Risk of Birth Defects From Vitamin A “Acne Supplements” Sold Online
Background: Dietary supplements are popular among US consumers and claim to address a variety of conditions, including acne. Acne supplements containing vitamin A are of particular interest, due to the potentially teratogenic effects of vitamin A doses over 10,000 IU. Objective: This study examin...
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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Mattioli1885
2021-05-01
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Series: | Dermatology Practical & Conceptual |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://dpcj.org/index.php/dpc/article/view/1580 |
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author | Dina Zamil Emily Burns Ariadna Perez-Sanchez Milbrey Parke Rajani Katta |
author_facet | Dina Zamil Emily Burns Ariadna Perez-Sanchez Milbrey Parke Rajani Katta |
author_sort | Dina Zamil |
collection | DOAJ |
description | Background: Dietary supplements are popular among US consumers and claim to address a variety of conditions, including acne. Acne supplements containing vitamin A are of particular interest, due to the potentially teratogenic effects of vitamin A doses over 10,000 IU.
Objective: This study examined dosage, pregnancy risks, and labeling of vitamin A-containing acne supplements available online.
Methods: An Internet search of acne supplements sold online was conducted between March and May 2020. Supplement labels and websites were analyzed for vitamin A content and pregnancy warnings, and then divided into categories based on dosage and teratogenic risk.
Results: A total of 49 acne supplements was found, and of these 26 (53%) contain vitamin A. Three supplements are likely teratogenic, 4 contain vitamin A doses exceeding the daily level of intake that meets the nutritional needs of most people, and 15 have an unknown teratogenic risk. Among the 6 supplements with over 10,000 IU vitamin A, 2 have no pregnancy warning at all, including the supplement with the highest vitamin A dose found in this study.
Conclusions: Dietary supplements are not subject to the same stringent regulations as drugs, and as such, consumers may be unaware of pregnancy risks. Furthermore, FDA requirements on labeling of vitamin A supplements may lead to consumer confusion regarding dosage. As such, we encourage stricter labeling requirements for vitamin A-containing supplements, including pregnancy warnings for high-dose supplements and clearer dosage labeling. |
first_indexed | 2024-12-18T11:29:32Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-78ce92ad3d8a4218bcb3ec3300995c63 |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 2160-9381 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-12-18T11:29:32Z |
publishDate | 2021-05-01 |
publisher | Mattioli1885 |
record_format | Article |
series | Dermatology Practical & Conceptual |
spelling | doaj.art-78ce92ad3d8a4218bcb3ec3300995c632022-12-21T21:09:38ZengMattioli1885Dermatology Practical & Conceptual2160-93812021-05-0110.5826/dpc.1103a75Risk of Birth Defects From Vitamin A “Acne Supplements” Sold OnlineDina Zamil0Emily Burns1Ariadna Perez-Sanchez2Milbrey Parke3Rajani Katta4Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USABaylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USADepartment of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USABaylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USAMcGovern Medical School at University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, USABackground: Dietary supplements are popular among US consumers and claim to address a variety of conditions, including acne. Acne supplements containing vitamin A are of particular interest, due to the potentially teratogenic effects of vitamin A doses over 10,000 IU. Objective: This study examined dosage, pregnancy risks, and labeling of vitamin A-containing acne supplements available online. Methods: An Internet search of acne supplements sold online was conducted between March and May 2020. Supplement labels and websites were analyzed for vitamin A content and pregnancy warnings, and then divided into categories based on dosage and teratogenic risk. Results: A total of 49 acne supplements was found, and of these 26 (53%) contain vitamin A. Three supplements are likely teratogenic, 4 contain vitamin A doses exceeding the daily level of intake that meets the nutritional needs of most people, and 15 have an unknown teratogenic risk. Among the 6 supplements with over 10,000 IU vitamin A, 2 have no pregnancy warning at all, including the supplement with the highest vitamin A dose found in this study. Conclusions: Dietary supplements are not subject to the same stringent regulations as drugs, and as such, consumers may be unaware of pregnancy risks. Furthermore, FDA requirements on labeling of vitamin A supplements may lead to consumer confusion regarding dosage. As such, we encourage stricter labeling requirements for vitamin A-containing supplements, including pregnancy warnings for high-dose supplements and clearer dosage labeling.http://dpcj.org/index.php/dpc/article/view/1580vitamin Aacne supplementsteratogenicitypregnancylabeling |
spellingShingle | Dina Zamil Emily Burns Ariadna Perez-Sanchez Milbrey Parke Rajani Katta Risk of Birth Defects From Vitamin A “Acne Supplements” Sold Online Dermatology Practical & Conceptual vitamin A acne supplements teratogenicity pregnancy labeling |
title | Risk of Birth Defects From Vitamin A “Acne Supplements” Sold Online |
title_full | Risk of Birth Defects From Vitamin A “Acne Supplements” Sold Online |
title_fullStr | Risk of Birth Defects From Vitamin A “Acne Supplements” Sold Online |
title_full_unstemmed | Risk of Birth Defects From Vitamin A “Acne Supplements” Sold Online |
title_short | Risk of Birth Defects From Vitamin A “Acne Supplements” Sold Online |
title_sort | risk of birth defects from vitamin a acne supplements sold online |
topic | vitamin A acne supplements teratogenicity pregnancy labeling |
url | http://dpcj.org/index.php/dpc/article/view/1580 |
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