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Running head: SIDE EFFECTS OF DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS

The Experienced Side Effects of Dietary Supplements on Previous Users

Lauren N. Petraglia

Consumer Health Decisions

Professor Bullard

October 20, 2014

Rowan University

SIDE EFFECTS OF DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS 2

Abstract

The world has come to a period in time where Americans have learned to expect everything they

come in contact with to have a speedy outcome. With this being said, health and a quick

turnaround to the damage that citizens have done to their bodies is no exception. A number of

individuals on a daily basis use herbs and other dietary supplements to increase their health,

strength, recovery time, and even weight loss ability. This essay will give an in depth explanation

of the reasons for this, as well as, the experienced side effects on previous users. The most

common side effects will be clarified giving insight to the body’s reactions to these substances.

Key Words: dietary supplements, side effects, health, reactions, perception


Side Effects of Dietary Substances

The Experienced Side Effects of Dietary Supplements on Previous Users

We live in a day and age where our environment is filled with people who have many

health risks or already have diseases due to the abusive bodily habits they have in their lifestyles.

Numerous amounts fill their life with fast food, much time being sedentary, bad sleep schedules,

and excessive stress. However, a multitude of the people who take on these behaviors do not

realize the amount of damage it causes their bodies until it becomes very visible, or a doctor

informs them of the threats their habits have created. At this point it is not unusual for an

individual to become afraid and try to turn to something that they are told or believe will give

them a speedy return to health and wellness.

Many times this ”something” that turns up is a dietary supplement that the consumer

believes will rid the body of toxins, help them lose weight, fill in the nutritional gaps in their

diet, or one of the other countless pills that are sold on the market. One of the common reasons

people decide that dietary supplements are going to help them get out of the hole they dug

themselves into is because, they have much trouble putting or following restrictions on their diet.

However, a number of those who begin taking these supplements do not do excessive research

on the brand and product first, do not take it as instructed, do not take part in actions that will

help give the consumer the best results, use it with the belief that it is a ”magic pill”, or any

combination of these.

Those who are affected by dietary supplements are all of those who take them. The

consumer mistakes listed above helps to contribute to the negative side effects of dietary


supplements. However, there are also positives as well they can help to aid the consumer in

reaching their health goals, help them to feel better, look better, or improve their state of

wellness. The experienced side effects of dietary supplements on previous users can depend

much on the individual and the supplement as well as the situation at hand. Every individual and

everyone’s body is diverse making it not uncommon for a number of people to all have different

experiences with the same product. Due to this fact, how do we know the experienced side

effects of dietary supplements on all pervious users? This study is conducted to improve the

knowledge of those who are taking or plan to take these supplements, so that citizens understand

how these substances react with the body, and do not possibly unknowingly endanger

themselves; therefore helping them become a more aware and concerned consumer.

Literature Review

The Gibson Law Firm in their article, “Dietary Supplement Side Effects: What You

Should Know about the Side Effects of Supplements” explained what you should know about the

side effects of supplements. The first concern is that using the word "natural" on a label will trick

many into thinking the product is healthy for them or cannot hurt them. Even when there is a

warning present on the supplement’s label, that warning is usually unnoticed. People do not often

read the small print on a bottle’s label, especially if it is a supplement and not considered a

“drug”. While some supplements can provide benefits to certain individuals, each person's body

may react differently. Side effects of supplements can be experienced when using too much of a

product, using it incorrectly, or not taking it as directed. However, some people will still suffer

serious side effects even when they only use a less than recommended amount. The serving

recommendations are not government tested or approved, and this means that it is the


responsibility of the manufacturer to make sure the recommended servings are safe for everyone

who uses the product.

Dangerous dietary supplement side effects can also be experienced when used with other

supplements, drugs, or when undergoing a medical surgery. Some supplements are advertised as

having almost no side effects. However, when combined with others or different drugs can cause

them to often become poisonous. The risk of liver damage is the reason most drugs are removed

from the market and new drugs fail to be put onto it. However, with dietary supplements

government support is not usually necessary, even though taking too much of a supplement can

damage your liver. Vitamin A is also identified to cause severe liver damage when the amount

taken is too high or when it is taken at these large amounts for a significant amount of time. For

example, Metabolife had to recall its diet and energy bars in 2001 because they contained

Vitamin A at a level much higher than was labeled (“Body Building and Dietary Supplements”).

