Functional foods "cure" stroke and cause...swollen feet

Few people know that even though they are of natural origin, indiscriminate use of functional foods can cause allergies like drugs, severe cases can cause anaphylactic shock, even death.

"Lose money, get sick"

Mr. Nguyen Manh Hung, Vice President and General Secretary of the Vietnam Association for Standards and Consumer Protection (TC and BVNTDVN) warned as above at a seminar on functional foods organized by the Ministry of Health in Ho Chi Minh City on November 30.

Recently, the TC Association and BVNTDVN have recorded complaints from people who suffered complications after using functional foods.

Poor quality functional foods detected by authorities.

Happy as if he had found gold, Mr. Thanh went to the store selling the above product to get examined and then bought it to take as directed. After taking 4 boxes, the patient's right leg became edematous and gradually swelled. The patient was puzzled and was explained by the seller, who advised him to buy 2 more boxes. There was no result, the patient's leg became even more swollen.

Because compensation was not resolved, the customer complained to the Association, after which Mr. T. was supported with a sum of money by the company producing the above functional food.

Next is the case of a customer named Nga who complained to the Association about the Dansam tea bag product. After hearing the advertisement on TV, Ms. N. bought this product because she knew it was effective for people with high blood pressure. Unexpectedly, after taking the product, the customer's blood pressure was not stable but higher than before.

Mr. Hung shared: “There are currently many functional foods on the market of unknown origin. Right on the street specializing in selling traditional medicine in Hanoi, we discovered a type introduced as “Dai bo sam nhung hoan” which is good for the elderly and weak, but the label and instructions for use are all in Chinese, and there is no expiration date. Recently, the authorities discovered more than 100 boxes of functional foods labeled as made in the US but were actually made in Hai Duong. Or a case of over 3,780 bottles of functional foods in capsule form originating from China, but imported to Vietnam were “magically” made in the US…”

In particular, the prices of functional products on the market today are not cheap. “Functional foods have been transformed, through many intermediaries, the prices are unreasonably inflated, separated from the value and factors that form the selling price, and in the end, consumers have to bear the brunt,” said Mr. Hung.

Sky-high price, why are there still so many people buying?

According to Mr. Nguyen Manh Hung, many consumers still do not understand correctly and use functional foods arbitrarily.

Although of natural origin, according to experts, like drugs, allergies to functional foods can still occur, especially in people with sensitive constitutions if the functional food contains allergens (possibly from excipients or preservatives). The most severe allergy to functional foods is anaphylactic shock, which can be fatal.

Faced with the current situation of functional food use, a question arises: The prices are sky-high, but why do consumers, even those with low incomes, still buy them?

According to Mr. Hung, through investigating complaints to the Association related to functional foods, the answer is the idea that "when sick, one must pray to all directions". When in a state of illness, patients easily believe in advertisements about "miracle drugs".

This is also a psychological factor exploited by business people and advertisers for commercial purposes to make unethical profits.

According to docbao