Study Finds Hidden Pharmaceutical Ingredients in Health Supplements

07 Feb 2017 --- A team of experts from Queen's University Belfast, Kingston University London and LGC, have claim to have found that many herbal supplements contain hidden pharmaceutical ingredients. They say that these added ingredients could be causing serious health risks.

Emeritus Professor Duncan Burns, a forensically experienced analytical chemist from the Queen's University Belfast's Institute for Global Food Security, has been working with a team of specialists on a peer-reviewed paper to examine the detection of illegal ingredients in the supplements.

The experts included Dr Michael Walker from the Government Chemist Programme at LGC and Professor Declan Naughton from Kingston University.

The research found that over-the-counter supplements - commonly advertised to treat obesity and erectile dysfunction problems - are labeled as fully herbal but often include potentially dangerous pharmaceutical ingredients, which are not listed on the label.

Professor Burns from Queen's University, who is working to advance knowledge in this area, explained, “Our review looked at research from right across the globe and questioned the purity of herbal food supplements. We have found that these supplements are often not what customers think they are - they are being deceived into thinking they are getting health benefits from a natural product when actually they are taking a hidden drug.”

“These products are unlicensed medicines and many people are consuming large quantities without knowing the interactions with other supplements or medicines they may be taking. This is very dangerous and there can be severe side effects.”

Speaking to NutritionInsight about the study, the supplement industry's approach to regulation, and the approach of Nexira, a natural ingredients company, Julie Impérato, Marketing Manager of Nexira, said, “The supplement industry has to respect a specific and strict regulation.”

“In Nexira, our Quality Assurance Policy, focused on food safety, customer satisfaction in more than 80 countries, and continuous improvement is set up to guarantee the best practices approach and to comply with the strictest international regulatory standards.”

“These effective quality controls all the way from the plant to the delivery of the final product certified by independent organizations guarantees full control throughout the chain and contributes to managing the best practices in our industry.”

“To assess the potency of our extract, in Nexira, we use as often as possible the official methods, such as ones from the European pharmacopeia.”

“When there are no specific official methods, we work with third party laboratory to evaluate our ingredient.”

“Furthermore, all contaminants are exclusively tested by independent laboratories. Nexira openly shares its analytical results, which guarantee our customers they receive safe and efficient ingredients. When needed, we share and align methods of analysis with our customers.”

Professor Declan Naughton stressed, “This work highlights the vital role research and, in particular, techniques like datamining, can play in informing regulators about current trends in supplement contamination.”

“This is very important to ensure effective testing strategies and, ultimately, to help keep the public safe.”

Dr Michael Walker added, "The laboratory tests we describe in our paper will assist regulators to tackle this problem proactively to protect consumers and responsible businesses.”

by Hannah Gardiner