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PRINCIPLES REGARDING DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS

The American Medical Student Association:

1.             ENCOURAGES the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to develop provisions for enforcement of the following current labeling requirements for dietary supplements. Those labeling requirements include:

a.             The name and quantity of each dietary ingredient or for proprietary blends, the total quantity of all dietary ingredients in the blend;  (2000)

b.             Identifying the product as a "dietary supplement"; (2000)

c.             Identifying the part of the plant from which the product is derived. (2000)

2.             SUPPORTS authorizing the FDA to apply the same safety standards to dietary supplements as it currently does for food and food additives; specifically, to require dietary supplements to undergo premarket approval.  Such premarket approval must require manufacturers to conduct safety studies and submit the results to the FDA for review before the ingredient can be used in marketed products. (2000)

3.             SUPPORTS allowing exemption of currently marketed dietary supplements to this premarket approval process if and only if these supplements are generally recognized as safe. (2000)

4.             SUPPORTS pulling from the market those dietary supplements which have caused significant or unreasonable harm or death until they pass the above premarket approval process.  (2000)

5.             SUPPORTS adequate funding for the Federal Trade Commission to maintain adequate surveillance on the advertising of dietary supplements. (2000)

6.             SUPPORTS research into the efficacy of dietary supplements by the National Institutes of Health. (2000)