CRN's Andrew Shao, Ph.D., spoke about the rising popularity of brain enhancement supplements, or “nootropics”—and their regulation—on a live radio segment last week, "Airtalk with Larry Mantle," via KPCC, NPR’s highest-rated affiliated radio broadcast. 
Dr. Shao fielded questions alongside Peter Lurie, M.D., M.P.H., president of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Inspired by a recent Wall Street Journal article, Nootropic or Not? Brain-Booster Business Raises Concerns, which also tapped Dr. Shao for expert commentary, the segment questioned the effectiveness of FDA regulation of dietary supplements and took aim at over-the-top claims made by some companies.
Dr. Shao corrected a mischaracterization of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSEHA), noting the law "actually gave FDA more oversight and more authority than it had before." Dr. Shao noted, "...the issue with products—whether they be nootropics or others—that are over-claiming and under-delivering is not a new issue. It tends to be something that is practiced by the fringe of the industry, not the responsible industry and the real challenge here is not so much the law but the inability of FDA to enforce it due to a lack of resources." Dr. Shao pointed to CRN's initiative with the National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Better Business Bureau to address inappropriate advertising and noted that CRN also agrees that FDA should know about products entering the marketplace. In the limited time available, Dr. Shao also vigorously defended the science supporting the efficacy of many dietary supplement products. Listen to the whole segment here.