Auburn, April 27---When it comes to buying supplements, consumers would be wise to heed the advice of the ancient Romans: Caveat Emptor – Buyer Beware!

That, at least, is the opinion of one nutritional expert who warns supplements are under-regulated and fraught with all sorts of risks.

"Supplements are a very underregulated industry," says Dr. Robert Keith, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System nutritionist. "They’re one of those products that really aren’t regulated up front."

By "up front," Keith means the Food and Drug Administration can take action against supplements only after someone is harmed from consuming them.

Currently, there are all sorts of people manufacturing and selling supplements -- some reputable, others not so reputable.

In most cases, the biggest concern is whether the manufacturers practice what they preach. While they may claim a certain product is rich in some particular nutrient, there is a good chance these products may contain little, if any, of the substance.

"There have been a number of studies conducted in recent years showing many of these products contain a small portion of the nutrient but often not in the amounts advertised," Keith says. "In some cases, the product may lack the nutrient entirely."

Another potential risk associated with supplements involves the type of fillers used.

"Supplement pills or tablets contain only a few milligrams of nutrients, and the rest of the pills have to be filled up with some other substance," Keith says. "In many cases, you don’t know what that filler is. It could be bovine brains (a material that has been linked with Mad Cow disease in other countries) – anything."

Several years ago, for example, some consumers who took a supplement known as tryptophan to get more sleep ended up developing serious blood disorders.

A few even died.

As it turned out, it wasn’t the tryptophan causing the problems.

Researchers later traced the disorder to the fillers used in the pills.

"Most of these supplements were coming from Mexico and it turns out there was a contaminant in the filler causing these problems," Keith says.

In some cases, fillers may contain heavy metals and even pesticide-contaminated substances.

In cases where supplements actually contain the nutrients specified in advertisements, the results can be potentially risky.

For example, while testosterone, the male sex hormone, is banned under the Dietary Health Education Supplement Act of 1994, supplement manufacturers discovered a loophole.

As it turns out, other hormone-type substances not covered under the 1994 legislation actually can be sold. After ingestion, they can be converted into testosterone by the body.

One of these type products, an anabolic steroid called Androstenedione, has been the rage among many athletes, especially weightlifters, several years ago. Unfortunately, some athletes who consume these products face the risk of developing the same kinds of side effects associated with steroids. Even now, despite much adverse publicity, the products are still widely available, even among teenage athletes.

A similar steroid product, DHEA, often is advertised as a weight-loss product and as a way to offset the effects of aging.

Aside from producing steroid-type side effects, these chemicals also present other serious health risks, Keith says.

"Because they are hormone-type chemicals, they may be potentially troublesome with hormone-sensitive parts of the body, such as breast tissue in women and the prostate gland in men."

There are also herbal compounds such as Ephedra and ma huang that are also frequently used as stimulants. These products are known to raise blood pressure, even leading to heart failure in some instances.

"They’re basically amphetamine-like compounds that aren’t controlled like prescription drugs, even though they may have the same sorts of pharmacological effects as these," Keith says. "Since they’re marketed as supplements, you can buy and take as much of these as you want, but you don’t know what you may be getting and how it may affect you."

"If you take too much of it, it may even kill you."

Although highly recommended by nutritionists, calcium supplements carry a certain small risk, because many of these are made from substances that may contain trace elements such as lead. Some even are made from ground oyster shells, which may contain several trace elements including lead and mercury.

"Oysters, after all, are bottom dwellers, so many things that deposit on the bottom of the ocean floor will be found in these shellfish," Keith says.

While there is no 100 percent effective way to guard yourself against faulty claims, Keith recommends consulting with your physician, local pharmacist or registered dietitian before consuming supplements. County Extension agents also are good source, he says. Also, he advises buying only from the largest, most well-known supplement companies.