03.01.08
As Congress continues its investigation into steroids and baseball, more attention is being paid to dietary supplements. A Daily News article in mid-January said Donald Fehr, head of the Players Union, apologized for its slow response to the steroid scandal. However, as the hearing wound down, he acknowledged that while “juiced ballplayers had made steroids appealing to America’s youth, Congress has played a role, too, thanks to the Dietary Supplement Health & Education Act (DSHEA).” He said further that DSHEA is definitely up for review. Long-time critic of the supplement industry, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), agreed with Mr. Fehr, saying he too was troubled when it passed. “There are a lot of problems with DSHEA, a lot of issues regarding claims of increased performance and supplements that were supposed to be beneficial. I hope the Energy and Commerce Committee will reopen the DSHEA bill and take a look at its problems,” Rep. Waxman commented.
In response to these remarks, the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), Washington, D.C., issued a statement on behalf of the dietary supplement industry. “We are disappointed that some in Major League Baseball are inappropriately trying to use dietary supplements as a scapegoat to deflect attention from the real problem of baseball players illegally using performance-enhancing substances to cheat the system. Anabolic steroids are not dietary supplements and dietary supplements are not anabolic steroids,” said Steve Mister, president and CEO of CRN. “Under DSHEA, it is illegal for supplements to contain drugs or undeclared substances and FDA has the authority to take adulterated products that ignore the law off the shelf. The law is not the problem.”
In response to these remarks, the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), Washington, D.C., issued a statement on behalf of the dietary supplement industry. “We are disappointed that some in Major League Baseball are inappropriately trying to use dietary supplements as a scapegoat to deflect attention from the real problem of baseball players illegally using performance-enhancing substances to cheat the system. Anabolic steroids are not dietary supplements and dietary supplements are not anabolic steroids,” said Steve Mister, president and CEO of CRN. “Under DSHEA, it is illegal for supplements to contain drugs or undeclared substances and FDA has the authority to take adulterated products that ignore the law off the shelf. The law is not the problem.”