The Politics of Health - Part II

[Guest guest]

http://www.hfn-usa.com/articles-text/040827pl2.htm

 

 

The Politics of Health - Part II

 

Health policy and practice is out of step with the

everyday health practices of millions of Americans.

According to The Natural Marketing Institute's 2003

study on health and wellness trends, more than 85

percent of the general population use some type of

nutritional supplement, and more than 59 percent use

them on a daily basis. An increasing number of

consumers cite immediate benefits, such as improved

appearance, as a reason for maintaining a healthy

lifestyle—up 4.2 percent over the past five

years—although longevity and disease prevention remain

the primary reasons.2

 

Why in the world then, would the Federal Food and Drug

Administration (FDA)—a dogmatic agency responsible for

overseeing the health guidelines of a nation—be blind

to scientific evidence indicating that regular use of

dietary supplements and eating a balanced, whole foods

diet, can and do improve one's quality of life?

Especially when their mission is " to promote and

protect the public health by helping safe and

effective products reach the market in a timely way. "

 

Recent study contradicts The Food and Nutrition

Board's findings

In 2003, The Food and Nutrition Board of the National

Academy of Sciences—the main authority in the U.S. for

nutritional recommendations (which, by the way, gets

funding from the FDA)—published a major report on

antioxidant nutrients, including vitamins C and E. The

study concluded that taking antioxidant supplements

serves no purpose.

 

But, not surprisingly, a recent study conducted by two

Oregon State University researchers at the Linus

Pauling Institute refuted that conclusion.

 

The study, co-authored by Angela Mastaloudis, a

researcher at the Linus Pauling Institute, and Maret

Traber, one of the nation's leading experts on vitamin

E, shows that a group of runners who participated in a

50-mile ultramarathon showed metabolic damage and

lipid oxidation similar to the damage commonly found

in heart attack victims. On the other hand, a group of

runners who supplemented their diets with daily doses

of vitamins C and E prevented the increase in lipid

oxidation.3

 

Interestingly, the male runners who did not receive

supplements continued their unusually high levels of

oxidized lipids for almost a week, while the

metabolism of females returned to normal in a day.

 

" This study clearly showed that supplementation with

these antioxidant vitamins could help prevent the

significant levels of lipid oxidation that are

associated with intense exercise, " said Mastaloudis.

" And it's worth noting that the people who did not

take supplements, but did have a vitamin E intake that

would be about the amount suggested by the federal

RDA, did not gain those protective benefits. " 4

 

According to the co-authors, the findings of this

study may have ramifications far beyond just people

who undergo unusual exercise regimens. Oxidative

stress and higher levels of lipid oxidation are seen

in a wide range of health problems, ranging from

diabetes to heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer's

disease, smoking and even obesity, the researchers

said.4

 

" Everyone can benefit from a diet rich in fruits and

vegetables which contain these antioxidants, "

Mastaloudis said. " But for people with oxidative

stress, such as runners or people with heart disease,

it is more beneficial to take supplements. " 4

 

Vitamin E was discovered 80 years ago and is best

known as an antioxidant that may reduce oxidative

stress associated with the development of coronary

heart disease. The dietary source of vitamin E is fats

and oils, yet only about 20 percent of Americans are

getting even the recommended daily allowance of the

vitamin, to say nothing of the extra dosage that is

recommended by this study.4

 

" This study clearly showed that supplementation with

these antioxidant vitamins could help prevent the

significant levels of lipid oxidation that are

associated with intense exercise, " Mastaloudis said.4

 

According to Mastaloudis, the Food and Nutrition Board

have yet to change their standpoint on the use of

antioxidants, even when directly contradicted by

evidence found in this study as well as many others.4

 

The most recent RDA recommendation, Traber said, is

based largely on data that is decades old, and does

not really explore the optimal intake for people who

have depressed levels of micronutrients for various

reasons, such as athletic exertion, heart disease,

other degenerative diseases, or simple lack of

physical activity.4

 

Special update on fat-soluble vitamin C

http://hfn-usa.com/articles/030326.html

 

Take a vitamin E mix of tocopherols and tocotrienols

for the full Monty

http://hfn-usa.com/articles/030326.html

 

Some members of Congress have yet to be convinced of

the benefits of supplements. What's going on here? Do

we simply have a case of " David versus Goliath "

(http://hfn-usa.com/articles/spu118-david.html)? Is it

a case of conflict of interest between the consumer

and the pharmaceutical industry that stands to gain

from the ever-increasing cost of pharmaceuticals, and

the proliferation of modern-day diseases? Is it sheer

ignorance and poor education that are to blame for the

pressure that doctors, politicians and some scientists

put on the FDA to restrict our access to alternative

health options, and information we should be getting

from reputable scientists?

 

Whatever the answer, the health climate in the U.S. is

complicated and dangerous. But we can tell you this,

if medical organizations continue to use heavily

conflicted experts to make clinical recommendations,

public confidence will erode. And if politicians and

policy makers continue to try to restrict our access

to dietary supplements, our personal efforts and

freedom to choose how we take care of our health will

become a thing of the past.

