3 Reasons Why An Unregulated Supplement Industry Is A Good Thing

SupplementsMy journey with supplements has been one helluva ride; around ten years ago, I was in my noob stage where I bought into everything. If it was the latest and greatest, then I wanted it.

I wasn’t a hard sell either; all that was needed to convince me was some shiny packaging with an arbitrary graph showing how the product I held in my hand was the answer I’d been look for all along. I was a marketer’s dream prospect.

I shake my head when I think back to these times.

Then about five years ago, two things happened which helped me see the light:

First, I met some very smart people that knew what the hell they were talking about. Their words of wisdom helped form a solid foundation of knowledge from which I’ve been building upon ever since.

Second, I started reviewing supplements regularly – and I mean honestly reviewing them. Every ingredient would go through the PubMed filter and I’d try and uncover or reverse-engineer the dosages in proprietary blends. Needless to say, 95% of the stuff turned out to be over-hyped, under-dosed and total garbage. Companies even blacklisted my site from being sent samples!

Due to being exposed to so many lies, I formed an opinion that supplements were a scam artist’s way of legally making a shit load of money. An industry where marketing departments dwarf the science labs where real R&D should be taking place.

I figured the obvious solution to this problem should be to regulate supplements like drugs. Surely, that had to be the answer.

But here I am today, claiming that I don’t think it is.

Regulating supplements (such as their claims, and their overall effectiveness) will not result in fantasy land where every bottle you buy will be as potent as Viagra mixed with speed. Highly regulating this industry will have a few major drawbacks that are worth considering.

So for the next few minutes, set aside your anger of how you got burnt when a bottle of fat loss pills didn’t work, or when a special creatine blend failed to put on 20 pounds of lean mass in two weeks, and indulge me.

1. Stump Innovation

supplement-scientistIf the supplement industry was regulated and each product was treated like a drug, it would have to pass a ridiculously stringent process of getting approved. And that shit is expensive. How expensive?

Well the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development (CSDD) published a report late last year which said that the average cost of developing a pharmaceutical drug is about $2.5 billion dollars. This number happens to be a 145% increase over their predicted cost of development back in 2013.

Now how many supplement companies do you think have that kind of cash to develop a product?

If every supplement required FDA approval, 99% of products on the market would vanish out of thin air. Poof, and it would all be gone. Now I know what you’re thinking, “Good riddance! That garbage won’t be missed!”

However, it’s these fly by night products that actually fuel a company’s bottom line. It’s what pays the formulators who will (eventually) come out with a break-through product. Call me an optimist.

While most products out today are indeed garbagesauce, the supplement industry (at least in my opinion) is heading in a much better place.

Right now, it’s like the Wild Wild West – almost anything goes. The whole thing is like one big experiment and it’s only from trial and error, that something worthwhile comes forth.

Personally, I believe the speed of the supplement industry is similar to the speed of web technology. The internet is one big open platform where almost anything goes, and it’s because of this openness that we have amazing tools and services such as Facebook, Twitter, WordPress, Snapchat, Instagram etc.

Can you imagine if every website on the planet had to go through a government approval process? We would have like 15 sites all together.

2. Abuse Proof… Sorta

FDA_Approved (Small)Ok, so let’s say that a few people got their wish, and the supplements that are on the market today are all approved by the FDA. Would this make things safer and more consumer friendly?

Hardly.

See, while people think that supplement companies can do whatever the hell they want, this is not always the case. Supplement companies do get fined if their products are contaminated with ingredients that aren’t listed on the bottle. So while horny goat weed may not live up to the hype, if you’re going to sell it, you better make sure there’s nothing else inside that bottle.

Supplements companies aren’t stupid, they know this unregulated space is a double edged sword. So while this gives them freedom to create crazy products and make some outrageous claims, they know that if a minority of people happen to experience any unwanted or major side-effects, their ass can be in big trouble.

If their products were regulated like drugs and were allowed on the market, side effects would just be part of the game. All they would have to do is mention them.

How many times have you seen those commercials where they spend 95% of the time talking about the benefits of the advertised drug, then right before the commercial is over, they sneak in the missing piece such as: “Be sure to talk to your doctor if our insane pill is right for you…” followed by a massive list of side effects that usually make me do a double-take.

I remember one time I heard “…may also cause rectal bleeding”. Uhm, no thanks!

The point is, regulated supplements would be extremely potent since companies would have to prove that they work. And since a majority of the population is so… how can I say this nicely, uninformed, abuse would still be commonplace. If not more so.

