“Unregulated supplement industry” needs more transparency, warns Ethical Inc founder

28 Jun 2022 --- The supplement industry is in need of better regulation and transparency if consumers are to be able to continue trusting the products available, according to a new company slamming the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its ineffectiveness in ensuring product safety.

“The reason the supplement industry is unregulated is because any person with little to zero educational credibility can create a supplement company in their garage, slap a label on the product and sell it as an effective dietary supplement without any FDA approval,” Obi Obadike, Founder, Ethical Inc, tells NutritionInsight.

“They can do this without insurance that the supplement product works because you don’t need FDA approval to create a dietary supplement. So there isn’t any reasonable regulation to keep supplement products accountable for the ingredients in their products and the bogus health claims one makes.”

Ethical Inc, a recently launched health and wellness supplement company, provides “science-based natural supplements while educating through fitness and nutrition programs.” However, the company highlights: “You can’t rely solely on supplements. After all, that’s why they’re called supplements and there is no such thing as one magic pill.” 

Lacking evidenceA supplement is called a supplement as there is no such thing as a magical pill. 
Recently, a study published in JAMA argued consumers were wasting their money on vitamin supplements they believed were “a magic set of pills” to keep them healthy. Nonetheless, the research revealed a lack of evidence showing preventative effects on cardiovascular diseases and cancer.

“Inflammation and oxidative stress have been shown to have a role in both cardiovascular disease and cancer, and dietary supplements may have anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects,” Dr. John Wong, task force member at the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), tells NutritionInsight.

“This potential explanation is part of why the task force looked at the role that vitamins might be able to play in preventing heart attack, stroke, and cancer. However, in most cases, there was no clear evidence about whether or not there was a benefit or harm,” he underscores. 

While stressing the overall lack of evidence in vitamin supplements, the USPSTF mentioned that taking vitamin E and beta-carotene may be harmful, as they can increase the risk of lung cancer. At the same time, no health benefits have been confirmed for the two supplements. Therefore the agency advises against consumption. 

Industry and researchers have previously warned that the US is “flooded” with questionable supplements, highlighting lack of regulations on supplements and little oversight of what is offered in the market. 

Emphasis on transparencyTransparency is needed in the industry as more and more consumers are aware of what they consume.
The FDA recently announced the campaign “Supplement your knowledge,” striving to educate people on the risks and benefits of nutritional supplements. However, the industry criticized it for having a “too negative tone,” as it lacked information on supplements’ benefits.

“The dietary supplement industry is one of the most unregulated industries in the country. Ethical Inc's goal is to be a trustworthy supplement company based on the transparency of how to display ingredients in our products,” says Obadike.

“I stopped taking supplements for that reason. Because I don’t really know what’s in any of these supplement products these days. The lack of transparency, ingredient-wise, has made me cautious in buying supplements off the counter for a long time now,” says Morris Chestnut, managing partner, Ethical Inc.

Transparency has previously been highlighted by researchers, as different parties such as industry, researchers and investors are said to have different agendas. 

“I think the most successful dietary supplement companies understand that the consumer is getting smarter. And to have long-term success in the health and fitness industry, you must be more transparent about what’s in your supplement products. The less transparent the supplement company, the more those types of companies will fade away,” says Obadike.

“Without transparency from supplement companies on what’s in their products, consumers have no idea what they are taking and what potential harm could be to them. That is why transparency from supplement companies is critical for the future of the supplement industry.”

NutritionInsight reached out to the FDA for additional comments, which did not respond in time for publication.

By Beatrice Wihlander