 

The bottom line is this: most members of Congress do

not understand what dietary supplements are, how they

keep people healthy or how they actually reduce health

care costs. Despite the fact that dietary supplements

are an integral part of most Americans' lives, the

dietary supplement industry faces political and

regulatory challenges which are almost as imposing as

those prior to the passage of the Dietary Supplement

Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA)—which is why

we need your help! (See " What can you do? " )

 

Act now to protect your access to all safe nutritional

supplements

http://www.hfn-usa.com/articles/030425.html

How much can the nutrition industry save the country

in healthcare costs?

After the economy and the war in Iraq, health care

ranks as the issue that most concerns Americans. When

asked to name the most important problem for the

government to address, respondents to a Kaiser Health

Poll Report in August 2003 ranked health care third,

in a tie with terrorism at 13% and higher than

national tax and budget issues, education and crime.5

 

At the forefront of health care concerns is cost. In

an ABC News/Washington Post Poll in October 2003, 78%

of respondents said they are dissatisfied and 54% very

dissatisfied with the cost of the nation's health care

system. Additionally, 54% are dissatisfied with the

overall quality of health care, and 62% would prefer a

universal health insurance program.5

 

Instead of responding to those concerns, our senators

are trying to derail free access to dietary

supplements

The hard-won natural health freedoms ensured by the

Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of

1994 could be overturned!

 

Reacting to the hysteria over ephedra, Richard J.

Durbin (D-IL) brought forth Senate Bill 722,

cosponsored by Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Dianne

Feinstein (D-CA) and Charles Schumer (D-NY), which

gives unprecedented power to the FDA to remove

nutritional supplements from the market. Here's how:

 

Senate Bill 722 calls for a reporting system for

adverse reactions to nutritional supplements. The FDA

is empowered to act on a single adverse reaction

report and immediately take the product off the market

while it is being investigated. In addition, it could

force the manufacturer to undergo prohibitively costly

safety analyses of the product, similar to what is

required for new drugs.

 

Imagine this scenario: A child is taking a supplement

containing vitamin C. One day at school he has some

diarrhea, gets dehydrated and faints on the

playground. He hits his head, and is rushed to the

emergency room, where he is diagnosed with a brain

injury. Believe it or not, just one incident like this

could be blamed on vitamin C. And based on this

isolated incident, the FDA could, at its discretion,

restrict sales of vitamin C until an investigation

proved that vitamin C did not cause the boy's

problems.

 

If the forces backing this measure are successful,

DSHEA may be amended so that any and all dietary

supplements can be banned!

 

Where Do We Go From Here?

Oppose Senate Bill 722

SB722, the so-called Dietary Supplement Safety Act,

would greatly expand the FDA's authority over dietary

supplements and undermine the hard-fought victory the

Nutritional Supplement Industry achieved with DSHEA,

which sought to restrain the FDA's historical abuse of

discretionary authority over dietary supplements. And,

despite its title—The Dietary Supplement " Safety "

Act—this Bill will provide the consumer with no more

protection than current law provides.

 

If passed into law, however, this bill will:

 

* increase health care costs and decrease consumer

choices

* single out dietary supplements and hold them to

a higher standard of scrutiny than many

over-the-counter medications and food additives that

have already proven less safe than supplements

* provide unnecessary additional regulatory

authority to the FDA, which has not enforced DSHEA in

a timely manner. The overall result would be fueling

the healthcare cost crisis and seriously undermining

DSHEA and consumer's right to choose health products.

 

What can you do?

A unified industry effort is needed! We must inform

the public of this legislation and how it affects us

all. Please urge everyone you know who values the

health freedoms we now have, to contact their state

senators nationwide to oppose SB722. We need your

help!

 

Send a letter to your State Senator to oppose S-722.

Without your opposition, this bill stands a good

chance of passing into law and affecting the health

freedoms we take for granted now.

 

The only way to stop this bill is for us to flood our

elected representatives with so many emails, faxes and

phone calls that they will be forced to say no to the

powerful interests that are behind this movement.

Oh, and one more thing...

We have to support Senate Bill 1538, the DSHEA Full

Implementation and Enforcement Act of 2003.

Don't Let Congress Overturn the Dietary Supplement

Health and Education Act of 1994!

 

Because the Food and Drug Administration has failed to

fully uphold the law, Congress is looking into making

changes that will undermine many of the freedoms that

American consumers of dietary supplements hold dear.

 

The FDA has fallen short when it comes to enforcing

the law. Let's give the FDA the resources it needs to

implement DSHEA! This bill will eliminate the Food and

Drug Administration's favorite excuses that it doesn't

have enough staff, money or power to regulate

supplements.

Support research that validates the safety,

effectiveness and quality of dietary supplements.

Because dietary supplements come from natural

ingredients, they can't be patented. While this

insures that these products are readily—and

affordably—available, it takes away the ability of

manufacturers to recoup research costs. The bill

doubles the funding given to the Office of Dietary

Supplements to expand research and consumer

information about these products.

Hold the government accountable for its actions.