The article “How Safe Are So-Called "Dietary Supplements?” stresses that if you turn to

herbal treatments or other different products sold as dietary supplements to change lasting

conditions or improve your well-being, recent headlines might make you reconsider before

buying that bottle of pills. Medical experts have reported a shocking increase in liver damage

connected to weight-loss and fat burning products. Supplements do not have to follow the

specific requirements for safety that other medications do. Unsupported claims and even

unlabeled ingredients may put consumers at risk. About half of all United States adults take

dietary supplements, ranging from a daily multivitamin to pills that claim to promote weight loss,

or counteract aging. Many people take more than one supplement, usually because they do not

know of the possible interactions between pills or with their prescription medications. Most

individuals assume that because a product is on the shelf at their local supermarket, or drug store


the government has assured that it is safe and effective. However, the rules for dietary

supplements are much different from those for prescription or over the counter medications,

which are carefully tested for safety and effectiveness before the United States Food and Drug

Administration. After a dietary supplement reaches consumers, it is up to the FDA to show that

the product is unsafe before it can take steps to restrict its use or sale (Tufts University Health &

Nutrition Letter, 2014).

Ben-Arye, E., Halabi, I., Attias, S., Goldstein, L., and Schiff, E. authors of “Asking

patients the right questions about herbal and dietary supplements: Cross cultural perspectives”

state that use of supplements in the hospital can actually be life threatening “Use of dietary

supplements (DS) during hospitalization carries risks such as reducing drug treatment efficacy

and increasing peri-operative complications due to DS-drug interactions and DS side effects”

(Arye et al. , 2014).

Samojlik, I., Mijatović, V., Gavarić, N., Krstin, S., and Božin, B. authors of “Consumers’

attitude towards the use and safety of herbal medicines and herbal dietary supplements in Serbia”

conducted a survey to assess the consumers’ awareness and the safety of dietary supplements,

their attitude towards combining supplements and drugs, and why they decide to begin usage.

The study included all consumers who bought dietary supplements in fifteen pharmacies on the

Novi Sad in Siberia during 2011, and who wanted to be interviewed. About half of supplement

users, 50.4 %, in the survey took dietary supplements on their own or because a person close to

the survey taker recommended it. Since 73.3 % of participants considered the use of dietary

supplements as harmless, such a thought makes sense with the common belief that anything

labeled natural is free of risks (Samojlik et al. , 2013).


Mason, M. J., Scammon, D. L., and Fang, X. authors of “The impact of warnings,

disclaimers, and product experience on consumers' perceptions of dietary supplements” state

that, “Given the unique nature of the disclaimers and warnings, dietary supplements offer an

interesting environment for examining the impact of disclosures including the ways in which

consumers use such information to form product evaluations” (Mason, M. J., Scammon, D. L., &

Fang, X., 2007).

Nichter, M., and Thompson, J. authors of “For my wellness, not just my illness: North

Americans’ use of dietary supplements” conclude that because the majority of supplement use in

the United States is controlled by the consumer, most of what we know comes from surveys).

Several surveys have taken place to record levels of supplement use in the population. For

example, the researchers conducted a telephone survey of more than two thousand five hundred

randomly selected adult Americans. They then found that forty percent had used one or more

dietary supplements on a regular basis. Also, fourteen percent took a supplement within the last

week from when the survey was taken. Sixteen percent of prescription drug users were also

found to be taking another supplement on top of that (Nichter, M., & Thompson, J., 2006).

The research of the given sources is important in order to identify necessary survey

questions for those who have taken dietary supplements in the past. The sources give background

on who in the United States has a say in most of the supplement usage, as well as, how many

different products are taken at one time by individuals. The research also points out how users

weigh the benefits and negatives of a product, and the consumers’ awareness of how safe the

supplement is. The risks of mixing supplements with other drugs are noted, moreover, so is the

detail that liver damage from herbal supplements is common. Finally, the research gives the

insight that the serving recommendations are not government tested or approved.


