The phrase “you are what you eat” is an interesting concept that is tricky to wrap one’s head around. When taken literally, it would imply that taking vitamin supplements makes the consumer a walking, talking Vitamin D pill. Of course, the phrase is only an expression to promote the idea that healthy eating choices will result in healthier individuals and to discourage the consumption of unhealthy foods, but it also emphasizes the importance of what consumers are putting into their body.

On October 10, 2017 an Interprofessional Education (IPE) Panel Discussion took place in the Campus Center Theater to discuss dietary supplements and how its role in today’s society can be interpreted from many different fields in the professional world. The panel was composed of Mr. Anthony Dissen from the School of Health Sciences, Dr. Priti Haria, from the School of Education, Dr. Jennifer Barr from the School of Business, Mr. Ray Cheung, a consumer safety officer from the FDA, Dr. Mary Lou Gelantino from the School of Health Sciences, and Dr. Kelly Keenan from the School of Natural Sciences and Math. The members of the panel first introduced themselves and how their career or research related to the topic of dietary supplements. Following the introductions, there was an explanation that further emphasized how different fields such as business, marketing, health science, and research are interrelated when it comes to nutrition.

The panel discussed how the way that dietary supplements are marketed or presented, an example being the advertisement of some drugs or supplements on talk shows like Dr. Oz, have a great effect on the amount of it purchased and consumed by the public. This type of endorsement by Dr. Oz, for example, even has a name: the Dr. Oz effect. The effect that these public figures have on the sales of these drugs and supplements must not be overlooked. To expand on this idea, the power of doctors must also be recognized. The panel stressed how doctors on television have the ability to influence the viewers decision on the types of drugs or supplements that they buy because people have a high trust in doctors. This in turn brought about a discussion on the reliability of said promoters of the drug or supplement and how consumers should check where they were getting their information and research, and think about potential exterior motives that these television figures may have.

This does not mean that people should stop trusting their doctors or physicians, but it asks of them to refrain from blindly trusting their doctors and instead be more open to the idea of questioning the medical recommendations enough to encourage self-research on the issue or condition at hand. The panel discussed how in different self-conducted tests and experiments, some drugs did not contain some of the ingredients that were listed on the labels of the bottles. Going off of this point, Mr. Cheung from the FDA stressed the importance of making sure that consumers are buying FDA approved drugs and that they are aware that sometimes people illegally copy and paste the logo on their products to increase sales. This once again ties into the idea of self-research and being responsible to be selective of what one puts in one’s body.

The IPE panel discussion initially makes consumers wonder whether anything is really safe to consume. Taking excessive amounts of a ¨good¨ vitamin, mineral or drug can have negative consequences because too much of anything is not good, there are scammers who try to trick people into buying products with as much medicinal value as dirt (perhaps it is dirt), there are well-trusted public figures that promote drugs they know nothing about, and big unchecked claims are found on many of these products. However, the panel assured the people in the room that there is a solution to safe and beneficial consumption of dietary supplements, and that is to be involved in the research and practice the concept of “buyer beware.” Although the idea of having to do self-research and being responsible for checking the information on the labels of the bottles is a daunting prospect, the panel discussion makes one realize the importance of such acts and how it is all worth it for one’s own health. Education of this topic of being aware of the potential untruths behind claims and being aware of the effects of public figures on consumers is crucial to the betterment of one’s personal health. Being smart about purchases of dietary supplements or any kind of drug or food is important to be able to lead a safe and healthy life. In other words, taking a few minutes to make sure that one is not paying a lot of money to consume substances with little to no nutritional value (like dirt), or substances that may even be hazardous to one’s health, seems worth it in the long run.