Good Lifestyle

Thanks to their self-purported benefits, taking a daily supplement can feel like an easy way to help you stay on top of your health. But whether you're looking for an immune system boost or a way to keep your heart in good shape, there's a chance you may not be getting what you're paying for at best—or putting your health at risk at worst. Now, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is warning that customers should stop taking any supplement with specific words on their label. Read on to see which products could be putting you in harm's way.

TERKAIT:If You're Taking This Popular Supplement, It Could Be Causing Nightmares.

It can be easy to assume that the dietary supplement bottles you see on shelves and advertised online contain a trustworthy product based on the industry's sheer size alone. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 57.6 percent of adults aged 20 and over reported taking one within the past 30 days in 2017-2018. But despite their wide use, research has shown that the quality of the allegedly beneficial pills can be wildly inconsistent: One study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine in 2017 found that out of 31 melatonin supplements tested, 71 percent of them differed from their advertised amounts, ranging from 478 percent more to 83 percent less than their label claims.

This may be because the process by which dietary supplements eventually end up on the market is also quite different from the path that prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medicines have to take. Unlike approved drugs, the FDA only tests supplements for safety after they're released and is "not authorized to review dietary supplement products for safety and effectiveness before they are marketed."

Fortunately, there are some simple ways to tell when a specific supplement has been verified, including a seal of approval from the United States Pharmacopeial Convention posted on a product's label. The small green and yellow "USP Verified" seal indicates that the item has been independently vetted and determined to be free of harmful levels of contaminants or ingredients and "has been made according to FDA current Good Manufacturing Practices using sanitary and well-controlled procedures."

Now, it appears there are still some products on the market that could potentially create health risks. On April 20, the FDA released a warning that any dietary supplements using variations of the words "Artri" or "Ortiga" in their names printed on labels should not be purchased or used.

The products, which are marketed to treat arthritis, muscle pain, osteoporosis, bone cancer, and other conditions, are sold on websites including Amazon and certain retail stores in the U.S.

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According to the warning, lab testing conducted by the FDA has found the supplements contain active drug ingredients not listed on their labels. The list includes dexamethasone, a corticosteroid that can cause changes in blood pressure, psychiatric problems, and damage to bones, especially when long-term use is suddenly stopped; methocarbamol, a muscle relaxant that can cause low blood pressure, dizziness, and sedation; and diclofenac sodium, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that the agency warns can "cause increased risk of cardiovascular events, such as heart attack and stroke, as well as serious gastrointestinal damage, including bleeding, ulceration, and fatal perforation of the stomach and intestines."ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb

Besides the risks presented by the undeclared drugs themselves, they also pose a serious risk of interaction with other medications or OTC drugs that could have significant health consequences. The agency specifies the list of products that were found to contain the unlisted ingredients during testing so far includes Artri Ajo King, Artri King, Ortiga Mas Ajo Rey, and Ortiga Mas Ajo Rey Extra Forte. However, this likely means that other items produced by the company could also be contaminated.

"Produk yang dipasarkan sebagai suplemen makanan yang ditemukan memiliki bahan obat tersembunyi umumnya gagal mematuhi sebagian besar praktik manufaktur yang baik saat ini yang dirancang untuk memastikan kualitas dan keamanan produk," FDA memperingatkan. "Oleh karena itu, konsumen harus mengharapkan proses manufaktur untuk produk Artri dan Ortiga tidak dapat diandalkan dalam memberikan jumlah bahan aktif yang konsisten atau untuk mencegah pengenalan bahan kimia yang tidak diketahui atau kotoran lainnya."

Sayangnya, FDA mengatakan telah menerima laporan efek kesehatan yang merugikan yang berpotensi terkait dengan penggunaan suplemen - termasuk toksisitas hati dan kematian - sejak itupertama kali mengeluarkan peringatan Tentang produk dari perusahaan pada 5 Januari 2022. Badan tersebut mengatakan penyelidikannya terhadap distribusi produk sedang berlangsung, dengan mengatakan bahwa ia telah memperingatkan perusahaan-perusahaan tertentu untuk menentang penjualan suplemen dan "dapat mengambil langkah-langkah penegakan tambahan yang dapat mencakup surat-surat peringatan yang mungkin termasuk , kejang, perintah, atau tuduhan pidana "terhadap produsen.

Agensi menyarankan agar siapa pun yang dapat mengalami efek kesehatan yang merugikan dari mengambil suplemen harus melaporkannya ke penyedia layanan kesehatan atau dokter mereka segera. Mereka juga harus melaporkannya ke informasi keselamatan Medwatch FDA dan program pelaporan peristiwa yang merugikan dengan menyelesaikan danMengirimkan formulir online. Formulir laporan juga dapat diunduh, diselesaikan dengan tangan, dan diserahkan oleh faks ke 1-800-FDA-0178.

TERKAIT:Mengambil terlalu banyak suplemen ini membuat risiko kanker Anda melambung, kata studi.