Many Supplements Said to Contain Toxins, Make False Health Claims

[TZ]

WEDNESDAY, May 26 (HealthDay News) -- A Congressional investigation of dietary herbal supplements has found trace amounts of lead, mercury and other heavy metals in nearly all products tested, plus myriad illegal health claims made by supplement manufacturers, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

The levels of heavy metal contaminants did not exceed established limits, but investigators also discovered troubling and possibly unacceptable levels of pesticide residue in 16 of 40 supplements, the newspaper said.

One ginkgo biloba product had labeling claiming it could treat Alzheimer's disease (no effective treatment yet exists), while a product containing ginseng asserted that it can prevent both diabetes and cancer, the report said.

Steve Mister, president of the Council for Responsible Nutrition, a trade group that represents the dietary supplement industry, said it was not surprising that herbal supplements contained trace amounts of heavy metals, because they are routinely found in soil and plants. "I dont think this should be of concern to consumers," he told the Times.
http://health.msn.com/medications/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100259612>1=31036
This is why REGULATION is needed in this industry. It is a BILLION dollar industry..And look..The supplement industry has its OWN LOBBYISTS. Gee I wonder what they do? Pharmaceutical companies cannot get away with half the shit the unregulated supplement industry does.

[rucky]

1. I'm so glad to be out of that industry.

I ran an honest business, but always felt like a criminal.

[Codeine]

2. It's the only unregulated, non-transparent, billion-dollar industry

that almost all of DU loves. We recognize the stupidity of the "free hand of the market" everywhere but the supplement market. For some reason that's inviolate.

[Oregone]

11. Its a real challenge to regulate it without restricting access severely

If you tighten it up too much, then essentially only pharmaceutical conglomerates can afford to jump through the hoops and sell you wheat grass in a pill. And people's lower cost healthier alternatives to pharmaceuticals dry up (because they increase in price, controlled by the same people (or suppressed)).

Finding a middle ground is a challenge. I think that 1) all label claims on each and every product should be approved by the FDA specifically (and given a registration number, like in Canada), and 2) all SKUs need to be assayed by a government approved facility for each batch. But I don't think we should require companies to conduct extensive human trials and take years to put out a product, nor should they be required to put up massive amounts of money.

These things normally do not cause the same health problems as Lipitor, for example.

[TZ]

13. Not true

Doctors complain about them seeing stuff like Vitamin D overdoses and other problems. I think in order for any of this stuff to make these claims they need to go through clinical trials. Maybe some of the pre-clinical toxicity testing can be eliminated but I think anything that makes these unbelievable claims should have to prove them. Thats just good science..Extraordinary claims need extraordinary evidence.
Your claim that these herbals are safer than most drugs is sketchy at best. Even vitamins can be dangerous in the wrong doses.
And many many MANY pharmaceuticals are actually based on purified herbs..Digitalis is foxglove after all which is EXTEMELY dangerous in large doses.

[Oregone]

15. "they need to go through clinical trials"

Big pharam would fuckin love that, wouldn't they? Being that most of these manufacturers would be forced to close up shop.

As I understand it, in Canada, in order to make a claim, a substance has to be proven previously to be efficient according to that claim and the government has to specifically sign off that this is true (they are then given a registration number to be put on the packaging). They do not have to individually prove it themselves...each and every manufacturer of the specific substance (that would be redundant). Honestly, I think this is a good and sufficient model.


"Your claim that these herbals are safer than most drugs is sketchy at best."

Thats so fuckn silly.

Pharmaceuticals are controlled for good reason. They are tested for good reason.

Google is your friend. Hundreds of thousands of people die each year from pharmaceuticals

And BTW, if your "not true" was directed at what I said about Lipitor, I feel that is really unfortunate. Statin drugs have horrific side effects--a great natural alternative for lowering cholesterol does not have such devastating effects (http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/84/1/37). You must of not known any statin takers, eh?

[SidDithers]

3. Oh, if only the supplements industry was regulated...

they way the pharmaceutical industry is.

Sid

[Oregone]

6. Then only the wealthiest companies could make Vitamin C

Ya know, like the pharmaceutical companies. Then they could charge even more for it.

There needs to be regulation, but I wouldn't go that far. Pharmaceuticals tend to kill far more people a year than the supplement industry...they need more regulation because the actives are more dangerous

[TZ]

9. Thats actually NOT true

Any many pharmaceutical companies do make things like Vitamin C and others. They are considered the best forms of it on the market. Look up pharmaceutical grade fish oil for one.
And pharma products go through 10 PLUS years of clinical trials to prove efficacy. They are actually MUCH safer, AS LONG AS PEOPLE TAKE THEM AS DIRECTED.
Also, lets not get into how many people per year die from drug- unreported herbal supplement interactions..Its quite a few. Plus a lot of herbs are very dangerous to take if you are having surgical procedures. Even minor ones. Unreported herbals kill more people than PROPERLY used medications.

[Oregone]

14. What's not true?

"Look up pharmaceutical grade fish oil"

Um, this is something that any company can make a claim to, and often do. What exactly does "pharmaceutical grade" mean? I know of a handful of small supplement companies that use this claim, which is based on nothing but marketing. I use to make labels for quite a few of them.


"And pharma products go through 10 PLUS years of clinical trials to prove efficacy"

Yes, something that would drastically impede upon natural supplements market availability.


"They are actually MUCH safer, AS LONG AS PEOPLE TAKE THEM AS DIRECTED."

This is simply fallacious. Just look at the warnings and precautions associated with normal usage (ya know the fine print in a magazine). People misusing natural supplements have caused far, far fewer deaths and complications than label usage of pharmaceuticals. Why? Pharmaceuticals are controlled substances that have far more efficient actives with more side effects. Its not that pharmaceuticals are bad...its that they work as intended and in other ways.


"Also, lets not get into how many people per year die from drug- unreported herbal supplement interactions..Its quite a few"

But let me guess...you can't prove it....because its unreported...so you just believe it...right?


"Unreported herbals kill more people than PROPERLY used medications."

:rofl:

[flamingdem]

12. I'm glad alternatives exist but they are some of the biggest lying moneygrubbers out there nt

[Oregone]

16. Totally agree

I felt like slime when I had to work for some in the past.

[flamingdem]

18. You know all then!

I've mostly be grateful but sometimes also made ill by supplements and natural approaches to medicine.

Most of all I wish I had the money back that some quacks convinced me to spend!

[Oregone]

4. Ive known this for years

A lot of raws come from China too...and some contain nasty shit

[TZ]

5. Yep.

The stuff from China scares me. What scares me more is how many people here bash China for its unethical practices on one hand and on the other can't get enough of their "wonderful herbal remedies"

[Oregone]

8. A lot of people don't know where its coming from

Supplement companies use a lot of smoke and mirrors to hide this stuff. A lot of them are smaller than they appear, and are simply business men seeking the greatest profit possible (which demands outsourcing). Sometimes the only thing made domestically is the actual labels. Sometimes they send the raws to a mixer who encapsulates domestically. But anyway...a lot of supplements are standing on marketing alone. They don't meet label claims often (and will sue you if you prove it) and contain some bad shit.

[rustydog]

7. Doesn't lead contain all natural ingredients?

Poison IVY is all natural too...
Natural does not necessarily mean it is safe for humans or animals.

[TZ]

10. Yep.

"Nature red and tooth and claw" always pops into my head when people start in on the if its natural it must be good for you...

[Ian David]

17. My feces is natural. I'm going to bottle it and start selling it in the DU Marketplace.

It cures Autism and prevents H1N1, according to the testimonials I'll have from people on the internet and a chiropractor or two.