'Herbal Supplements: Realities vs. Headlines' brought to Congress
WASHINGTON — Congressional staff this week heard from scientific experts about a frequent topic in the news in recent months: how herbal dietary supplements are tested and regulated.
The Congressional Dietary Supplement Caucus in cooperation with the leading trade associations representing the dietary supplement industry — the American Herbal Products Association, the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, the Council for Responsible Nutrition, the Natural Products Association and the United Natural Products Alliance — held an educational briefing, “Herbal Supplements: Realities vs. Headlines,” on May 12, providing staffers with science-based information on the quality control and testing methods recommended by the Food and Drug Administration and used by companies to ensure herbal products are safe, properly manufactured and adhere to regulations.
Darryl Sullivan, director, scientific and regulatory affairs, for the Nutritional Chemistry and Food Safety Division at Covance Laboratories, and chair of the AOAC Stakeholder Panel on Dietary Supplements, outlined the criteria for a good quality control program for dietary supplements, noting the importance of complying with good manufacturing practices as mandated under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act. Sullivan also reviewed how some companies go beyond basic compliance to enhance quality, confirming that “enhanced quality controls really can give us a great deal of confidence in finished products.”
Frank Jaksch, Jr., CEO, ChromaDex, a provider of technologies for quantitative analysis of natural products, discussed some of the challenges supplement companies face when it comes to testing. “There may be challenges, but testing is assuredly possible,” he said. He provided specific examples about the testing methods that are appropriate for testing ingredients versus finished products, and spoke specifically about DNA barcode testing as an emerging technology. “DNA barcode testing is not a quality control tool,” he noted. “It’s a research tool.”
This is the first DSC educational briefing of 2015, with more expected throughout the year. The DSC has presented a variety of topics to staffers since its founding in 2006, including most recently in 2014: the history, background and impact of DSHEA; understanding dietary supplement labeling; and nutrient shortfalls. The bipartisan, bicameral DSC provides a forum for the exchange of ideas and information on dietary supplements, directing attention to the role of dietary supplements in health promotion and disease prevention.