Dietary Supplement Labeling: Cognitive Biases, Market Manipulation & Consumer Choice

There exists increasing concern that the Dietary Supplements Health and Education Act (DSHEA) has proven ineffective. Much of the concern regards the disparity in legislative treatment between dietary supplements, foods, and pharmaceutical drugs. Namely, while pharmaceutical drugs must undergo years of costly pre-market testing, most supplements, like foods, can immediately enter the market, and only after repeated instances of adverse reactions can the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) remove them. Such a framework appears to belie both consumer expectations and marketing strategies, as supplements tend to be most perceived for their apparent medicinal qualities. This philosophy of waiting for a foreseeable harm also strikes many as unnecessary, inefficient, and immoral. On the other hand, most supplements have proven safe and either benign or reasonably effective. Moreover, before policy-makers mandate extensive pre-market testing of all supplements, consider the likely effect on production: a certain percentage of supplement makers will find the economics of production too costly and will thus leave the market. Granted, foreign markets for supplements might still provide the requisite incentives for production, but a more costly entrance fee into the U.S. market would clearly deter some level of production and convince a number of makers to leave the market altogether. Equally troubling, companies which choose to remain in the market would presumably pass on a portion of the increased costs to consumers, who often bear the costs of heightened regulation. Consequently, many beneficial supplements would be priced out of the reach of consumers who either have become users of those products or could become users. The issue then is one of nuance. Rather than sweeping regulatory intervention, perhaps more carefully-tailored alterations would prove most desirable. This philosophy appears desirable given informational deficiencies among dietary supplement consumers, particularly those with exploitable cognitive biases. Promisingly, such deficiencies may be ameliorated through low-cost measures that promote enhanced communication of product characteristics. For these reasons, this Article proposes a refined approach to dietary supplement labeling that would legally distinguish them on the basis of potential risk and anticipated benefit. Indeed, the existing legal construct of the phrase dietary supplements is both curious and overly simplistic. It includes minerals, vitamins, herbs, botanical extracts, and amino acids - items that are not only functionally different, but which present radically different risks and benefits. Along those lines, the very consumers of supplements should be more carefully distinguished. How might such a revised communicatory model work without precipitating material price increases or deterring beneficial production? One method would entail more carefully-contemplated labeling requirements. Such requirements should enhance consumer risk-assessment and reward reputable supplement manufacturers. To accomplish these goals, labels should reveal potential interactions with pharmaceutical drugs and other supplements, warnings of over-usage, predictable distinctions between health claims and structure/function claims, and a recommended intake range based on age and gender, among other personal characteristics. Of similar benefit would be assured ingredient content, as well as greater coordination between the FDA and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in regulating false or misleading supplement claims. Importantly, because such labeling requirements would impose only minimal cost increases to manufacturers

Review of the occupational health and safety of Britain’s ethnic minorities

This report sets out an evidence-based review on work-related health and safety issues relating to black and minority ethnic groups. Data included available statistical materials and a systematic review of published research and practice-based reports. UK South Asians are generally under-represented within the most hazardous occupational groups. They have lower accident rates overall, while Black Caribbean workers rates are similar to the general population; Bangladeshi and Chinese workers report lowest workplace injury rates UK South Asian people exhibit higher levels of limiting long-term illness (LLI) and self reported poor health than the general population while Black Africans and Chinese report lower levels. Ethnic minority workers with LLI are more likely than whites to withdraw from the workforce, or to experience lower wage rates. Some of these findings conflict with evidence of differentials from USA, Europe and Australasia, but there is a dearth of effective primary research or reliable monitoring data from UK sources. There remains a need to improve monitoring and data collection relating to black and ethnic minority populations and migrant workers. Suggestions are made relating to workshops on occupational health promotion programmes for ethnic minorities, and ethnic minority health and safety 'Beacon' sites

Worker and Public Health and Safety

This book on "Worker and Public Health and Safety: Current Views" brings together current scholarly work and opinions in the form of original papers and reviews related to this field of study. It provides important and recent scientific reading as well as topical medical and occupational information and research in areas of immediate relevance, such as chronic and occupational diseases, worker safety and performance, job strain, workload, injuries, accident and errors, risks and management, fitness, burnout, psychological and mental disorders including stress, therapy, job satisfaction, musculoskeletal symptoms and pain, socio-economic factors, dust pollution, pesticides, noise, pathogens, and related areas

Saliva continine levels of babies and mothers living with smoking fathers under different housing types in Hong Kong: a cross-sectional study

