A member of the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has called for tighter regulations governing adverts for dietary supplements to protect consumers.
Speaking at a food-and-drug law conference earlier this week, Sheila Anthony said the passing of a law restricting the influence of the Food and Drug Administration over the supplement industry had led to a sharp increase in the marketing of supplements and in questionable claims.
"The commission has seen its workload expand in recent times in policing dietary supplement advertising," she said. "The commission has brought over 60 law-enforcement actions in the past five years challenging false or unsubstantiated claims about the efficacy and safety of a wide variety of dietary supplements, and we have many more in the pipeline."
The FTC has fought vigorously to protect consumers from the raft of false claims about the efficacy of dietary supplements - from protecting against anthrax to the enlargement of sexual organs - but Anthony said that the industry itself could do more to prevent such claims from ever being made.
"I believe that there needs to be more and better self-regulation in the dietary supplement industry. The industry must take a more active role in policing those in their industry who are engaged in fraud and deception, and are giving the entire industry a black eye."
Stressing that these opinions were hers alone and not necessarily representative of the FTC, she added that the media should also take a more responsible line by refusing to carry adverts which are clearly irresponsible.