Who will gather and evaluate the evidence?
The IoM’s proposed risk-assessment framework is essentially a review of existing literature — the development of a monograph analyzing scientific evidence for safety of the particular supplement being investigated. It does not call for new research. But who will gather and evaluate this evidence? The IoM recommends creation of a standing external advisory committee composed of expert scientists. And, even while the IoM says it seeks to “ensure that the critical evaluation of the monograph and related information be as free of conflict of interest and as objective as possible,” they also state, “External advisory committee members should be selected based on their disciplinary expertise rather than as representatives of stakeholder viewpoints. Advisory committee members should not have a financial stake in the outcome of the process or otherwise have a real or perceived conflict of interest. The external advisory committee should explicitly exclude representatives of the dietary supple
