Food Supplements for Weight Loss: Risk Assessment of Selected Impurities.

Alexandra Figueiredo,José Brito,Tânia Alexandra Fernandes,Luísa Lima Gonçalves,Isabel Margarida Costa

doi:10.3390/nu12040954

Alexandra Figueiredo, José Brito + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12040954

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Abstract

Nowadays, food supplements are widely consumed, often without any medical supervision. In this study, 25 food supplements for weight loss, randomly purchased from five different suppliers in the European Union, were analysed by Wavelength Dispersive X ray Fluorescence spectrometry (WDXRF). The aim of this study was the risk assessment of trace elements and the mixture of elements present in food supplements for weight loss. The obtained Hazard Index (0.11) showed no potential risk of non-carcinogenic effects to human health. However, since humans are frequently exposed by different routes and/or sources to toxic metals, the additional consumption of these products may cause potential toxicological risks that cannot be ignored. In one analysed food supplement (FS), the simultaneous presence of Pb and Mn in high concentrations was detected. In two, FS chromium concentrations were above the reference daily dose. Unconformities were detected between the labelled and the detected values, which emphasises the misinformation of labels. This highlights the need for a deeper surveillance of food supplements.

Highlights

Vitamins, minerals, nutritional and herbal supplement sales have had a significant increase worldwide, due, in part, to the general misperception that natural indicates harmless [1,2,3]
The results showed that the use of food supplements mainly occurs among the female population, in younger age groups [12]
The detected unconformities found between the measured concentrations of ingredients and the labelled ones were in accordance with several studies, which reported huge differences between the labelled and the measured values in herbal products [57,58]

Summary

Introduction

Minerals, nutritional and herbal supplement sales have had a significant increase worldwide, due, in part, to the general misperception that natural indicates harmless [1,2,3]. Greater awareness about healthy ageing and the broader availability of products, as well as trends towards healthy lifestyles and disease prevention lead to an increase in vitamins and food supplements consumption. In the United States (U.S.) it is estimated that approximately 150 million people (one half of the U.S. population) currently use food supplements, with 79% reporting daily consumption and 10% taking five or more different supplements per day [9], with women being the main consumers. In Europe, the use of food supplements is increasing in several countries, there is a lack of information with regard to the prevalence and types of food supplements used that can be compared across [10,11].

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