The regulation on the use of supplements for weight control: Case studies from Australia, the United States of America, and the United Kingdom

IF 1.7 Q3 HEALTH CARE SCIENCES & SERVICES
Saiya Whitney Dawson , Dai Quy Le , Eng Joo Tan, Long Khanh-Dao Le
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Abstract

Background

Overweight and obesity have become more prevalent worldwide which has led to an increase in the demand for non-prescribed weight loss supplements. Given that these products are loosely regulated, they are often misused by adolescents and young adults.

Objective

This study aims to review regulatory policies for weight loss supplements in Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom to identify areas for improvement.

Method

Peer-reviewed literature was retrieved from EMBASE, OVID, and EBSCOhost databases. Grey literature was identified using Google Advanced Search with 32 targeted keywords and region-specific government domains (.gov.au, .gov, .gov.uk). A narrative synthesis was employed to analyze and compare regulatory policies.

Results

A total of 34 articles (7 peer-reviewed and 27 grey literature documents) were included. In Australia, weight loss supplements are classified as low-risk medicines and are not subject to pre-market regulation. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration primarily enforces regulations post-market. In contrast, the United Kingdom has implemented proactive measures through collaborations between government organizations. These include restrictions on the sale and packaging of over-the-counter laxatives and mandatory pharmacist consultations to assess patient needs.

Conclusions

The findings highlight significant regulatory gaps in Australia and the US compared to the UK. Adopting similar policies to those implemented in the UK could help reduce the accessibility of weight loss supplements among at-risk populations like adolescents and young adults. This study also discusses the implications of these findings for developing effective policies and regulations for non-prescribed weight loss supplements.
关于使用补充剂控制体重的规定:来自澳大利亚、美利坚合众国和联合王国的案例研究
超重和肥胖在世界范围内变得越来越普遍,这导致了对非处方减肥补充剂的需求增加。鉴于这些产品监管松散,它们经常被青少年和年轻人滥用。目的本研究旨在回顾澳大利亚、美国和英国对减肥补充剂的监管政策,以确定需要改进的地方。方法从EMBASE、OVID和EBSCOhost数据库中检索经同行评审的文献。灰色文献使用谷歌高级搜索,包含32个目标关键词和特定地区的政府域名(.gov.au, .gov, .gov.uk)。本文采用叙事综合的方法来分析和比较监管政策。结果共纳入34篇文献,其中同行评议文献7篇,灰色文献27篇。在澳大利亚,减肥补充剂被归类为低风险药物,不受上市前监管。在美国,食品和药物管理局主要执行上市后的法规。相比之下,联合王国通过政府组织之间的合作实施了积极主动的措施。这些措施包括限制非处方泻药的销售和包装,以及强制药剂师咨询以评估患者的需求。与英国相比,研究结果突出了澳大利亚和美国在监管方面的重大差距。采取与英国类似的政策有助于减少青少年和年轻人等高危人群获得减肥补充剂的机会。本研究还讨论了这些发现对制定有效的非处方减肥补充剂政策和法规的影响。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
Health Policy Open
Health Policy Open Medicine-Health Policy
CiteScore
3.80
自引率
0.00%
发文量
21
审稿时长
40 weeks
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