Supplement Addiction: A Major Threat for Teenagers

Many people today, young and old alike, have developed a serious dependency on seemingly harmless dietary supplements. They take megadoses of vitamins, minerals, herbs, oftentimes using them as meal replacements.

According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, the term “dietary supplement” in the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994, is defined as a product taken by mouth that contains a “dietary ingredient” intended to supplement the diet. The “dietary ingredients” in these products may include vitamins, minerals, herbs, or other botanical, amono acids, and substances such as enzymes, organ tissues, glandular, and metabolites.

Dietary supplements can also be extracts or concentrates. They may be found in many forms such as tablets, capsules, soft gels, gel caps, liquids, or powders. They can also be in other forms like food bars or concentrated nutritional drinks. But, DSHEA notes that whatever form they may be, information on their label must not represent the product as a conventional food or sole item of a meal or diet. DSHEA also requires that every supplement be labeled a dietary supplement.

The FDA is always on the watch to ensure that dietary supplement manufacturers follow strict guidelines on food supplements. In the past, there have been alarming reports of alleged addiction to supplements and other related products. According to a report, teenagers who use herbal products are more likely to move on to more harmful drugs such as cigarettes, alcohol, and narcotics. Kids who use a herbal product were amost six times as likely to use cocaine, seven times as likely to use methamphetamine, nine times as likely to use heroin, and about eight times as likely to use other illegal drugs.

According to survey data using a random sample of more than 2,000 high school students living in a New York county, it was found that almost 29 percent of students said they used herbal products to either feel better or perform better in sports or school. These students were also found to be much more likely to be using other drugs as well.

Nearly 25 percent of first year students used herbal products, rising to 30 percent for older students. Supplement use was more common among Hispanics, followed by whites and Asians, Native Americans and Pacific Islanders, and African Americans.

Herbal or dietary supplement addiction of these teenagers can be compared to pain killer addiction of most American adults which is according to the Office of National Drug Policy, is a growing problem. Emergency room visits due to pain killer addiction has increased more than hundred percent since 1995. Prescription drugs to treat anxiety, opioid narcotics to treat pain, and stimulants used for treatment of ADHD and obesity are the three main classes of prescription drugs that are abused.

Indeed, addiction is a growing problem, but treatment is not far. Getting help for any kind of addiction lies in addressing the cause of addiction. Parents and guardians should assess and guide their children. The first step to reclaiming their lives is for those teenagers to admit that they have problems. Breaking an addiction should also involve support from a doctor, family, friends, and others who have an addiction, as well as inpatient and outpatient treatment.

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