I just listened to a disturbing report on the public radio show Science Friday about the variability of the quality of nutritional supplements available on the market in the United States. It dealt with human nutritional supplements, but since many owners use these products in the hopes of preventing or treating disease in their pets, it is very relevant.

The entire segment is available on the Science Friday website, but here are a few highlights:

• The supplement industry brings in approximately 5 billion dollars a year.
• Researchers recently found that only 2 out of 12 companies put what they claimed was in their supplements in the package.
• 59% of the supplements contained plant material that wasn’t on the label, and 9% contained ONLY rice or wheat.
• Two recent studies looked at black cohosh (used to treat menopausal symptoms), showing that between one-fourth and one-third of the supplements examined contained NO black cohosh.

One way to ensure that you are getting what you are paying for is to look for products that carry the USP (United States Pharmacopeia) seal or verified mark. The USP is an independent, not-for-profit organization that sets all of the quality standards for medications and healthcare products in the United States.

According to Pharmacology Weekly:

If the consumer or clinician sees that a product is USP verified, then this means the following:

1. What is on the label is in fact in the bottle (including all listed ingredients in their declared amount).
2. The supplement does not contain harmful levels of contaminants.
3. The supplement will break down and actually release the ingredients into the body.
4. The supplement has been made under good manufacturing practices.

While the USP seal indicates that the product contains what is on the label and lacks harmful contaminants, it does not tell you that the active ingredients are either safe or effective. While medications have to pass this hurdle before entering the marketplace, the same is not true for nutritional supplements.

The state of research into nutritional supplements is spotty to say the least, and the quality of studies often leaves a lot to be desired. Unfortunately, this puts owners in the position of either forgoing potentially beneficial treatments due to a lack of basic information or having to take a leap of faith when picking out supplements for their pets.

How do you handle this situation?

Dr. Coates