It is the very reason one of my favorite simulants, DMAA is banned. Three soldiers abused a pre-workout supplement which contained the ingredient and then shortly died. DMAA was the ingredient of choice to blame, and so the FDA banned it.

Here’s what was really infuriating though – not only was DMAA freakin’ amazing (think of it as caffeine’s bigger older brother) but a review of the supplement by the Defense Department concluded that there was “insufficient evidence to prove the ingredient caused the deaths of three soldiers in 2011 and 2012.”

Look, I think soldiers do an incredible service to their country and I’m not picking on the profession here, but I will say that those three individuals should’ve known better. Their stupidity led to big brother banning something that is actually quite beneficial.

What’s more, the FDA banned DMAA because it thought it killed three soldiers, and yet Tylenol is allowed on shelves. Oh, incase you didn’t know Tylenol causes about 450 deaths per year.

So the final take home point? Over the counter drugs are usually far more dangerous than the stuff you can nab from your local supplement store, which means education (not regulation) is what’s important.

3. Regulation Equals Less Competitors

supplement-pillsRight now, it’s actually pretty easy to enter the supplement industry. If you have solid marketing skills, and can raise some capital, you’re in.

There are plenty of raw ingredient manufacturers out there, and all you have to do is tell them what to mix, how much, and what kind of label you want printed on the bottle. Done.

While that may sound like an oversimplification of the process, it’s actually not too far off from the truth. If you’ve read The 4 Hour Work Week, then you know that’s pretty much the process that Tim Ferris followed to create his own supplement brand.

So why is it a good thing if new companies can pop up daily? Isn’t it better to have a few reliable sources? Yes and no.

While having a few core companies is all well and good, this little quirk in the industry ensures that no one company ends up as a dominating monopoly. A new top dog will always rise, killing off the old ones in the process. Again, it’s just like on the web – the most famous example being how Facebook managed to overthrow the previous social giant, Myspace. And how Snapchat is now threatening its dominance. This cycle will keep repeating.

Freedom allows rapid growth and those who can’t keep up will either be forced to step aside or will be stomped into submission. In the end, I believe we as consumers will win if things stay unregulated (and if FDA stops banning awesome ingredients based on a hunch).

[Side Note: While the industry is easy to enter, that does not mean it’s easy to win or be profitable]

Conclusion

At this point, I believe those that bitch about the supplement industry and ask that it be governed and regulated are just people who didn’t do their research… and therefore get burnt by products that didn’t deliver. Listen, when we have sites like Examine, you have no one to blame yourself.

Read the reviews, do your ingredient research and buy products that are worth the cash. Voting with your wallet works in every industry, and the supplement one is no different.

You see, drug companies don’t need our votes, they have doctors and insurance companies. If you’re deathly sick and a doctor prescribes a pill that will help cure your problems, you aren’t going to sit and research its ingredients or go through countless reviews on the net. You’ll just go buy the damn thing (or get your insurance to cover it).

The supplement industry on the other hand is wide open, which means we can sway it which ever way we want. Buy the right products and in a few more years, you’ll find that their quality has gone up. Well, in theory anyways…

I Want To Know Your Thoughts: Do you agree or disagree? Are there any supplements that you totally swear by? If so, drop them in the comment section below.

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17 Comments

  • Andy March 12, 2011 at 2:04 pm

    Under regulation is better than over regulation. I think some level of regulation is needed, and when it comes to hormonal products I welcome it, but lay off the creatine etc!

  • Brian March 15, 2011 at 9:46 pm

    Wow! I can’t believe I actually ended up agreeing with you. I was ready to jump all over you at the start of this article but you really made a strong argument. I believe there is a happy medium between the two.

  • Brasiano March 19, 2011 at 5:27 am

    No crap straight to the point honest article. Add a little good humoured fun to it and you get a thumbs up from me! This article has all those above qualities so I’m commenting! This was a joy to read and really opened my eyes and made me realised all that low-fat stuff is just a joke. I have noticed an improvement in my weight and i feel like i have more energy.Losing tummy fats isn’t all about cutting down your food consumption, you should also work it and sweat it out!

  • Tony March 29, 2011 at 11:34 am

    Couldn’t agree more with this. Keep it unregulated. People will end up finding the truth about supplements anyway. Bad supplements never make it very far.

  • Supplement Shack April 2, 2011 at 3:33 am

    Nice post, I’m actually looking to get into the selling side of the supplements rather than creating my own brand (I’ve already given out my lap dances to the politicians) and didn’t really look at it all from this perspective.

