New EU regulations that will limit the dosage of vitamins available in over-the-counter supplements and fortified foods have sparked a minor war.
One camp believes there is little merit in going above the recommended daily allowance (RDA) and that making high doses available could be harmful. The other wants consumers to have the option of buying higher doses to help prevent or manage certain health conditions.
"Taking supplements of vitamins and minerals is perfectly safe for everyone up to the RDA level," says dietitian Dr Mary Flynn from the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI), who adds that RDAs are currently being revised in Europe to help prevent chronic diseases as well as deficiency.
The FSAI has submitted to the EU Food Supplements Directive that the RDA be the upper limit available on open sale, explains Flynn. "High doses of vitamins and minerals can be safe enough for some people. They are certainly not safe for everyone. It's not good enough to say years of taking them has shown no ill effects among users. We would feel widespread availability of high-dose supplements across the counter without a doctor's prescription is just not safe."
But the directive's detractors argue that high-dose vitamins have been available in Ireland for 40 years. "No serious side effects have been reported on the supplements that are on sale in this country," says Erica Murray, spokeswoman for the Irish Association of Health Stores.
She sees the FSAI stance on dosages as overly conservative. "I feel it's somewhat disingenuous of them, since they are the regulatory authority, to be waiting for regulations from Europe. If they thought it was really dangerous they would have moved very rapidly on this."
Murray describes some of the scientific studies used to warn against potential risks of high-dose vitamins as "spurious" and says the focus should be on the benefits of vitamin and mineral dosages as well as risk. "The mindset of this directive has gone askew."
She also believes the pharmaceutical industry has much to gain from the incoming restrictions on food supplements. "They don't want people to stay healthy, they want people to take their medications. Their business is not health, it's disease, that's for sure."
