Dietary supplements: They are Fashion or Necessity?

The dietary supplement market has exploded. Originally sold in pharmacies, they conquered drugstores and supermarkets. Thin is one of the fastest growing areas, followed by stress, menopause and solar. They are Fashion or Necessity?

All sales of dietary supplements are on the rise (+ 20% in 2004), and it is the thinness of the market dominates. Who are the consumers? These are mostly women. It further notes that employees and managers are more followers than the workers. The only people buying less food supplements that families of at least two people and 15% of buyers are on a diet.

Strict supervision

Dietary supplements are regulated by a European directive of 10 June 2002 which defines them as "food whose objective is to supplement the normal diet and which are concentrated sources of nutrients or other substances with a nutritional or physiological alone or in combination, marketed in dose form. " Their interest is recognized for some people, but they are not considered drugs. Therefore, the use of vitamins and minerals in doses other than nutritional and / or physiological is excluded. Labelling must bear the "food supplement" and never mention evoke therapeutic properties (prevention, treatment or cure certain diseases). The composition of supplements must comply with the list of ingredients authorized by the European Agency for Food Safety. This list is periodically updated as new ingredients subject to a special procedure is allowed.

Functional claims tickle the drug border

Until then, things are very clear, food supplements and drugs are well separated entities. However, the boundary becomes less clear when speaking of "functional claims". Indeed, some products may carry the statement when indicated for people who fail to meet their nutritional contributions advised by food. They can therefore be useful to balance the supply or to specific preventive effects (lutein, phytosterols, omega 3, lycopene). And in the area of ​​prevention, their effectiveness has been demonstrated in numerous studies. However, these supplements are purchased most often without medical advice and sometimes taken in excess, some components may be dangerous, such as beta-carotene, which, taken in excess of smokers or ex-smokers, appears to increase the risk of cancer lung. Another risk taking certain supplements can divert some treatments of consumers that they may need.