Dietary Supplement Interaction With Nutrients

Abstract

The retail sales (in food stores, drug stores, mass market outlets) for herbal supplements in 2002 totaled more than $300 million out of pocket in the United States (1). Sales are much greater in other markets (natural food stores, convenience stores, mail order, internet, etc.), although more difficult to estimate. This figure does not take into account expenditures for nutrient and other nonherbal dietary supplements, including minerals and “antioxidant”preparations, which account for many millions of dollars more. It is estimated that 30% of the population has used or is presently using herbal supplements (2). No regulatory agency oversees the manufacture of herbs and dietary supplements, as the passage of the Dietary Supplement Health Education Act in 1994, excluded them from Food and Drug Administration (FDA) surveillance (3). Thus, the true extent and prevalence of interaction of dietary supplements with nutrients is not truly known, and can only be surmised from anecdotal and historical reports, as well as few animal model studies.KeywordsDietary SupplementHerbal SupplementBitter MelonMomordica CharantiaCorn SilkThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.