Chris Silva

February 28, 2016

ENGL 102
Chris Padgett
Supplements and Regulation
For this paper, the research question will be how can a supplement be sold without
regulation or verification that the supplement does what it claims? Also, why are there not laws
that regulate supplements in United States? Some of the challenges in trying to do this research
can be finding enough evidence of the supplement causing harm; people that might have been
affected by taking supplements; and possibly research that is too broad as well as too specific
that could make writing this paper difficult. I have found many sources that show even the most
basic of vitamins to be dangerous to some people. I am going to be looking at the reasons why
supplements are not regulated in the United States and look at the possibilities for regulation as a
way to prevent more people from being injured by taking supplements and vitamins that are not
regulated by the government.
Annotated Bibliography
Eliason, Michael J., et al. Case Reports: Death Of Active Duty Soldiers Following Ingestion Of
Dietary Supplements Containing 1,3-Dimethylamylamine (DMAA). Military
Medicine 177.12 (2012): 1455-1459. Academic Search Complete. Web. 31 Jan. 2016.
This article is an informative article that demonstrated and presented the idea that
dietary supplements are dangerous, when they are misused by any individual or even an
organization. The fact that the army had some issues with the supplement proves that the
issue is not only toward a certain group of individuals but also an organization that can be

affected. The reaction to this supplement could affect any part of the body especially the
brain. The argument of the author is that because two people did die because of
supplement use, the author questions the reliability of this product, and that some
measures should be taken for the safety of each human being who uses this supplement.
Housman, Jeff M., and Steve M. Dorman. "Dietary and Sports Supplements: The Need For A
Systematic Tracking System." American Journal Of Health Studies 23.1 (2008): 35-40.
Academic Search Complete. Web. 14 Feb. 2016.
This article is an informative work, and it is exposing the result of the last
research done concerning the dietary and sport supplements among teenagers. The impact
of supplements is often confusing, so this paper brings out facts and aims to clarify the
confusion. For the athlete using supplements as well the average person there can be
dangerous consequences in the misuse of such substances. This article shows the
possibility of setting up a system allowing for the consumption rates of those
supplements to be followed. Also discussed in the article are the health factors of this
process as well as benefits. The authors suggest major changes to be implemented in
order to improve the impact that supplement use has on adolescents.
Marcus, Donald M., Arthur P. Grollman, and Sidney M. Wolfe. Ephedra-Free Is Not DangerFree. Science 301.5640 (2003): 1669-1671. Academic Search Complete. Web. 27 Jan.
2016.
The authors makes the argument that Ephedra, a drug supplement that is supposed
to help people lose weight; should be banned. However, the authors argue that certain
herbs such as guarana and mante when combined with caffeine can cause strokes and

heart attack. People do not know the risk and therefore should be informed and protected
by the government to regulate both food and supplements.
Roth, Daniel E., et al. "Maternal Vitamin D Supplementation During Pregnancy And Lactation
To Promote Infant Growth In Dhaka, Bangladesh (MDIG Trial): Study Protocol For A
Randomized Controlled Trial." Trials 16.1 (2015): 1-16. Academic Search Complete.
Web. 28 Feb. 2016.
The use of supplements, especially Vitamin D for pregnant women, has been
evaluated as dangerous because of the regulation of bone minerals and skeleton
development produced by the use of the following supplements. This article shows that
because supplements are dangerous to certain people who use them, such vitamins like
Vitamin D should have regulations to its use and the known impacts should be made clear
to those that are planning on taking the supplement.
G., Garg, et al. "Vitamin D Toxicity Presenting As Hypercalcemia And Complete Heart Block:
An Interesting Case Report." Indian Journal Of Endocrinology & Metabolism 16.(2012):
S423-S426.Academic Search Complete. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.
This article is presenting the dangerous aspects of Vitamin D, which is mentioned
by the researchers to be toxic. The product creates deficiency to the heart, which could be
fatal overtime when not properly regulated and not used in such a way to protect the
person. The use of Vitamin D according to the article could also generate many other
diseases like Hypercalcemia, and heart blockages, all dangerous to people, and the
continued use of this vitamin could disturb the functionality of other vitamins in the body.

Keum, N, and E Giovannucci. "Vitamin D Supplements and Cancer Incidence and Mortality: A
Meta-Analysis." British Journal of Cancer 111.5 (2014): 976-980. Academic Search
Complete. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.
The misuse of Vitamin D supplements could be fatal for the user. As this research
shows, certain effects of Vitamin D when used for certain people and in combination with
other supplements could lead to cancer. Such impacts do not happen randomly, but the
misuse of the following vitamin is the main cause of the tragedy and therefore needs to be
regulated since it is a vitamin that is seen to be harmless.