In 2016, FRONTLINE, The New York Times and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation examined the hidden dangers of vitamins and supplements, a multibillion-dollar industry with limited FDA oversight. (Aired 2016)

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When “Supplements and Safety” aired, it was estimated that half of all Americans took a health supplement every day, from fish oil to multivitamins to diet pills. However, the acting commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration at the time noted in “Supplements and Safety” that, “The FDA does not do any review of dietary supplements before they come onto the market, and I think that all consumers need to understand this.”

From director Neil Docherty, correspondent Gillian Findlay and Anahad O’Connor, then a reporter for The New York Times Well blog, “Supplements and Safety” explored the limited government regulation and oversight of supplement companies, and examined cases of contamination and serious health problems.

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“Supplements and Safety” was a FRONTLINE production with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in collaboration with The New York Times and in association with Spin Free Productions. The director was Neil Docherty. The writer was Gillian Findlay. The producers were Neil Docherty, Anita Elash and Lisa Ellenwood. The reporter for The New York Times was Anahad O’Connor. The executive producer at large for FRONTLINE was David Fanning. The executive producer for FRONTLINE was Raney Aronson-Rath.

#Documentary #Supplements #Vitamins

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FRONTLINE is produced at GBH in Boston and is broadcast nationwide on PBS. Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Additional support for FRONTLINE is provided by the Abrams Foundation, Park Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Heising-Simons Foundation, and the FRONTLINE Journalism Fund, with major support from Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation, and additional support from Koo and Patricia Yuen.

CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Prologue
00:50 - Limited Federal Oversight of Vitamin & Supplement Companies
15:49 - The Supplement Industry: A Powerful Lobbying Force in Washington, D.C.
31:51 - Critics Contend Some Supplements Cause Harm
44:28 - What's In the Vitamins & Supplements We Take?
51:57 - Credits