FDA warning- Supplement pills can choke elders to death

USA: People are increasingly becoming dependent on supplements these days in a bid to fulfil all their requirements. Also, the large size of the supplement tablets could be difficult for anyone to swallow. A new study has Its consumption may pose a dire risk for the elderly, a new study has found.

According to the study by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, almost 4,000 people experienced trouble swallowing dietary supplements. It resulted in the death of 3 people after they choked on after the intake of tablets. 75% of the swallowing issues occurred in people aged above 65.

Given the findings of the study, the intake of supplements becomes a dilemma for the elderly. One hand the intake of supplements such as calcium and minerals can lead to a healthy and active life. On the other hand, it poses a risk of choking and aspiration, the experts noted.

A previous study published in the journal Dysphagia noted that 15% of seniors have trouble swallowing. This is because, with age, the throat can lose mass and function just like muscles in other body parts.

The current study was led by Dr. Cecile Punzalan from the FDA and published as a letter in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine -- looked specifically at problems associated with taking dietary supplements.

Key findings include:

• Over 10 years, almost 21,000 issues with supplements were reported to the FDA. Close to 4,000 were related to swallowing.


• Women reported nearly 86% of problems swallowing supplements.


• Choking was the most frequent problem (86%).


• Most of the reported swallowing trouble was related to taking multivitamins (73%), while another 17% was from taking calcium supplements.


• The FDA also looked at the size of the most commonly reported pills. The average length of the pills was 19.3 millimeters (mm), roughly three-quarters of an inch.

For reference, the FDA recommends that generic products don't exceed 17 mm (0.67 inch), with 22 mm (0.87 inch) suggested as the limit. The FDA has no such guidelines for dietary supplements, however.

If you have trouble taking supplements, the Food and Drug Administration offered the following tips:

• Avoid taking several pills at once.


• Discuss any difficulty with your doctor or pharmacist.


• Swallow supplements and other pills or capsules with plenty of water or other fluid.


• Avoid extra-large pills or capsules.

To read the concerned letter log on to