science-based trade association representing more than 100 companies in the dietary supplement industry, including ingredient suppliers and manufacturers. CRN members adhere to a strong code of ethics, comply with dosage limits and manufacture dietary supplements to high quality standards under good manufacturing practices.

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Note to Editor: To arrange an interview with Annette Dickinson, Ph.D., please contact Judy Blatman at 202-263-1005.

The Council for Responsible Nutrition is a trade association representing more than 100 companies that manufacture dietary supplements or produce the ingredients used in them. These companies abide by a strong code of ethics, follow good manufacturing practices, and have extensive quality control procedures in place to ensure the integrity of their products.