Oct 3, 2012 8:05am
Dangerous and illegal claims have been made by some widely sold nutritional supplements. Findings by a new federal report today say dozens of weight-loss and immune system supplements are illegally labeled and lack scientific evidence for their health claims. The Department of Health and Human Services’ inspector general found that 20 percent of the 127 weight-loss and immune-boosting supplements investigators purchased online and in retail stores across the country carried labels that made illegal claims to cure or treat disease. It’s a scathing indictment of a booming $20 billion industry. Some products said they could cure or prevent diabetes or cancer or help people with HIV or AIDS, which is strictly prohibited under federal law. The report says consumers may not just be wasting their money on pills or tablets, but could be endangering their health if they take a supplement in place of a prescription drug. “Supplements that make disease claims could mislead consumers into using them as replacements for prescription drugs or other treatments for medical conditions, with potentially dangerous results.”
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