It has become a trend that instead of eating fruits, vegetables and meat, a large number of people prefer food supplements without realiasing their side effects.

Most of the food supplements available in the market are not only unregistered but also contain steroids that can damage body organs such as brain, kidneys, liver etc.

Steroids were developed for the treatment of different diseases, especially among elderly people.

Some steroids also behave like male sex hormones and doctors prescribe them for treating problems such as late puberty as well as a significant muscle loss in cancer and Aids patients. But theyre often used illegally by athletes, sportsmen and bodybuilders.

Besides, a large number of people who have nothing to do with sports also use the food supplements, vitamins, minerals etc.

Media coordinator for the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) Dr Waseem Khawaja told Dawn that most people believed that they should have food supplements and vitamins to remain healthy.

People use food supplements and other medicines containing steroids without realising their side effects.

They gain weight temporarily but because of the use of steroids their body organs stop working. I have seen patients who used steroids and later their kidneys, liver and even brain stopped working. They remained on ventilators till their death, Dr Waseem said.

He said people should eat normal diet as normal people did not require any food supplement or vitamins.

There is a lack of awareness due to which parents approach doctors with the complaint that their children do not eat sufficient food. They insist that multivitamins and food supplements should be suggested for their children.

He said a majority of steroids were sold under the name of alternative medicines but people used them without realising their side effects.

The food supplements and vitamins are sold for thousands of rupees. People can get the same amount of vitamins and minerals from fruits and meat without spending a huge amount of money.

He also said people should understand that food supplements are given to those elderly patients who cannot digest or eat normal food.

A normal person never requires food supplements, he said.

An official of the Ministry of National Health services (NHS) said because of the unavailability of rules and regulations the sale of alternative medicines could not be regulated.

Last year, Secretary Health Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mohammad Abid Majeed wrote a letter to Secretary Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) Ayub Sheikh raising the issue of unregistered medicines being sold in the market.

He claimed that from January to June 2016 as many as 534 nutrition/alternative medicines were analysed by the provincial drug laboratories.

It was found that there were ingredients which become a reason for severe damages to health.

Mr Majeed requested that rules should be formulated to address the issue.

However, the NHS ministry official said even allopathic medicines were sold in the name of herbal products but at very high rates due to which a number of companies had stopped manufacturing allopathic medicines and shifted to alternative medicines.

He said cod liver oil was given to children, women and elderly people as it was good for the bones.

However, the bottle of cod liver oil, which used to be available for Rs150, has disappeared from the market and the same oil is now being sold for Rs1,200 under the name of herbal oil.

A bottle of surbex T (vitamin) is available for Rs50 in the market but the same medicine is also being sold for Rs1,500 in the name of an alternative drug.

Allopathic medicines are reliable as they are made under licensing and in a controlled environment but no one knows where and how herbal medicines and food supplements are prepared and if they contain steroids.

He said even a number of skin whitening creams can be hazardous.

A number of times we have received complaints that skin whitening creams are using mercury which can cause cancer.

However, whenever it is decided to take action against the manufacturers the latter say they have nothing to do with the creams and it should be treated as cosmetics. I believe that any commodity which makes clinical claims should be treated as a drug, he said.

Chief Executive Officer of Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) Dr Mohammad Aslam said the use of steroids in food supplements was a very sensitive issue and Drap was working on it.

Our teams time to time test the products. We received complaints about skin whitening creams after which 15 products were checked but all of them were found free of mercury, he said.

Dr Aslam said there was a lack of awareness due to which people used food supplements.

They should eat natural food instead of having medicines. Even eating a fruit is much better and safer than drinking a fruit juice, he said.

In reply to a question about the use of steroids by bodybuilders, Dr Aslam said they used steroids to strengthen their mussels.

The human body has 60pc water but some bodybuilders use medicines to reduce their weight by dehydration to participate in the competition of a category of their choice, he said.

Published in Dawn, March 12th, 2017

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