Methods

In order to discover the experienced side effects of dietary supplements on all previous

users, friends and family who have taken dietary supplements in the past have been surveyed.

Friends and family became the chosen population because dissimilar to a random sample, they

were not bothered or felt the need to rush through the questions about their experiences with the

product or products. The criteria they have met to take part in the study is that they have taken a

dietary supplement within the last six months, and the reasons for this is, due to the fact that the

sooner to the present date the last supplement taken was the more they have remembered.

However, if they have taken one and it has been a year or more I fear that the information they

would have relayed would have been inaccurate.

Data was collected by using a survey to answer relevant questions about the consumer

and the supplements, how they were taken, why, and side effects. This was done in order to see if

there are any existing trends between the consumers, types of products, and the purpose for them,

as well as, how they react to the body. When designing the survey it considered that supplements

may react differently with one who is older versus a younger consumer. Also, how the types of

supplements taken may differ with age due to interest differences between age groups was

reflected on as well. For example an eighteen year old may be more concerned with looks while

a forty year old may be more concerned with health. Due to the research, questions about

physician recommendation and post liver damage were added questions to the survey. It is

necessary to know about side effects of the supplement so that trends can be recognized and

conclusions can be drawn, such as, does one age group have more or worse side effects than

another, or does one type of supplement have more side effects than another? It was expected

that those who have taken more than one supplement at a time will have worse side effects than


those who took only one of the dietary supplements. The reason for this is due to the research of

Gibson Law Firm, liver damage was common among those who took supplements combined

with other drugs (“Body Building and Dietary Supplements”). Another question was derived

from, Nichter, M., and Thompson, J. authors of “For my wellness, not just my illness: North

Americans’ use of dietary supplements” which states that most of supplement use in the United

States is controlled by the consumer (Nichter, M., & Thompson, J., 2006). Due to this fact, it was

no surprise to see that most of the population surveyed claimed that they did not take a

supplement due to physician recommendation.

Another question that became a part of the survey asks the consumer what type of

supplement they had taken, and this is so that was visible that one type of supplement was linked

to certain side effects and the severity it had on the user. Asking what the reason for taking the

product was listed, and it was expected to see that, for example, if an individual took a weight

loss supplement that their reason for taking the supplement was to induce faster weight loss. The

question asking how well the supplement worked for the consumer was added, so that a

correlation between the severity of the side effect and how well the product worked was able to

be noted. It is predictable that the worse the side effects, the worse the product had worked. It is

necessary to know how long the consumer took the product so that if two individuals had taken

the same product and one had side effects while the other did not the difference in the amount of

time the product was taken between the two consumers was expected to be different. Finally, the

last question asked if the consumer would use the product again and it was probable that if they

did not have a good experience with the product or had adverse side effects that they would not

likely use it again.


The survey was piloted and implemented on Saturday November first and Sunday

November second. This was because there was a visit to my family and friends at home at this

phase, and there was time to give them the survey and explain any questions about it , as well as,

go over it with them which gave a better chance of accurate information being relayed on the

survey. Survey questions include:

What is your age?

What Supplement did you take?

What was your reason for taking?

How well did it work from a scale 1-10?

Did you have any unwanted effects?

Did your doctor inform you of any liver damage after taking the supplement?

Did you combine the supplement with other drugs?

How long did you take it for?

Did you take it on your own or did a physician recommend it?

Would you take the product again?

Results

When the survey taker was asked their age, (10%) one out of ten participants claimed to

be eighteen, twenty, twenty two, forty eight forty nine, or fifty five years old. The last four out of

ten participants (40%) said they were twenty one years of age. When the contributor was asked


about the type of supplement they took, (30%) three out of ten acknowledged taking Garcinia

Cambodia. (20%) Two out of ten had taken xiu tang bee pollen. (10%) One out of ten took a

multivitamin pack, Conjugated Linoleic Acid, Fish Oil 1200mg, Maximum Strength Dexitrim, or

