Fake functional foods: Hidden traps that silently poison health

Countless health consequences due to fake functional foods

In Vietnam, there is still confusion between functional foods and medicines (Illustration: Istock).

Functional foods are defined as food products that support functions in the body, with or without nutritional value, help the body feel comfortable, increase resistance, reduce the risk and harm of diseases. When used properly and appropriately, they can bring many health benefits.

Dr. Truong Hong Son, Director of the Vietnam Institute of Applied Medicine and Deputy Secretary General of the Vietnam Medical Association, admitted that the concept of functional foods is still ambiguous and confusing, especially for ordinary consumers.

For example, confusion between functional foods and medicines, lack of distinction between types of functional foods (supplements, health protection foods, medical nutritional foods...), unclear production standards and quality control, exaggerated advertising, difficulty in determining actual effectiveness and effects...

"Many people mistakenly believe that all functional foods have been approved like drugs, while in reality, many products only need to declare standards without going through clinical trials or rigorous inspection. GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) has only recently become a mandatory requirement and has not been synchronously monitored," said Dr. Son.

Counterfeit functional products have just been seized by Hanoi police (Photo: Hanoi Police).

Meanwhile, fake functional foods are products that impersonate functional foods, without ensuring ingredients, production process, quality and origin.

These may include products that do not contain declared active ingredients (fraudulent ingredients) or do not meet the content requirements; contain prohibited substances, toxic impurities (heavy metals, corticosteroids, sibutramine, etc.); products with counterfeit packaging, names, "genuine" labels, and falsely advertised uses.

The use of fake functional foods poses many potential health risks.

Specifically, according to Dr. Son, first of all, using these fake products will not bring the desired effect. Fake functional foods often do not have declared active ingredients and do not have standard dosages. This causes a "pseudo-treatment" effect, causing patients to miss out on the opportunity for legitimate medical treatment.

For example, children are prescribed functional foods to supplement calcium, increase height, improve digestion... If they use fake products, children can easily miss the golden time to detect deficiencies, making it easy for doctors to misdiagnose because they think the child has been supplemented properly.

Second, they can cause acute or chronic poisoning due to banned substances. Some of the dangerous substances that can be found in fake foods are:

- Corticoids (used in artificial foods to treat bone and joint diseases): Causes adrenal insufficiency, osteoporosis, and hyperglycemia.

- Sibutramine (found in weight loss products): Causes high blood pressure, heart rhythm disturbances, stroke, has been banned in many countries.

- Lead, mercury, arsenic (heavy metals): Cause damage to the liver, kidneys, nerves, and even cancer when accumulated over a long period of time.

Third, counterfeit products do not guarantee safe absorption rates and purity and can cause digestive disorders, allergies, and even poisoning.

Some products recently identified as fake by the police (Photo: CAND, VTV, screenshot).

Fourth, they can cause allergies and adverse reactions. People who are allergic to undeclared ingredients may experience allergic reactions. People who are taking other medications, if using fake functional foods containing interacting active ingredients, can easily cause complications due to drug interactions.

Fifth, counterfeit products can pose a dangerous impact on children, the elderly and pregnant women.

"These are people with weak physical condition, incomplete metabolism or sensitivity. Therefore, using functional foods that are not quality controlled can lead to the risk of liver and kidney damage, growth disorders, and fetal malformations," Dr. Son analyzed.

Dietary supplements cannot cure diseases.

When using functional foods, people also need to pay attention to the dosage and duration of use of the product. There are products that can be used safely for a long time. However, there are some products that are recommended to be used only for a short time, from a few weeks to a few months, then stopped for a while.

Dr. Son especially reminded people to absolutely not believe in exaggerated advertisements. In particular, be careful with advertisements with content such as "cure cancer, diabetes, bones and joints...", "recommended by doctors" but without citing authentic sources, with famous people livestreaming to introduce, especially when not citing specific scientific evidence.

"Functional foods only support health and prevent diseases, they do not have the effect of treating diseases like medicine. Many functional foods are advertised as "medicine", "complete cure", "chronic disease relief", causing users to misunderstand. This leads to patients abandoning traditional medical treatment to use functional foods, causing serious consequences to their health", Dr. Son emphasized.

We also need to be careful when combining drugs with functional foods. Functional foods that supplement calcium, iron, magnesium, and zinc can reduce the effectiveness of oral antibiotics.

People absolutely do not believe in exaggerated advertisements. Functional foods only have the effect of supporting health, preventing diseases, not having the effect of treating diseases like medicine.

Dr. Truong Hong Son , Director of Vietnam Institute of Applied Medicine, Deputy Secretary General of Vietnam Medical Association

How to choose safe functional foods?

According to Dr. Son, people should consult a doctor or nutritionist before buying supplements, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have an underlying medical condition or are taking medication to avoid dangerous interactions.

Functional foods are very popular in the market. The worrying thing is that the stores, websites, and fanpages are just sellers without medical expertise but still advise and guide customers.

"In particular, very few people go to the doctor, check for any nutritional deficiencies, and follow the doctor's instructions to take supplements. Instead, they put their trust in "Doctor Google", find information on their own, or hear word of mouth about a certain product without knowing that they are directly affected," said Dr. Son.

In addition, we need to carefully check the origin of the product and the ingredients of the functional food. Only buy at reputable pharmacies, large retail chains, or genuine and reputable commercial sites.

Users prioritize products with anti-counterfeit stamps and QR codes to trace their origins. Avoid buying products that are floating around, sold on social networks, or livestreamed without a clear address; and save all product purchase invoices for verification if necessary.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/thuc-pham-chuc-nang-gia-bay-ngam-am-tham-dau-doc-suc-khoe-20250522081801532.htm