Bacterial and fungal contamination in dietary supplements is not uncommon. In an evaluation, the researchers found bacteria in the 138 products they investigated. There were also toxic fungi in many of the supplements, and the counts of numerous products exceeded the acceptable limits set by the United States Pharmacopoeia. Some supplements may include hazardous heavy metals, such as mercury, lead, aluminum, and cadmium.
Even arsenic is sometimes referred to as a heavy metal. You should do more to ensure that supplements are safe and that your health claims are substantiated. Around the world, supplement products are designated as dietary, dietary or health supplements, and several national authorities and regulatory regimes are responsible for controlling and monitoring them. Consequently, the formulations (categories) and dosage forms of dietary supplements were significantly associated with the contamination of dietary supplements with heavy metals (Table).
From a regulatory point of view, the availability and popularity of food supplements raise questions about their quality, effectiveness and safety. In the latter case, the information is more representative of the global pollution burden present in supplements. This research was conducted to investigate the levels of daily exposure to heavy metals in dietary supplements available in the United Arab Emirates and to explore factors associated with the contamination of dietary supplements with heavy metals. As a result, supplements and foods such as whole turmeric root powder, powdered ashwagandha root, echinacea, cocoa powder, vegetables and whole-grain dietary supplements, seaweed and green tea leaves have the potential to be contaminated with lead and other toxic metals such as cadmium and arsenic.
Find out which vitamin and nutrient supplements can help prevent and treat anemia in people with nutrient deficiencies and learn which supplements can cause low blood cell counts, especially when overused. A specific safety issue is the possibility that a dietary supplement may be contaminated with heavy metals. To add complexity to the possible risk assessment associated with the consumption of FS, especially in the elderly, it should be borne in mind that the intake of these supplements is usually combined with pre-existing diseases and with the respective therapeutic regimens. Learn more about warning labels that indicate that a supplement contains a chemical known in the state of California to cause cancer.
In the United Arab Emirates, only a small number of companies produce a small number of dietary supplement products; most of these types of products are imported from other countries. Tygart, executive director of the United States Anti-Doping Agency, wrote a letter to the committee in which he said that some athletes could not participate in international competitions because they had taken supplements containing steroids that were not on product labels. There are thousands of supplements available for sale that contain steroids or other harmful ingredients, he wrote. The FDA hasn't set a limit for lead in dietary supplements, so the decision is up to each manufacturer.
