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Amidžić M, Banović Fuentes J, Banović J, Torović L. Notifications and Health Consequences of Unauthorized Pharmaceuticals in Food Supplements. PHARMACY 2023; 11:154. [PMID: 37888499 PMCID: PMC10609884 DOI: 10.3390/pharmacy11050154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2023] [Revised: 09/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Health concerns associated with the consumption of food supplements rise in parallel with the rise in the popularity and market availability of these products. In pursuit of data related to the unauthorized presence of pharmaceuticals in food supplements, the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) database was searched for the 2011-2022 period. The most "popular" pharmaceuticals for the adulteration of food supplements were phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors (235 records); anorexics and laxatives (76), including sibutramine and its active metabolite N-didesmethyl sibutramine, phenolphthalein and 2,4-dinitrophenol; stimulants, among which 1,3-dimethylamine (97), and synephrine (53) were the most numerous; nootropic drugs (24); anabolics and prohormones (16); and cannabinoid cannabidiol (14) (pending authorization as a novel food ingredient). Over 65% of notifications of interest were classified as serious risks, and over 80% of these were alert or border rejection notifications, mainly generated as a result of official control on the market. The alarming number of RASFF notifications should be considered a public health issue, demanding clear and targeted recommendation for action for the legislature and authorities. A harmonized nutrivigilance system should be considered as a tool to detect and scrutinize the adverse health effects of food supplements, along with measures to improve their safety, quality, and testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maja Amidžić
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Hajduk Veljkova 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia; (M.A.); (J.B.F.)
| | - Jelena Banović Fuentes
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Hajduk Veljkova 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia; (M.A.); (J.B.F.)
| | - Jovica Banović
- Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Hajduk Veljkova 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia;
| | - Ljilja Torović
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Hajduk Veljkova 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia; (M.A.); (J.B.F.)
- Center for Medical and Pharmaceutical Investigations and Quality Control, Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Hajduk Veljkova 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
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Alonso Street EM, Grutzmacher S, Branscum A, Smit E. Self-Perceived Health and Chronic Conditions Among Users of Supplements With and Without Botanical Ingredients: Findings from the 2009-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. J Diet Suppl 2021; 19:689-703. [PMID: 34033728 DOI: 10.1080/19390211.2021.1924336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The objective of this research was to investigate associations among self-reported health status, chronic conditions, and use of dietary supplements containing botanicals and describe reasons for use among U.S. adult supplement users. This was a cross-sectional analysis using data from the 2009-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Supplement information was collected with a 30-day recall interview. Self-reported general health status and doctor-informed diagnoses of chronic conditions were assessed using a health status questionnaire. We used weighted multivariate logistic regressions to assess associations between supplement use and perceived health and number of chronic conditions. Participants were 16,958 non-institutionalized U.S. adults aged 20 years and older. Adults with excellent or very good self-perceived health were more likely to use botanical supplements than adults with good perceived health (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.48; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.28-1.74). Adults with three or more chronic conditions were more likely to report using botanical supplements than adults with no chronic conditions (aOR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.13-1.69). The most frequently reported reasons for both non-botanical and botanical supplements use were "personal choice or influenced by advertisements or word of mouth," "improve health," and "specific health conditions" (93.3%, 84.2%, and 64.7%, respectively). While perceptions of health are more positive among adults using botanical supplements, chronic conditions and reasons for botanical supplements use related to personal choice, improving health, or addressing specific conditions were more likely. Differentiating botanical supplements from other complementary and integrative therapies may be useful for facilitating a deeper understanding of the reasons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen M Alonso Street
- School of Biological and Population Health Sciences, College of Public Health and Human Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Stephanie Grutzmacher
- School of Biological and Population Health Sciences, College of Public Health and Human Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Adam Branscum
- School of Biological and Population Health Sciences, College of Public Health and Human Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Ellen Smit
- School of Biological and Population Health Sciences, College of Public Health and Human Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
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Ng JY, Tahir U, Dhaliwal S. Barriers, knowledge, and training related to pharmacists' counselling on dietary and herbal supplements: a systematic review of qualitative studies. BMC Health Serv Res 2021; 21:499. [PMID: 34034710 PMCID: PMC8147056 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-021-06502-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Pharmacists are recognized as one of the most accessible healthcare providers and are licensed to advise patients on drugs and health products including dietary and herbal supplements (DHSs). The objective of this study was to identify barriers, knowledge, and training that pharmacists report related to DHSs counselling. Methods MEDLINE, EMBASE, AMED and CINAHL were systematically searched from database inception to May 8th, 2020. Eligible articles contained qualitative data with a specific focus on pharmacists’ perceived knowledge, training, and barriers to DHSs counselling. Relevant data were extracted, and a thematic analysis was conducted. Results Nineteen articles met the inclusion criteria. The following three main themes were identified: challenges to pharmacists obtaining DHSs education, postgraduate workplace challenges surrounding DHSs, and pharmacists’ perceived role and importance on DHSs. Low knowledge of DHSs and the limited regulations surrounding DHSs acting as a barrier to counselling were common findings supported by the eligible articles. Conclusions A lack of pharmacists’ knowledge and awareness of DHSs stems from a variety of factors including a lack of education and training in the field, limited regulations surrounding DHSs, and inadequate availability of DHS information resources in the pharmacy. Pharmacists were unable to confidently counsel patients due to these aforementioned factors in addition to reporting that they lacked time. Further research that reviews pharmacy education and workplace training, and improving DHS regulations are warranted future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy Y Ng
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Michael G. DeGroote Centre for Learning and Discovery, Room 2112, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4K1, Canada.
