Research institute for dietary supplements
U opens new center for dietary supplements
Maura Lerner, Star Tribune
February 14, 2005 HERBAL0214
To toxicologist Rick Kingston, the biggest question about dietary supplements isn't whether they work.
It's whether they can be dangerous, especially for people with heart problems and other conditions.
So far, he says, the evidence is scanty or conflicting. But he hopes to change that with the opening of the Center for Dietary Supplement Safety at the University of Minnesota.
The center, to be announced today, will collect and analyze information about possible side effects, said Kingston, the director and a pharmacy professor. It will also create a consumer website.
There is some evidence, for example, that supplements like ginkgo can interfere with blood thinners taken for heart disease. But no one knows the extent of the problem, Kingston said, in part because manufacturers don't have to report side effects or complications to any government agency.
Kingston says his center would collect voluntary reports from manufacturers, consumers and others, and keep track of scientific studies on safety issues.
Kingston says that many herbal supplements have passed the test of time. "Our belief is that they do have an inherently wide margin of safety," he said. "But we need to have a process to confirm that."
The center will be funded by industry and other grants.
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