Health freedom group wants to use government’s words on dietary supplements

The libertarian health freedom organization, the Alliance for Natural Health (ANH)  USA, is petitioning the FDA to approve 118 nutrient–disease health claims drawn from the government’s own scientific publications.

The filings, according to ANH,  are the most consequential regulatory requests made in its 33-year history.  

“ For decades, this life-saving information has been kept from the public, hidden behind FDA red tape, in breach of the FDA Modernization Act of 1997 and the will of Congress,” an ANH spokesperson said.

The petition making the requests arrives at the FDA during a time when food and food safety policy seem almost in motion. Reforms brought by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) agenda have everything on the table.

As of 2022, Americans were spending $35.6 billion a year on dietary supplements. Many public health experts consider that spending too much on something that shows little or no benefit to be a waste.

Current policy for dietary supplements falls under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA).  It defines supplements as foods and thus permits the sale and marketing of these products unless the FDA proves that one poses a significant or unreasonable risk of harm, rather than requiring the manufacturer to prove the supplement’s safety or efficacy. The FDA can take action only if producers make medical claims about their products or if consumers become seriously ill from them.

The ANH announcement said: “Imagine picking up a bottle of vitamin D and finally being able to read: “Vitamin D may reduce the risk of respiratory infections.” Or choosing potassium-rich foods and seeing: “Potassium may reduce the risk of high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, and stroke.”

The petition claims the National Institutes for Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention make the suggested science-backed statements — the government’s own scientists. “And yet, the FDA has disregarded the rule of law and blocked them for more than 25 years,” the ANH spokesperson said. ”All because the agency wants to protect its paymasters in Big Pharma, and stop you from knowing that even the government is aware of the science on natural alternatives to drugs.”

According to ANH, its petition could help spur a transformation. The organization says it’s “going to be an uphill battle against the FDA” to “bring truth and transparency back into public health.”

ANH (USA) was formerly known as the American Association for Health Freedom.  It is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization located in Charlottesville, Virginia.  ANH (USA) was founded in 1992 as the American Preventive Medical Association (APMA) and became a part of the international Alliance for Natural Health organization, headquartered in the United Kingdom, in 2009.

ANH (USA) is known for lobbying Congress, filing federal lawsuits, and commenting on executive branch rules, with a focus on dietary supplements, organic foods, consumer choice, and other health claims. It claims its policy choices, which impact food safety,  will reduce health care costs.

The libertarian health freedom cause generally opposes the regulation of health practices.

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