Key Points
Question
What are the trends across adulterated dietary supplements associated with a warning
released by the US Food and Drug Administration from 2007 through 2016?
Findings
In this quality improvement study, analysis of the US Food and Drug Administration
warnings from 2007 through 2016 showed that unapproved pharmaceutical ingredients were
identified in 776 dietary supplements, and these products were commonly marketed for
sexual enhancement, weight loss, or muscle building. The most common adulterants were
sildenafil for sexual enhancement supplements, sibutramine for weight loss supplements,
and synthetic steroids or steroid-like ingredients for muscle building supplements, with
157 products (20.2%) containing more than 1 unapproved ingredient.
Meaning
Potentially harmful active pharmaceuticals continue to be identified in
over-the-counter dietary supplements.
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