FORT LEE, Va. (March 15, 2015) -- At some point in people's lives almost everyone has either had a supplement recommended to them or may have seen an advertisement for some sort of product that peaked their interest. The dietary supplement industry is booming.

Forbes reports nutritional supplements alone brought in $32 billion in revenue for 2012. While it may be easy to simply follow the suggestions of a friend, trainer, or family member, if an individual plans on trying or consistently using dietary supplements, becoming educated on those products and their potential effects is a wise strategy.

While the Food and Drug Administration has some oversight of dietary supplements, it must first show a product is unsafe prior to taking any restrictive action. Additionally, a 2010 Consumer Reports article estimates that only one third of the products in the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database have scientific evidence to support safety and effectiveness. There is no mandate for manufacturers to disclose evidence on safety and effectiveness (of dietary supplements) to the FDA.

With all of the different kinds of dietary supplements, whether it is protein powder, deer antler spray or a weight loss product, doing the homework can help to keep people safe and possibly save some money on products that don't live up to their hype.

If people are on any other medications, it will serve them well to check on interactions and possibly check with their primary care manager prior to supplement usage.

There also are a number of other great resources to include the FDA website, www.fda.gov, Operation Supplement Safety, http://hprc-online.org/dietary-supplements/opss; as well as the USDA website.

Other sources of information include: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2012/05/dangerous-supplements/index.htm; http://www.fda.gov/Food/DietarySupplements/UsingDietarySupplements/ucm109760.htm; and http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidlariviere/2013/04/18/nutritional-supplements-flexing-their-muscles-as-growth-industry/.