Poison Control Centers’ data support dietary supplement safety
Data published inClinical Toxicologyreveals that there were zero deaths linked to consumption of multiple vitamins; zero deaths from any of the B vitamins; zero deaths from vitamins A, C, D, or E; and zero deaths from any other vitamin.
The full report can be found here.
Encouraging but don’t over-interpret
The data was described as ‘encouraging’ by Rend Al-Mondhiry, Regulatory Counsel for the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN).
“We’re encouraged that this report contributes in a positive way to the safety profile for dietary supplements,” said Al-Mondhiry.
“It’s important to understand these results in the context of the overall report and the report’s meaning should not be over-interpreted. This report demonstrates one aspect of safety for dietary supplements, and along with the FDA’s mandatory adverse reporting system helps to demonstrate the wide margin of safety for dietary supplements.”
Supplement use
The use of dietary supplements in the US is on the rise, with about 50% of Americans reporting supplement use, according to a survey of 20,000 people.
Researchers from the National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements also reported last year in the Journal of Nutrition for the first time the use of botanical supplements amongst a sample of the US population, with about 20% of adults using a dietary supplement with at least one botanical ingredient.
The survey used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2003 to 2006.
Source: Clinical Toxicology
Volume 49, Number 10, Pages 910-941, doi:10.3109/15563650.2011.635149
“2010 Annual Report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers’ National Poison Data System (NPDS): 28th Annual Report”
Authors: A.C. Bronstein, D.A. Spyker, L.R. Cantilena, J.L. Green, B.H. Rumack, R.C. Dart