| | - Umair Tahir
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Michael G. DeGroote Centre for Learning and Discovery, Room 2112, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Simran Dhaliwal
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Michael G. DeGroote Centre for Learning and Discovery, Room 2112, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4K1, Canada
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Health risk assessment and bioaccessibility of toxic elements in edible and medicinal plants under different consumption methods. Microchem J 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.microc.2020.105577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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Ben-Sasson M, Levy I, Ben-Arye E, Attias S, Schiff E. Dietary and herbal supplements use among patients hospitalized in internal medicine departments. Complement Ther Med 2020; 50:102345. [PMID: 32444039 DOI: 10.1016/j.ctim.2020.102345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2019] [Revised: 01/22/2020] [Accepted: 02/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To assess consumption of dietary and herbal supplements (DHS) among patients in internal medicine departments and determine whether such use is documented in their medical files. METHODS 267 patients from three internal medicine departments of an academic medical center in Haifa, Israel were assessed prospectively with questionnaires about their DHS use in the month preceding hospitalization. DHS were categorized into vitamins & minerals, herbal supplements and others. Further data was then collected from patients' medical records on socio-demographic and medical characteristics, as well as documentation of DHS use. RESULTS 123 patients (50.6 %) used DHS on a daily basis. Most of them (53.7 %) were using more than one DHS. DHS use was more prevalent in older (OR = 1.02 [1.001-1.036], p = 0.034) and educated (OR = 0.482 [0.252-0.923], p = 0.028) patients. Vitamins & minerals were used mainly to enhance vitality and address laboratory abnormalities, whereas herbal supplements were used mainly for gastrointestinal problems (p < 0.001). DHS use was reported to the physicians by 42 % of the patients, mostly at the patients' initiative [92 (82.1 %), p < 0.001)]. Vitamins and minerals were the most reported category of DHS (94 (57.3 %), p < 0.001). The use of DHS was reported to physicians for 112 DHS (41.8 %) but only 32 DHS (11.9 %) were documented in their medical files. The documentation of vitamins and minerals was significantly higher compared to herbal supplements documentation (29 (17.7 %) & 3 (2.9 %) respectively, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS DHS are commonly used by patients hospitalized in the internal medicine departments. Many patients do not report such use to the physicians, and more strikingly, physicians do not document DHS use in patient medical files. This communication gap may have serious medico-legal ramifications due to DHS side effects and DHS interactions with other DHS and with conventional drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Ben-Sasson
- Internal B Medicine Department, Israel; Complementary Medicine Service, BnaiZion Medical Center, Haifa, Israel; Faculty of Medicine, Technion- IsraelInstitute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
| | - I Levy
- Internal B Medicine Department, Israel; Complementary Medicine Service, BnaiZion Medical Center, Haifa, Israel; Faculty of Medicine, Technion- IsraelInstitute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - E Ben-Arye
- Faculty of Medicine, Technion- IsraelInstitute of Technology, Haifa, Israel; Integrative Oncology Program, Oncology Service, Lin Medical Center, ClalitHealth Services, Haifa, Israel
| | - S Attias
- Complementary Medicine Service, BnaiZion Medical Center, Haifa, Israel; School of Public Health, University of Haifa, Israel
| | - E Schiff
- Internal B Medicine Department, Israel; Complementary Medicine Service, BnaiZion Medical Center, Haifa, Israel; Faculty of Medicine, Technion- IsraelInstitute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
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