Food and nutrition.pdf

Diet and Health 9more visible in recent years. Private agencies and organizations such asthe American Dietetic Association, the American Cancer Society, theAmerican Medical Association, the National Council Against HealthFraud, and other health professional groups are also active against foodfraud.The Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act empowers the FDA toprohibit the introduction of any food, drug, device or cosmetic that isadulterated or misbranded. Only factual and nonmisleading informationis allowed on food labels. Most false promotional claims, therefore, arenot made on labels. Instead, they appear in books, lectures, .and massmedia that are protected by constitutional rights. The FDA has theauthority to use its food additive and drug approval processes to controlfood products allowed on the market and to remove fraudulent products.Most fraudulent food products are classified as foods, but whentherapeutic claims are made for them, they are also considered to be drugs.If a food product is also classified as a drug and is considered by the FDAto b~ ineffective for its claimed use, it will not have an approved NewDrug Application. For example, if it is promoted for treating a diseasethat is not amenable to lay diagnosis, it cannot have adequate directionsfor use and will not be approved. .Health Consequences of FraudNutrition fraud may lead to deleterious health consequences, causedby the failure to seek legitimate medical care, by potentially toxiccomponents of foods and products, by nutrient toxicities and deficiencies,by diversion of monies from essential treatments, and by interference withsound nutrition education.Public health and safety can be jeopardized by false promises thatdivert or deter individuals from pursuing sound forms of medicaltreatment or that encourage them to abandon beneficial therapy for adisease. Fraud may encourage people to reject legitimate medical adviceand to practice inappropriate self-medication that is less likely to behelpful, and more likely to be directly harmful, than the medicaltechnology based on a sound understanding of human biology andnutrition.The FDAs annual reports document numerous instances of fraudinducedfailure to obtain appropriate health care. Because early detectionand treatment improve prognosis for many illnesses, unproven"nutritional" therapies may unnecessarily delay beneficial intervention.Some diet regimens recommended by health faddists to treat cancer, forexample, are so nutritionally deficient or toxic that adherence to them hascaused death or serious illness.