(Washington, D.C.) – Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) Senior Vice President of Dietary Supplements Duffy MacKay released the following statement today in response to a recent JAMA Network Open Study investigating the prevalence and characteristics of U.S. adults consuming botanicals potentially linked to liver toxicity:
"This study contains significant inaccuracies and methodological limitations that its authors are using as a platform for their opinions about dietary supplement regulation. For example, the authors misrepresent and overinflate the size of the dietary supplement industry, repeat misconceptions about regulatory oversight, and overlook the fact that Red Yeast Rice is not actually a botanical. The study is a self-reported survey concluding that an estimated 15.5 million people consume one of six ingredients (five are botanicals) in dietary supplements. There is no data in the study on clinical outcomes, adverse effects, or hepatotoxic effects.
“The six ingredients included in the survey have been studied extensively and have a long history of safe use. CHPA will continue to reiterate the importance of ensuring accurate, responsible, and rigorous approaches to such research. This is especially critical considering the impact and far-reaching consequences misleading studies can have, both in terms of threatening consumer trust and also discounting the decades of research reinforcing the beneficial role supplementation plays in optimizing health."
CHPA submitted a letter to the Journal underscoring the study's significant inaccuracies and methodological limitations and how these types of misleading studies undermine consumer trust and overlook decades of research supporting the benefits of supplementation for health.
