Unit 4

Health Consumerism

Objectives

Understand the laws around supplements and other health related products.
Identify warning signs of fraudulent claims.

Focus Questions

How do we determine if a product can do what the advertisers claim?
What protection does the government provide consumers against fraud?
Where can we find out more about a product before we buy?

Concepts

FDA Regulations
Three-year rule for drugs
Reputable sources for health and fitness products

Readings

Shedding Light on Herbal Supplements: WebMD Health. As herbal supplements have grown into a multibillion dollar industry in the last few years, medical science has struggled to keep up, leaving many consumers and health care professionals with more questions than answers about the safety and effectiveness of these products. Link opens new browser window.
Study Guide: Link opens new browser window.

Introduction

It is important to have an understanding of how to be a smart consumer in relation to health and fitness products. Weight loss alone is a multi-billion dollar business in this country. Much of that industry revolves around the sales of supplements, food products, and fitness gizmos. Add to that industry products for people who want to add muscle, treat sexual dysfunction, or have serious illnesses that traditional medicine cannot treat and it is easy to see how vulnerable people can be. Even people who are well informed can feel desperate and succumb to false advertising.

There are some protections in place for consumers. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations on supplements states that claims and benefits must be based on strong scientific evidence between a food substance (the supplement) and a disease or health condition. Labels on dietary supplements may also state or claim the effect of the supplement’s normal function in the body, as in “Product X promotes healthy digestion.” But, supplements are not required to undergo government testing or review before they are marked in spite of the fact that many supplements can have a drug-like effect that could be dangerous for some people. Always check with your medical professional.

Review the tips on spotting fraud in your study guide. Remember, if it is too good to be true, it probably is! Investigate companies and products alike before you spend your money on them or risk your health by using them. You will find a list of reputable sources of information in your study guide.

Case Study and the Three-year rule: In 1999, prescription medications Celebrex and Vioxx were released to treat arthritis. Although aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen sodium were effective and inexpensive over-the-counter drugs used to treat arthritis, the new prescription drugs were supposed to minimize stomach bleeding and ulcers that some patients experienced as a result of these medications. Many doctors prescribed the new medications, at $100 to $140 per month versus the $10 per month of over-the-counter medications.

A study of the new prescription medications was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (2000) and found that Celebrex did reduce the risk of ulcers at the first six months of the study. After one year of Celebrex use, these results were not found. Celebrex was no better than the less costly over-the-counter medications. What is very interesting is that Pharmacia, the drug company that developed and produced the medication, funded the original study on Celebrex. Increasingly, as the government has less money for funding drug testing and the drug companies conduct their own research on the products they have a vested interest in seeing do well, we will have more conflict of interest in these arenas. Some physicians have implemented the three-year rule in which they will try to avoid prescribing medications that have been marketed for less than three years, unless there is no other option. This can allow time for proper evaluation of medications.

Learn more about labeling claims:

Claims That Can Be Made for Conventional Foods and Dietary Supplements: US Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Office of Nutritional Products, Labeling, and Dietary Supplements. March 20, 2001, Revised October 2001. Link opens new browser window.

References

Thomas, D.Q. and Quindry, J.C. (1997). Exercise consumerism- Let the buyer beware! JOPERD, 68 (3), 56-60.

UC Berkeley Wellness Letter (September 2002). Back to basics for pain relief. University of California, Berkeley.