Biotin. When asked what their reason for taking the supplement (60%) six out of ten responded it

was to help them lose weight. (10%) One out of ten said it was to help lower cholesterol, try to

grow out my hair and nails, to stay healthy, or help improve muscle growth. When asked how

well the product worked on a scale from one to ten, (20%) two out of ten participants replied

nine. (30%) Three citizens said eight. (40%) Four out of ten people claimed it was a seven for

effectiveness. (10%) One out of ten claimed they could not tell how effective the supplement

was. When the consumer was asked if any unwanted effects took place (90%) nine out of ten

participants said no and (10%) one out of ten claimed that yes they had heart racing and were

jittery. When asked if their doctor informed them of any liver damage after the supplement was

taken all (100%) ten out of ten participants answered, no. Consumers were asked if they

combined the supplement with any other drugs, (70%) seven out of ten said no. (20%) Two out

of ten said it was combined with birth control. (10%) One out of ten said they combined their

supplement with combined with creator 5mg. When asked how long the consumer took the

product for, (40%) four out of ten said they took it for two months. (20%) Two out of ten

participants said they took it for either two months, or one month. (10%) One out of ten people

said they took it for either two weeks or six months. The consumer was asked if they took the

supplement on their own or if a physician recommended it to them, (90%) nine out of ten citizens

said they took it on their own, and (10%) one out of ten said that a physician recommended it.

Finally, when the consumer was asked if they would take product again, (90%) nine out of ten

said they would take it again and (10%) one out of ten said they would not.


Discussion

The completed survey helps to answer the question, how do we know the experienced

side effects of dietary supplements on all pervious users? Although, there is no way for us to

know every side effect each consumer has dealt with, the survey has contributed to some

common conclusions. For example, among all of the survey takers none of them had any

reported liver damage after taking a dietary supplement. Also, (90%) nine out of ten consumers

claimed that they had no unwanted side effects, and the (10%) one consumer that did took

maximum strength dexitrim for weight loss and had heart racing and a jittery feeling. The

conclusion drawn from these unexpected results was that unlike what the research suggested,

unwanted side effects and serious side effects were not as common as they were implied to be.

This means that, although, side effects can occur and can have a negative impact they are not that

common and only effect a small fraction of consumers. For the most part the participants had

experienced decent results from their supplement, the most common answer being a seven when

asked how well the product worked on a scale of one through ten. Moreover, (90%) nine out of

ten consumers said that they would take the dietary supplement again. The (10%) one that would

not was the participant who had heart racing as a side effect. This shows that my claim stating, if

they did not have a good experience with the product or had adverse side effects that they would

not likely use it again, was accurate. If the study had to be redone the survey would be improved

by changing the question, asking if the consumer had any unwanted effects, to asking the

participant what type of side effects they experienced. This way instead of it being a yes or no

question; the survey taker has to clarify what they experienced while taking their supplement

whether it be positive or negative.


References

Ben-Arye, E., Halabi, I., Attias, S., Goldstein, L., & Schiff, E. (2014). Asking patients the right

questions about herbal and dietary supplements: Cross cultural perspectives.

Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 22(2), 304-10.

doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2014.01.005

Dietary Supplement Side Effects: What You Should Know about the Side Effects of

Supplements. (n.d.). Retrieved October 18, 2014

How safe are so-called "dietary supplements"? (2014). Tufts University Health & Nutrition

Letter, 32(4), S1-S4. Retrieved from

http://ezproxy.rowan.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1524699832?acc

ountid=13605

Mason, M. J., Scammon, D. L., & Fang, X. (2007). The impact of warnings, disclaimers, and

product experience on consumers' perceptions of dietary supplements. The Journal of

Consumer Affairs, 41(1), 74-99. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.rowan.edu/login?

url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/195897032?acco untid=13605

Nichter, M., & Thompson, J. (2006). For my wellness, not just my illness: North Americans’ use

of dietary supplements. Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry, 175-222.

Samojlik, I., Mijatović, V., Gavarić, N., Krstin, S., & Božin, B. (2013). Consumers’ attitude

towards the use and safety of herbal medicines and herbal dietary supplements in Serbia.

International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy, 835-840.

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