Emergency Department Visits for Adverse Events Related to Dietary Supplements

On the basis of estimates from a nationally representative sample of U.S. emergency departments from 2004 through 2013, approximately 23,000 emergency department visits annually are attributed to adverse events related to dietary supplements. Herbals (botanical products), complementary nutritionals (e.g., amino acids), and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) are all considered to be dietary supplements by the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994. 1 Although supplements cannot be marketed for the treatment or prevention of disease, they are often taken to address symptoms or illnesses, as well as to maintain or improve overall health. 2 The estimated number of supplement products increased from 4000 in 1994 3 to more than 55,000 in 2012 (the most recent year for which data are publicly available), 4 and approximately half of all adults in the United States report having used . . .