Subject supplementation risks

Formaldehyde is also released from aminoplasts and their derivatives, such as urea-formaldehyde foam insulation (UFFI), wood adhesives, and textile finishing agents. It is this supplemental, industrial source of formaldehyde that has become the subject of risk analysis. Should we allow products that serve our daily comfort to alter our environment by releasing an irritating vapor with a pungent odor ... 

HERMANSEN K, SONDERGAARD M, HOIE L, CARSTENSEN M and BROCK B (2001) Beneficial effects of a soy-based dietary supplement on lipid levels and cardiovascular risk markers in type 2 diabetic subjects. Diabetes Care. 24 (2) 228-33. 

Conquer, J.A., Maiani, G., Azzini, E., Raguzzini, A., and Holub, B.J., Supplementation with quercetin markedly increases plasma quercetin concentration without effect on selected risk factors for heart disease in healthy subjects, J. Nutr., 128, 593, 1998. 

The supplementation with an oral dose of 1 g of quercetin for 1 month to healthy normotensive subjects has been recently compared to placebo, showing no differences in selected cardiovascular risk factors including blood pressure [102]. However, these data do not exclude an antihypertensive effect of quercetin in patients with essential hypertension. In fact, a diet rich in fruit and vegetables (and presumably rich in flavonoids) lowered blood pressure in hypertensive but not in normotensive subjects [156,157]. 

There are no known long-term psychological effects from creatine supplementation. However, at least one study has linked the use of performance-enhancing supplements to an increased incidence of health risk behaviors. The 2001 study, which surveyed approximately 500 men and women between the ages of 17 and 35, found that study participants who took ergogenic nutritional supplements such as creatine were more likely to get drunk, drink and drive, and become involved in physical confrontations. However, since the research was limited by the fact that it involved a very specific population (subjects were new recruits entering military service), further study is needed to determine if ergogenic aids such as creatine are directly linked to an increase in these behaviors. 

Ephedra is subject to the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), which was passed in 1994. The act essentially protects dietary supplements like ephedra. That is, while U.S. federal agencies can regulate prescription drug and food additives, DSHEA exempts herbal products and supplements from federal regulation. The law states that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cannot regulate dietary supplements unless, or until, they are proven to be unsafe and pose a risk to users. The United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) monitors ephedrine because it can be used to make methamphetamine. 

The demonstration that iron deficiency was an important risk factor in RLS pathogenesis has led, since the 1950s, to several therapeutic attempts with iron supplements. Initially, these attempts were aimed at subjects with RLS and hyposideremia, with or without anemia later partial supplementation was also tested in patients with the idiopathic form. 

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