Dietary supplements: is availability worth the risks? Proposed alternatives to the present DSHEA scheme.

Today in the United States there is a high demand and correspondingly a huge market for dietary supplements. Accordingly, any regulatory policy in the area of dietary supplements has the potential to affect a large portion of the population. About sixty percent of Americans take dietary supplements in one form or another. The results of a recent American Dietetic Association survey indicate that approximately forty percent of adults take herbal remedies and over eighty percent use vitamin and mineral supplements. Yet, herbal supplements are potentially dangerous when taken alone, or in combination with prescription drugs. For example, ginkgo biloba has been linked to excessive bleeding and stroke. A recent survey found that twelve percent of herbal