Dietary Supplements Wellness Reports 2008 Author:John Edward Swartzberg, MD, FACP Nearly 7 out of 10American adults now take dietary supplementswhich cover a wide range, from vitamins and minerals through herbs, hormones, phytochemicals, and various enzymes and amino acids. Like pharmaceuticals, supplements are a huge industry. By the most recent estimates, sales of dietary supplements amount to $22.5 billion annually in the ... more »United States alone. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says there are now 29,000 supplements on the market. As the baby boomers move into middle age and beyond, new products are developed almost daily that claim to meet the needs and desires of people as they grow olderpills that purport to improve memory, banish wrinkles, build muscles, improve sex for women and men, compensate for a bad diet or reinforce a good one, prevent or cure the common cold and other ills, or ward off or cure chronic diseases, including cancer. It would be hard to find a household without at least a bottle of vitamin pills. As the interest in supplements has increased, we are learning more about them. Researchers have begun to undertake the kind of well-designed clinical trials that are routinely required to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of conventional medications. Scientific knowledge about many supplements has been accumulating, in spite of obstacles in the roadway. The Wellness Report 2008 on Dietary Supplements will tell you where things stand, what we know, and what is still a mystery in the world of dietary supplements.« less