As living standards rise and consumer awareness evolves, many elderly consumers are keen on purchasing health supplements that regulate bodily functions. "What should we watch out for when buying health products? With so many options on the market, how do we choose?" Faced with such questions, consumers must remember: "Health supplements cannot replace medicine and should not be exaggeratedly advertised as having therapeutic effects on diseases."
Health supplements cover 27 functional categories but cannot claim therapeutic effects
During a visit to a downtown supermarket yesterday, our editor observed shelves packed with diverse health products. Prominent signs reading "Health supplements cannot replace medicine" hung beside the displays. Several sales staff actively approached customers."This bird's nest is ready-to-eat, convenient and nutritious—perfect for seniors. For elderly with poor sleep, this oral liquid can improve rest..."
The editor noted health foods like cordyceps, American ginseng, deep-sea fish oil, deer antler, and calcium supplements, priced from tens to hundreds of yuan. Sales staff mentioned that daily health food purchases are low, with higher demand during holidays.
"Based on our years of oversight, health products from large malls, pharmacies, and licensed health stores tend to be more reliable in quality."At the event, professionals from the district Food and Drug Administration explained that a challenging area for regulation involves health lectures held by supplement companies in residential communities and restaurants. They lure seniors with gifts to attend lectures, ultimately aiming to sell various health products. These ordinary supplements are exaggerated by so-called experts as cures for chronic diseases, enticing seniors to purchase them.
"What exactly are health foods?" This question remains unclear to most consumers.
Experts clarified that health foods refer to products claiming specific health benefits or intended to supplement vitamins and minerals. They are suitable for specific populations, designed to regulate bodily functions without aiming to treat diseases, and pose no acute, subacute, or chronic hazards to human health.
It is understood that currently, the state has approved 27 functional categories for health foods, covering immunity enhancement,辅助降血脂、血糖功能, sleep improvement, and physical fatigue relief. Any promotion suggesting health foods can cure diseases or implying therapeutic effects constitutes illegal activity and is strictly prohibited.
Life Tips
How to correctly select and identify health foods:
Faced with the vast array of health foods on the market, how can consumers make informed choices? Experts offer several simple methods.
Second, check the approval number. Verify if the packaging lists the manufacturer's name and production license number. The license number can be verified on the website of the provincial regulatory authority where the company is located. Select health supplements based on their specific functions; avoid indiscriminate use. Ensure the health benefits stated on the outer packaging and instructions match those advertised. Discrepancies indicate exaggerated claims or counterfeit products."Health supplements cannot replace medications; they only provide auxiliary benefits without therapeutic effects. Do not treat health supplements as miracle cures." Experts remind citizens that before using any health supplement, assess whether it suits your physical constitution. All health supplements clearly state "suitable groups" and "unsuitable groups"—do not overlook this information when purchasing and avoid blind buying.
Third, verify consistency between advertised health benefits and actual claims.
Fourth, assess suitability for your physical constitution.
Six Categories of Health Supplements with Illegal Additives
During routine inspections, the Guangzhou Food and Drug Administration identified the most prominent issue in the city's health supplement market: illegal drug additives. What are the primary problems in our city's health supplement market, and what should citizens be aware of?
Ordinary foods falsely claiming health benefits
A representative from the Municipal Food and Drug Administration stated that the primary issues in our city's health supplement market include: ordinary foods being marketed with health benefits or therapeutic effects; unauthorized use of health supplement labels and markings; and targeting the elderly through tactics like public lectures, free health checkups, academic exchanges, exhibition sales, and gift giveaways to disguise the high-priced sale of counterfeit or substandard health supplements or to defraud consumers.Based on recent random inspections of our city's health supplement market, illegal drug additions persist, with weight-loss supplements being the most severely affected. Overall, the incidence rate of drug additions accounts for approximately 2.5% of the sampled products.
Chemical Additives Pose Health Risks
The official noted that illegal chemical additives primarily appear in six categories: blood sugar-regulating products containing hypoglycemic drugs; weight-loss products with diuretics or stimulants; anti-fatigue products with "*" or similar components; sleep-enhancing products containing sedatives; "height-enhancing" products with growth hormones;and the addition of central appetite suppressants to immune-regulating health products.
Health products promising "instant results" may be problematic
What are the potential hazards of these various banned substances illegally added to the aforementioned health products?The official stated that every drug has specific indications, side effects, usage instructions, and dosage. If added to health supplements without manufacturers clearly informing consumers or labeling specific quantities to warn against excessive intake, it can easily lead to accidental or overconsumption of drug components. This directly endangers consumers' health and may even threaten their lives.For example: - Illegally adding sibutramine to weight-loss supplements can reduce body weight quickly but causes significant cardiovascular side effects with regular use;Adding glibenclamide to blood sugar-lowering health supplements can cause hypoglycemia or kidney disease in patients, potentially leading to death; adding sildenafil—a drug for treating male sexual dysfunction*—to anti-fatigue health supplements not only severely impacts blood pressure but can easily trigger heart attacks or angina attacks, and in severe cases, cause permanent blindness.
How can consumers identify health supplements with illegally added pharmaceuticals in the general market? Experts emphasize that if a supplement produces "immediate results," it is likely problematic. Health supplements only provide auxiliary support for disease prevention and treatment; their regulatory effects on the body require long-term use to manifest.