The use of herbal dietary supplements, also known as nutraceuticals, is one of the most rapidly growing forms of self-medication in the United States and the world. Americans spent nearly $4 billion on supplements in 1998, up from $1.6 billion in 1994, according to the American Botanical Council. Dietary supplements dont undergo the rigorous testing demanded by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for drugs and are subject to few controls on quality and purity. As a result, little is known about their effectiveness, optimal dosage, side effects or interactions with other medications.
Because numerous claims are being made about the widely variable products, there is confusion in the marketplace. This book addresses essential questions about dietary supplements that need to be asked and answered.
The goal of the AAPS Dietary Supplements Forum and book, as stated by Larry Augsburger, Ph.D., chair of the AAPS Dietary Supplements Advisory Board and forum chair, is to gain a better understanding of the science and quality issues of dietary supplements and promote the formulation of new scientific initiatives to remove any barriers to the formation of public policy and establishment of appropriate, rational standards that protect consumers.
In his welcoming remarks, Augsburger, a former AAPS president, cautions consumers that reading labels and comparing prices are not the best means to determine a die
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Contact: Debbie Werfel
WerfelD@aaps.org
703-248-4743
American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists
19-Jul-2001