Paper Session 15 - The Challenge of Second-Hand Smoke: PA15-3BACKGROUND: After the Smoking Ordinance enacted in HK since 1/2007, shifting of smoking from outdoor to home was found, home becomes a major source of secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure of nonsmokers. OBJECTIVES: It aimed to assess the SHS exposure of babies and mothers living with smoking fathers of two housing types by using a biomarker. METHODS: Trios of smoking father, non-smoking mother and a baby under 18-months were recruited from Maternal and Child Health Centres (MCHCs) from 6/2008 to 10/2009. Consented couples completed the baseline survey including demographic data, fathers’ household smoking behaviors and mothers’ actions in protecting babies from household SHS exposure. Saliva samples from baby and mother were collected and then sent to the National University of Singapore for cotinine analyses. Log-transformations were used for the saliva cotinine due to skewed data. There were 2 housing types (public/private) and father was asked if they smoked at home (yes/no). MANOVA was used to compare the babies’ and mothers’ cotinine levels when fathers smoked at home under the 2 housing types. RESULTS: 1,158 trios were consented. 1,142 mothers’ and 1,058 babies’ samples were assayed. The mean age of the fathers and mothers was 35.5(±7.0) and 31.2(±4.9). The mean mothers’ cotinine level was 12.15ng/ml (±61.20) while babies’ was 2.38ng/ml (±6.01). 606 and 501 trios were living in public and private housing. Fathers’ smoked at home led to higher mothers’ and babies’ saliva cotininary (mean log of mothers’ cotininary: 0.14±0.62 vs. 0.05±0.55, p=0.06; babies: 0.16±0.38 vs. 0.07±0.34, p=0.003). Housing types influenced babies’ cotinine level (public: 0.17±0.37; private: 0.10±0.36, p=0.01). MANOVA showed that fathers smoked at home (Λ=0.99, p=0.01) and housing types (Λ=0.99, p=0.01) were positively related to the saliva cotinine levels. CONCLUSIONS: Father smoked at home and the housing types have greater impact on babies’ saliva cotininary, showing that they were highly exposed at home and in public housing environment. HK government should promote smoke-free homes and to provide more smoking cessation services to minimize the household SHS exposure to babiespublished_or_final_versio

Big Data Analytics: What Can Go Wrong

It is not uncommon to read that long-held beliefs about medical treatments have been dislodged by new studies. For example, there is now doubt as to whether women should undergo annual mammograms, previously a cornerstone of cancer screening. Hormone replacement therapy for menopausal women, once considered highly suspect in light of worrisome research findings, is now being reconsidered as a beneficial therapy. These reversals trouble and confuse many Americans. This Article explores why medical research findings can be erroneous and what can go wrong in the process of designing and conducting research studies. It provides readers with essential analytical tools and scientific vocabulary. The challenges of medical research include data quality deficiencies; selection, confounding, measurement, and confirmation biases; inadequate sample sizes; sampling errors; effect modifiers; and causal interactions, among others. All of these can cause researchers to mistake mere associations for causal relationships and to reach conclusions that are invalid and cannot be replicated in subsequent studies. Erroneous research findings can mislead legislators, regulators, and lawyers who use them for purposes of policy-making or litigation. Thus, understanding the pitfalls of big data analysis is important not only for scientists but also for anyone working with or reading about research studies, that is, for attorneys, health policy professionals, and the public at large

Australia\u27s health 2000 : the seventh biennial report of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

Australia\u27s Health 2000 is the seventh biennial health report of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. It is the nation\u27s authoritative source of information on patterns of health and illness, determinants of health, the supply and use of health services, and health services costs and performance.This 2000 edition serves as a summary of Australia\u27s health record at the end of the twentieth century. In addition, a special chapter is presented on changes in Australia\u27s disease profile over the last 100 years.Australia\u27s Health 2000 is an essential reference and information source for all Australians with an interest in health

Long-Term Health Effects of the 9/11 Disaster

The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center towers on September 11, 2001, also referred as 9/11, was an iconic event in US history that altered the global and political response to terrorism. The attacks, which involved two planes hitting the twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, resulted in the collapse of the buildings and over 2800 deaths of occupants of the buildings, fire, police and other responders and persons on the street in the vicinity of the collapsing buildings. The destroyed towers and the surrounding buildings have since been replaced but the health effects that resulted from the release of tons of dust, gases and debris as well as the life threat trauma are ongoing, and represent a major health burden among persons directly exposed. Hundreds of scientific publications have documented the physical and mental health effects attributed to the disaster. The current state-of-the-art in understanding the ongoing interactions of physical and mental health, especially PTSD, and the unique mechanisms by which pollutants from the building collapse, have resulted in long term pulmonary dysfunction, course of previously reported conditions, potential emerging conditions (e.g., heart disease and autoimmune diseases), as well as quality of life, functioning and unmet health care needs would be in the purview of this Special Issue on the 9/11 Disaster

216 Jewish Hospital of St. Louis

https://digitalcommons.wustl.edu/bjc_216/1171/thumbnail.jp