SB1538 will require the FDA to file annual reports to

Congress about how they're regulating dietary

supplements. If they fail in their responsibilities to

fully implement the law, they'll be held accountable.

 

The Better Health Action Center, part of the Campaign

for Better Health, has given us permission to print

their letters for your use. You may log onto their

site—

http://www.healthactioncenter.org/action/index.asp?step=2 & item=14239—and

send it automatically to your State Senators.

 

And ... we like to ask just one small favor: After you

click the " Send " button and you get to the " Tell Your

Friends " Page, please put our email address in there:

action

So often political work feels thankless and we'd be

very pleased to get thousands of emails back so we

know you took action.

 

As an alternative to using the web site above you can

print out the abbreviated versions below, to send them

by postal mail.

 

1. SB722

 

 

Dear Senator--:

 

I urge you to oppose any efforts by your fellow

Senators to enact S-722, which has been erroneously

named the Dietary Supplement " Safety " Act by its

sponsor Senator Durbin.

 

This bill would allow the FDA to take away my

dietary supplements.

 

Under existing law, the FDA has been given

broad, legal authority to regulate all aspects of

manufacturing, marketing and distributing dietary

supplements. Rather than encouraging the FDA to start

aggressively enforcing existing law, Senator Durbin's

bill would grant the FDA new enforcement powers

without any corresponding increase in the protections

accorded to consumers under the existing law. These

new enforcement powers would include wide

discretionary authority that would enable the FDA to

remove from the market safe and healthful dietary

supplements. This would completely undermine the

primary goal of the Dietary Supplement Health and

Education Act of 1994 ( " DSHEA " ) to restrain the FDA's

historical abuse of discretionary authority over

dietary supplements.

 

If adopted, this Bill would unjustifiably

subject vitamins, minerals, herbal products and other

supplements to an unwarranted level of government

scrutiny. Beneficial products that have been used

safely for hundreds--and in some cases, thousands--of

years would be subjected to clinical evaluation using

ambiguous standards. This would permit the FDA to

fabricate safety concerns and remove safe, nutritious

dietary supplements from the market.

 

Under the Durbin Bill, if a single report of an

adverse experience occurring while taking a dietary

supplement is received, even though it is not known to

be causally related to the dietary supplement, the FDA

can initiate procedures resulting in the termination

of the marketing of the ingredient. All of these

procedures are left entirely to the unbridled

discretion and whim of the FDA.

 

Already, adverse experiences have been filed for

Vitamin C; Echinacea; Multivitamins; Glucosamine;

Calcium and more.

 

I encourage you to oppose this extreme and

unnecessary legislation and use your authority to

encourage and support the FDA in fully exercising its

already adequate enforcement powers.

 

Respectfully yours, --

 

Signature--

 

Name (print)--

 

Address/City/State/Zip--

 

2. SB1538

 

 

Dear Senator,

 

I support the full implementation of DSHEA and

believe the recent FDA action banning ephedra

demonstrates that this regulation works. This action

clearly demonstrates that the FDA has the ability to

take actions it determines are necessary to promote

consumer safety, including removing products it deems

harmful from the marketplace. Please support Senate

Bill 1538. This bill aims to provide full enforcement

of DSHEA by authorizing sufficient implementation

appropriations for the FDA and provides additional

funding to the Office of Dietary Supplements to expand

research and develop better consumer information on

dietary supplements. Doesn't it make more sense to

mandate that FDA to enforce the existing law, which it

has not done in the past 10 years?

 

Respectfully yours, --

 

Signature--

 

Name (print)--

 

Address/City/State/Zip--

 

How to Contact Your Senators

You may also call your senators' offices. You will

likely speak with staff members, but your message will

still be heard. Let them know who you are, ask them to

vote against SB722, and be prepared to tell them why.

 

The US Capitol switchboard number is (202) 224-3121.

Look in the phone book for your senators' local office

numbers. Staffers can give you your senators' fax

numbers, as well as other contact information.

 

We can shake our heads at the blatant misuse of our

tax dollars. However it would be better to send a

barrage of letters and e-mails to our policy makers.

This will let them know that we will not sit by and

watch as our nation's health standards fall due to

Federal bias and indifference.

 

Please act now! The timing is critical.

References

 

1. Starfield, Barbara, MD, MPH, " Is US Health

Really the Best in the World? " JAMA, Volume 284, No.

4, July 26, 2000.

 

2. Edmonds, Bryce. Consumers' Confidence In

Supplements Rises. January 1, 2004.

The Natural Foods Merchandiser. September 1,

2004.

http://www.naturalfoodsmerchandiser.com/asp/articleDisplay.asp?strArticleId=823 & \

strSite=NFMSite

 

3. Maret, Traber, Angela, Mastaloudis, et al.

Antioxidant supplementation prevents exercise-induced

lipid peroxidation, but not inflammation, in

ultramarathon runners. Free Radical Biology and

Medicine. (36(10), pp1329-41), May 15, 2003.

 

4. Stauth, David. " Study shows vitamin E can

prevent metabolic damage. " Oregon State University

Press Release, 6/17/04

 

5. Consumer Research III, Nutrition Business

Journal, Nov. 2003.