Or so we’re led to believe by various commenters in the news, FDA regulators, and misinformed medical doctors. We’re told that the supplement industry lacks the strict controls of the pharmaceutical industry (quality control, safety testing, regulatory oversight, etc.), and therefore we are taking our lives into our own hands when we take supplements. Right?
The most recent information collected by the US National Poison Data System which is the annual report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers, showed there were 0 deaths caused by any dietary supplements in the United States in 2008 (the latest year with complete information available). Various data suggests that half of Americans take dietary supplements, which amounts to somewhere around 56 billion doses of supplements in a year. Of those 56 billion doses, there were NO (zip, zero, zilch, nada) deaths from the best available data we have.
Compare that to deaths from pharmaceutical drugs, which are well regulated and much safer than supplements, and then tell me how dangerous supplements are again.
You can download the Annual Report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers for free here.
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