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...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Dina Zamil, Emily Burns, Ariadna Perez-Sanchez, Milbrey Parke, Rajani Katta
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Mattioli1885 2021-05-01
Series:Dermatology Practical & Conceptual
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dpcj.org/index.php/dpc/article/view/1580
_version_ 1818777482428416000
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
work_keys_str_mv AT dinazamil riskofbirthdefectsfromvitaminaacnesupplementssoldonline
AT emilyburns riskofbirthdefectsfromvitaminaacnesupplementssoldonline
AT ariadnaperezsanchez riskofbirthdefectsfromvitaminaacnesupplementssoldonline
AT milbreyparke riskofbirthdefectsfromvitaminaacnesupplementssoldonline
AT rajanikatta riskofbirthdefectsfromvitaminaacnesupplementssoldonline