Dietary Supplements: Regulatory Challenges and Research Resources

With the complicated health routines and messy work hours; most of the people forget to care for their health. The ignorance further leads to poor health conditions, and then patients need to get medicate care, medications as well. A large population in the United States is dependent on dietary supplements in the hectic work routines, but there is a wide range of regulatory and scientific challenges related to dietary supplements that are common to most countries.

With the growth of digital media and internet, the marketplace has become common to all countries, but there is no global consensus to define the category of products for food supplements, complementary medicines, natural health products, and dietary supplements as well. For example, one product that is termed as a dietary supplement in the United States may be considered as a prescription medication or complementary medication in some other country. The conditions become more confusing in countries that have a specific framework for traditional medicines.

Although medical health experts want consumers to make informed decisions, the regulatory systems, and research resources at different geographical areas lead to complications. These issues are even common in the countries following common legal systems, cultures, regulations, and economic developments. The best example of this condition can be given in terms of the USA, Canada, and Australia.

The fact is that health products like dietary supplements are generally very polarizing and emotive topics that capture a diverse range of viewpoints and opinions from the market. Some believe that these products must fall under the category of conventional foods and drugs; whereas others follow the traditional viewpoint and demand tailored approach for their regulation. And the situation becomes more complicated with the growing industry sector that is responsible for producing a wide range of dietary supplements in the global market.

At present experts need to work on the following factors associated with dietary supplement:

·         Quality: First of all, it is important to regulate the quality of dietary supplements so that they do not pose any harmful impact on users. It is even better to create personalized solutions for individual health levels.

·         Safety: Another important parameter for consideration is whether they contain safe or unsafe ingredients. Moreover, the dosage range must be limited to safe levels so that side effects can be avoided.

·         Efficacy: The efficacy levels of dietary supplements usually depend on several factors, and results also vary for animal and human studies. Hard health outcomes must be studied carefully to ensure proper regulation.

·         Regulatory models: The next big challenge is to decide the appropriate regulatory model by modifying all frameworks already developed in different countries. The international regulation approach must be followed to ensure safe results.

·         Legislations: At the same time, it is important to work on the existing legislation at all levels and design new protocols that can be in favor of consumers.

The idea is to work on a global level and regulate all factors in such a manner that consumers can enjoy safe access to the right product from the marketplace.