people aged 25 and younger between January 2004 and April 2015. The investigators compared these reports with reports made for vitamins.
In all, nearly 1,000 incidents were reported, of which 40% involved a severe medical problem, including hospitalization and death, the researchers said.
Weight-loss, muscle-building and energy supplements were linked with an almost three times greater risk of severe medical problems compared with vitamins, the findings showed.
In addition, supplements sold to boost sexual function and clean the colon were tied to about twice the risk of a medical problem.
According to researcher S. Bryn Austin, reputable doctors don’t prescribe these types of supplements. Many contain adulterated prescription drugs, banned
