Rashes, shortness of breath, diarrhea, severe joint or muscle pain, difficulty speaking, and blood in the urine are other potential side effects that can result from the use of supplements, according to the U.S. UU. These symptoms can range from less serious to life threatening. Only 5.8% of consumers reported adverse events to public institutes (5.1% to public health centers, 0.5% to the Japan National Center for Consumer Affairs or other consumer affairs centers, and 0.2% to the MHLW or Consumer Affairs Agency of the Government of Japan).
There are several ways to report adverse events associated with the use of dietary supplements in Japan. Although 8.8% of consumers experienced adverse reactions, such as diarrhea, constipation, stomach pain, headache, and nausea and vomiting, most of them did not report them to public health centers. A large number of doctors and pharmacists are unable to define the cause-and-effect relationship with regard to adverse events. Physicians and pharmacists have a responsibility to inform public health centers about adverse events associated with the use of dietary supplements. The current review is not intended to be a comprehensive report of all the known adverse effects of all dietary supplements.
In addition, several non-vitamin and mineral supplements were associated with the occurrence of adverse reactions. In this regard, communication between doctors and pharmacists could be an important strategy to prevent adverse events and increase the number of reports of adverse events to public health centers. Individual minerals, such as Fe, Zn and Ca, and individual vitamins, including vitamins B, C and E, also caused adverse reactions. On the other hand, a third of doctors and pharmacists didn't know where to report adverse effects.
About 50% of Americans and 70% of military service members (MS) in the United States regularly consume dietary supplements (DS), and some are associated with adverse effects (AS). It is important to encourage not only consumers, but also doctors and pharmacists to report adverse events in public health facilities. Table 1 presents a list of the most used and researched botanical supplements, their main active components, their typical use and dosage, and the adverse effects reported. In addition, although some doctors and pharmacists reported adverse events to public health centers, public health facilities may not report adverse events to the MHLW.
Most serious adverse reactions to nutritional supplements can be avoided if you use a little common sense and caution. According to the DSHEA, manufacturers, packagers and distributors of dietary supplements are required to submit the main adverse reactions associated with the Adverse Event Reporting System (CAERS) of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition of the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) within 15 business days of receiving information on adverse reactions.
