Kidney punch for yet another supplement

A pharmacologist's research has linked kidney failure and cancer to an ancient and still inexplicably popular herbal supplement, Aristolochia, commonly sold as birthwort. And while Dr. Arthur Grollman of Stony Brook University (NY) focuses on the adverse effects of this particular herb, his findings underscore the risks posed by the vast majority of unregulated dietary supplements.

Modern medicine began noticing an association between Aristolochia and kidney failure, as well as urinary tract cancer, as early as 1969, and subsequent observations emerged in 2000 and 2007. Now, by using gene analysis, Dr. Grollman and his colleagues have been able to more conclusively link the herbal extract with kidney failure and bladder and kidney cancer. The research suggests that the herb is prescribed as part of traditional medical treatments in Taiwan, might be responsible for the nearly 12 percent of that country's population who suffer from chronic kidney disease.

Since 1994, FDA warnings have been the main safeguard against Aristolochea products in America. The agency detains any imported remedies that list the herb as an ingredient, but within the U.S., the onus for ensuring the toxin is kept out of marketed remedies is on the manufacturers. However, as ACSH's Dr. Josh Bloom discussed in a recent op-ed on this problem, Aristolochea is just one of countless possible hazards in the dietary supplement aisle. This is because, under U.S. law, dietary supplements are not regulated in the same way that medical treatments are; thus they appear on store shelves without having to pass any safety testing.

ACSH s Dr. Ruth Kava is upset that the supplement protection law passed in 1994 puts Americans at risk: While consumers are frightened at the idea of minuscule amounts of supposedly toxic chemicals in their foods, she says, they think that supplements are safe because they are natural . Obviously, this is far from true.

To understand the political finagling and legislative loopholes that continue to prevent dietary supplements from being regulated like drugs, take a look at Dr. Bloom's op-ed, as well as a recent discussion of the problem by ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross.