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Nanoceuticals in nutritional supplements: are they safe?
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You can’t see them, but there are nanoparticles called nanoceuticals in some nutritional supplements on the market. Makers of dietary supplements have been adding these incredibly small particles (which are about 1/5000th the width of a single human hair) to a growing number of dietary supplements.
What are nanoceuticals? And are they safe?
What are nanoceuticals?
Nanoceuticals are nutrients that have been reduced to the nanoscale through a process called nanotechnology. (Nanotechnology is the study of the control of matter on a molecular and atomic level.) Although the process does not change the chemical structure of the nutrient, it does change how it acts. For example, nanotechnology can alter a nutrient so that it is more bioavailable, which means the body can better absorb and utilize it.
According to a recent study (Chemical & Engineering News, February 9, 2009), there are an estimated 44 nanoceuticals on the market in dietary supplements, and the number is expected to keep growing. Whether these minute particles are safe is questionable. However, because they are in dietary supplements, the Food and Drug Administration does not have the authority to review or evaluate these products before they go to market.
The FDA and nanoceuticals
The FDA would have some leverage in determining nanoceutical safety if their definition was changed. If nanoceuticals were defined as new ingredients or new substances, the FDA could have authority over the products to which they were added. According to the FDA, a new substance is one that has been altered chemically and has not been marketed previously. In the case of nanoceuticals, the substances are not chemically altered; they are just reduced to a miniscule, or nanoscale.
Supplement manufacturers say nanoceuticals are not new ingredients. However, some experts argue that nanoceuticals should be considered new dietary ingredients because they have new functions or properties once they are reduced to a nanoscale, even though they are not chemically changed. This is a question the FDA has not yet resolved.
So are nanoceuticals safe?
Several consumer and watchdog groups, such as the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies and the Consumers Union, are concerned that nanoceuticals may possess health-damaging effects. Representatives from these and other groups are urging regulators to make sure the new substances are safe.
Currently, the burden of safety is upon the supplement manufacturers. Some experts are concerned these producers are not conducting the tests needed to understand the impact of nanotechnology on nutrients or to determine whether these nanoparticles are safe. If a supplement is found to be unsafe after it is available to consumers, however, the FDA can take action.
More on nanotechnology and nanoceuticals
To learn more about nanotechnology and nanoceuticals, visit the following websites:
Arizona Nanotechnology Cluster (Phoenix and Tucson)
Center for Nanotechnology in Society at Arizona State University (Tempe)
Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies
Study on nanoceuticals from Chemical & Engineering News
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