Do you actually know which ingredients are in dietary supplements? Studies show that everything from bacteria and drugs, both prescription and unapproved, to heavy metals like lead can be found in supplements. Some products, like CBD, suffer from “underdosing,” in which the active ingredient measured in the supplement is less than what the label claims.
Makers of supplements do not have to submit their product for approval or for quality control, and regulators that hamstring the Federal Drug Administration (FDA), along with the conduct of companies that produce products, “combine together to create something that's very akin to the wild west,” says Charles White, professor and chair of pharmacy practice at the University of Connecticut.
Until recently, researchers have only been able to test these supplements without any other group to compare to. But now that recent studies show that supplements of the plant-derived galantamine contain sometimes as little as 2 percent of the dose that the product claims, and may even contain bacterial contamination, experts are questioning regulation on dietary supplements.
What Is in Galantamine Supplements?
Galantamine provides a unique testing ground since it is available both as a drug and as a supplement. The FDA has approved galantamine for treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease and it is also sold as a supplement, where companies say it supports “lucid dreaming and cognition.”
