"I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here”
-- Captain Renault
Dozens of weight loss and immune system supplements on the market are illegally labeled and lack the recommended scientific evidence to back up their purported health claims, government investigators warn in a new review of the $20 billion supplement industry." The report, which is "being released Wednesday" by HHS' Office of Inspector General, found that "20 percent of the 127 weight loss and immune-boosting supplements investigators purchased online and in retail stores across the country carried labels that made illegal claims to cure or treat disease." Notably, Federal regulations do not require the FDA to "review supplement companies' scientific evidence for most of their products' purported health benefits before they hit the market"; and the OIG "found that in numerous cases, when companies did submit evidence to back up their health claims, it fell far short of government recommendations."