    We see every day companies branding new products which are pretty much the same ingredients just in different packaging and is that good for the industry?

    I personally think that they’re should be some sort of regulation, just that it shouldn’t be as strict as mentioned above.

    With the rate the health / supplement industry is growing we’ll no doubt see something come into place over time.

    Great article!

  • Al Kavadlo April 9, 2011 at 8:26 am

    Nice perspective – I still think exercise supplements are complete rubbish though.

    • Sparky June 9, 2011 at 12:16 pm

      Touhcdwon! That’s a really cool way of putting it!

  • Smiley April 11, 2011 at 1:17 pm

    AFAIC that’s the best asnerw so far!

  • Trainer Jo May 19, 2011 at 8:30 pm

    Nicely put. The local wellness community just had an emergency meeting concerning the illegalization of herbal supplements. I am wondering how much longer before the FDA decides to start policing sports supplements more closely. Doesn’t sound like a good idea to me.

  • kanata clinic June 3, 2011 at 10:23 am

    Great article once again. In the end , if you’re putting something , anything into your body you should be doing your research

  • Kaycee June 9, 2011 at 5:43 am

    Hey, you?re the goto exerpt. Thanks for hanging out here.

  • Bigdaddysource.com July 17, 2011 at 10:06 pm

    I must agree with the author, nice insight and perspective. What I find to be the great part of this article is this; one can still get into a lucrative market with a ton of money to be made for anyone who has the next EndoBurn or fat burner pills. I have done the same thing myself. I can show anyone how to make 5-10k dollars a month with little effort. My products sell themselves. Come check me out soon!!

  • Brad Naksuthin August 27, 2011 at 8:24 pm

    I don’t mind if the internet is not regulated. I’m not going get kidney failure reading a bad blog.

    Dietary supplements aren’t regulated, so it’s easy for supplement-makers to push their pills, protein powders and power drinks without much regard for actual truth.

    “Everybody wants to take something that gives them an edge,” says Harris Leiberman, a research psychologist for the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine. “Dietary supplements were deregulated in 1994, which gave manufacturers the right to market their products without regard to safety and efficacy.”

    Lab studies have found toxins and even prescription medications in some supplements, but authorities generally intervene only when problems surface. In 2004, the Food and Drug Administration banned the stimulant ephedrine amid reports that it was causing heart problems.

    Last year, the popular supplement Hydroxycut was pulled from shelves over concerns about liver damage.

    But mostly, it’s what supplement researchers don’t find that gives them pause.

    Take dehydroepiandrosterone, or DHEA, which is widely marketed to bodybuilders as a legal steroid because of its testosterone-boosting properties. Every large study that’s been done on it has concluded it’s a waste of money.

    Other bodybuilding supplements are more worrisome. In January, the FDA recalled five supplements — superdrol, madol, tren, androstenedione and turinabol — used in more than 100 bodybuilding products.

    Linked to anabolic steroids, the supplements are believed to cause liver damage, testicular shrinkage and male breast enlargement.

    It’s true that you can get to where you want to go faster if you don’t have to stop at stoplights or if you don’t have to obey speed limits. But dares to to travel on an unregulated freeway?

  • Fit Jerk September 4, 2011 at 1:39 am

    ” the Food and Drug Administration banned the stimulant ephedrine amid reports that it was causing heart problems.” – No it wasn’t causing problems, what REALLY happened was that a few jack ass morons didn’t know HOW to take this supplement and got themselves killed, ruining it for the rest of us.

    A few died from Hydroxycut, yes. But do you know how many people die from taking Tylenol per year? Around 500… yet that has yet to be banned.

    In fact, deaths from Tylenol or even Advil far out-shadow the few minor deaths from supposed “body-builders” that abuse steroids or supplements. The problem is, American runs on the profits form drug companies, so you never hear about that shit.

    Supplements are hardly a health concern if you do your research.

    • Tori November 16, 2011 at 8:04 pm

      Kudos! What a neat way of thniikng about it.

  • Sol Orwell November 23, 2012 at 11:20 am

    Claims by supplement companies are unregulated, but the contents definitely are. FDA regular fines for contamination and related.

  • Tommy Noonan July 23, 2015 at 5:28 am

    I think that #3 is really the best argument against regulation. We’d end up with a few giant companies that have a monopoly on the market. We’d end up with something as backwards and inefficient as the pharmaceutical industry.

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  • […] As someone who reviews a shit load of supplements and someone who’s curious as to where the supplement industry is headed in general, it makes me want to pick up a bottle and try it out. But, is the beauty only […]

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