{"id":82781,"date":"2024-05-21T23:44:47","date_gmt":"2024-05-21T23:44:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2024\/05\/21\/military-supplement-users-beware-of-tigers-masquerading-as-dogs\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T15:53:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T15:53:25","slug":"military-supplement-users-beware-of-tigers-masquerading-as-dogs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/opinion\/2024\/05\/21\/military-supplement-users-beware-of-tigers-masquerading-as-dogs\/","title":{"rendered":"Military supplement users: Beware of tigers masquerading as dogs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You can put a leash on a tiger and call it a dog, but that doesn\u2019t make it a dog. The same is true with labeling in the world of dietary supplements. So, how is a consumer to know what products are both safe and legal \u2014 and which ones aren\u2019t?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to many safe, beneficial dietary supplements on store shelves, innocent purchasers can end up with some products that contain illegal substances, some of which may be identified right on the label and some that are fraudulently marketed as \u201cdietary supplements.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Illegal ingredients have no place in health and wellness regimens, and we are united in our goal to clean up the market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a 2019 survey among military service members<\/a>, 74% reported using at least one dietary supplement per week. Among those, multivitamins\/multiminerals were the most commonly used (45%), followed by combination products (44%). It is likely the use of dietary supplements by service members and civilians is even greater today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, dietary supplements are recognized as a class of goods intended to supplement the diet<\/a>; they cannot be represented as conventional food or the sole item of a diet or meal; and they can come in a variety of forms, such as pills, powders, capsules, softgels, gummies or liquids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conscientious manufacturers rigorously follow the law. However, there\u2019s a \u201cdark side\u201d to the ever-growing industry, with some companies wanting to pass off illegal products as \u201cdietary supplements.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These include anabolic steroids targeting bodybuilders; analogues of prescription drugs, like Viagra, that are sold as \u201call natural\u201d sexual enhancements; and substances that have never been approved for any medicinal use in the U.S., such as those bearing names like andarine (and other Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators, or SARMs), galantamine, tianeptine and DMAA (1,3 dimethylamylamine).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tianeptine, which even goes by the nickname \u201cgas station heroin,\u201d<\/a> can lead to serious side effects, including death. Yet it has been found on dietary supplement labels<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Military personnel and athletes can be misled by claims that these products, some of which are even marketed specifically to troops<\/a>, are supplements. Meanwhile, these demographics may discover firsthand why these ingredients are considered unsafe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To safeguard against nefarious practices, here are some steps to identify and avoid illegal products:<\/p>\n\n\n\n