Many of us assume that the dietary supplement products that we purchase in pharmacies, grocery stores and nutrition outlets – as well as on the internet – are carefully regulated for safety. Unfortunately, this is far from the truth. In today’s episode, supplement expert Dr. Pieter Cohen from Harvard Medical School and the Cambridge Health Alliance explains that supplement makers have a very low bar for demonstrating the safety of new products, and that there are many loopholes from circumventing the existing lax restrictions. According to Pieter, the FDA needs much greater authority to oversee supplement safety as well as resources to enforce the regulations.
 
See also Pieter’s new study this week on weight loss and exercise supplements and an article about the legal challenges he faced as a result of his work.

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