Jan. 1, 2012>>FDA vs. DSHEA

Ran across this 5-paged article that explains in more detail how FDA's new "guidelines" will affect a manufacture's "safety tests" on the ingredients in their supplements -

• Has to be a year-long study
• Has to be tested on animals
• The animals have to consume, every day, the human equivalent of 240,000 mg of the ingredient (where humans would be taking 2,400 mg per day)
• During another part of that year-long study, part of it must include a 90 day to 1,000 days test, which must have 2 different animals, one a non-rodent, i.e., young beagle dog
• During the short-term testing, the animals have to consume, every day, the human equivalent of 2.4 million mg of the ingredient for a "safety margin study" -- since "...virtually no species can tolerate this high dose, so by default, FDA guidelines will make it impossible for certain...supplements to be sold..."
• "...(these) safety thresholds are in excess of those required by pharmaceutical drugs despite studies showing supplements are far safer than drugs..."
•  "...turns what was meant to be a simple notification system for new dietary ingredients into a preapproval scheme that Congress did not intend to create"
• "...Congress recognized that dietary supplements are natural ingredients and therefore inherently safer than drugs and chemical food ingredients. It did not intend that the FDA would have the power to approve or reject dietary supplements
• Includes a suggested form letter to use in contacting your U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator, discouraging emails that can be ignored or even deleted

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/fda-set-to-ban-your-supplements.html#ixzz1iMNBuHS1