{"id":685886,"date":"2026-03-27T16:25:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T16:25:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/685886\/"},"modified":"2026-03-27T16:25:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T16:25:11","slug":"dietary-supplement-makers-push-fda-on-peptides-and-probiotics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/685886\/","title":{"rendered":"Dietary supplement makers push FDA on peptides and probiotics"},"content":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 Makers of dietary supplements<\/a> are pushing the Food and Drug Administration<\/a> to expand the types of ingredients they can put in their products, a change that could open the door to more marketing of peptides, probiotics and other trendy wellness offerings.<\/p>\n

The FDA was holding a public meeting Friday to discuss its longstanding criteria for dietary supplements and whether they could be broadened to include substances that don\u2019t come from food, vitamins, herbs or other traditional ingredients. FDA officials will hear from industry executives, consumer advocates and academics.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the first such meeting since Robert F. Kennedy Jr.<\/a> became the nation\u2019s top health official last year. Kennedy has vowed to \u201cend the war at FDA\u201d on dietary supplements, peptides<\/a> and other products that are popular within his Make America Healthy Again movement<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Friday\u2019s meeting came at the request of the Natural Products Association, an industry group that has clashed with the FDA over certain new supplement ingredients. The group asked for the meeting in a January letter, citing \u201cthe cost and uncertainty that arise when regulatory expectations are unclear.\u201d<\/p>\n

The FDA\u2019s top food official, Kyle Diamantas, opened the meeting by underscoring the administration\u2019s commitment to \u201ccutting red tape\u201d to lower the industry\u2019s costs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe industry has grown tremendously over the last 30 years yet the regulatory framework has largely stayed the same,\u201d Diamantas told attendees.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what to know about the issue:<\/p>\n

Many wellness products don\u2019t qualify as supplements<\/p>\n

Under FDA regulations, supplements are deemed to be a category of food, with most of their ingredients coming from plants, herbs and other substances found in the American diet.<\/p>\n

That requirement has become a challenge for the industry in recent years as newer wellness products often feature substances that have never been used in food.<\/p>\n

Peptides, for instance, are druglike chains of amino acids that have been widely promoted by celebrities and influencers<\/a> as a way to build muscle and look younger, although there\u2019s little science supporting their use.<\/p>\n

Many specialty pharmacies and clinics sell them as injections or IV infusions<\/a>, but some supplement makers have also begun adding them to capsules, gummies and powders.<\/p>\n

Technically, those products violate FDA rules, according to FDA lawyers. The same goes for certain types of probiotics, bacteria-containing products that are pitched to aid digestion and promote gut health.<\/p>\n

Companies argue that FDA law, as written, doesn\u2019t specify that all ingredients must come from food.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe hope of the meeting is that FDA is willing to open up its interpretation of what constitutes a dietary ingredient to allow dietary substances that aren\u2019t already in food,\u201d said Robert Durkin, a former official in the FDA\u2019s supplements program who now consults for companies.<\/p>\n

But consumer advocates warn that allowing new ingredients would vastly expand the market for supplements, which the FDA has long struggled to oversee.<\/p>\n

\u201cFDA should focus on making the current market safer instead of allowing more chemicals and substances in supplements,\u201d said Jensen Jose, senior regulatory counsel of the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest, in a presentation at Friday\u2019s meeting.<\/p>\n

Supplement makers view Kennedy as an ally<\/p>\n

Kennedy recently declared himself \u201ca big fan\u201d of peptides, telling podcast host Joe Rogan that he\u2019s personally used them to treat injuries. He also vowed to loosen FDA limits on producing injectable peptides, which have been subject to federal safety restrictions.<\/p>\n

Some of Kennedy\u2019s allies and supporters are proponents of the chemicals, including Gary Brecka, a self-described \u201clongevity expert,\u201d who sells peptide injectables, patches and nasal sprays through his website.<\/p>\n

Dr. Mark Hyman, another Kennedy friend, sells dozens of dietary supplements, including some claiming to contain peptides, through his website.<\/p>\n

Two former health advisers from Kennedy\u2019s presidential campaign also have ties to the industry.<\/p>\n

Calley Means<\/a>, now serving as a senior adviser in the Department of Health and Human Services, co-founded an online platform<\/a> that helps people spend tax-free health dollars on supplements and other wellness goods.<\/p>\n

Dr. Casey Means<\/a> \u2014 his sister and President Donald Trump\u2019s surgeon general nominee \u2014 made hundreds of thousands of dollars promoting supplements, probiotics and related products<\/a>, according to financial disclosure forms.<\/p>\n

Supplements have never been subject to strict FDA oversight<\/p>\n

The FDA does not review dietary supplements the way it approves drugs and other medical products after confirming their safety and effectiveness. The agency does not even have a list of all the products in circulation.<\/p>\n

With some 100,000 or more supplements on the market, manufacturers are legally responsible for making sure their products are safe and truthfully advertised, according to the FDA. Supplements can\u2019t claim to treat specific diseases or medical conditions.<\/p>\n

The 1994 law that gave the FDA oversight of the industry also exempted supplement makers from nutrition labeling requirements, under which companies must scientifically support health claims.<\/p>\n

Instead, supplement makers can make more general claims, such as that their products maintain or support health and well-being.<\/p>\n

Some former regulators think that approach was a mistake.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt sanctioned unauthorized, implied health claims\u201d said Mitch Zeller, who worked on supplement issues at the FDA during the 1990s. \u201cThere are all manner of claims being made on supplement labeling or in advertising that are carefully worded to avoid making a drug or treatment claim.\u201d<\/p>\n

Companies can also say their products improve the structure or function of certain body parts, such as strengthening bones. Products making general or specific claims must carry a disclaimer: \u201cThis statement has not been evaluated by the FDA.\u201d<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute\u2019s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Follow the AP\u2019s coverage of the Food and Drug Administration at https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/us-food-and-drug-administration<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 Makers of dietary supplements are pushing the Food and Drug Administration to expand the types…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":669730,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[37],"tags":[64,287953,37186,77427,69,202254,57,210,192955,17104,12790,287957,287956,287954,1182,287955,15010,15005,67,132,68,93,3149],"class_list":["post-685886","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-business","tag-casey-means","tag-dietary-supplements","tag-diets-and-dieting","tag-donald-trump","tag-gary-brecka","tag-general-news","tag-health","tag-industry-regulation","tag-joe-rogan","tag-john-f-kennedy","tag-kyle-diamantas","tag-mark-hyman","tag-mitch-zeller","tag-nutrition","tag-robert-durkin","tag-robert-f-kennedy-jr","tag-u-s-food-and-drug-administration","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us","tag-washington-news","tag-wellness"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116302074724094467","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/685886","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=685886"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/685886\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/669730"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=685886"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=685886"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=685886"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}