The 'Supplement' Illusion

[didymus]

The Atlantic:

The ‘Supplement’ Illusion

Many pills and capsules sold as herbal “supplements” contain little more than powdered rice and house plants, according to a report released Monday by the office of New York state attorney general Eric Schneiderman. An investigation found that nearly four of five herbal supplements do not contain the ingredients listed on labels, and many supplements—tested from among leading store-brand products sold at GNC, Target, Walmart, and Walgreens—contain no plant substance of any kind at all.

Cease-and-desist letters sent to the retailers yesterday demand removal of echinacea, ginseng, St. John’s wort, garlic, saw palmetto, and ginkgo biloba from store shelves. “Contamination, substitution, and falsely labeling herbal products constitute deceptive business practices and, more importantly, present considerable health risks,” the attorney general’s letters read. The brands named include Finest Nutrition, Spring Valley, Up & Up, and Herbal Plus

The orders are based on DNA analyses of products purchased from retail shelves. At Walmart, for example, the agency found the following:

• Ginkgo biloba: Contained no ginkgo biloba. Did contain rice, mustard, wheat, and radish.
• St. John’s wort: Contained no St. John’s wort. Did contain garlic, rice, and “a tropical root crop.”
• Ginseng: Contained no ginseng. Did contain wheat, rice, and citrus species.
• Garlic: One of 15 tests was positive for a small amount of garlic. Most of the genetic material, though, was from rice, palm, and wheat.
• Echinacea: Contained no echinacea, and no genetic material of any sort.
• Saw palmetto: Contained no saw palmetto.

The findings are striking in degree, if not in nature. Past studies by the Center for Biodiversity Genomics at the University of Guelph, among others, have shown that misinformation within the supplement industry is pervasive. These products are not required to be tested for purity or effectiveness with regard to any health claims on the part of the manufacturer. The label of one of the ginseng products at Walgreens, for example, promises enhanced “physical endurance and vitality.”

The Food and Drug Administration does have the power to remove these products from shelves retroactively, after ingredients are proven to be dangerous, which the agency has done in several recent cases. As Anahad O’Connor notes in* The New York Times* this morning, though, this is the first time that a law-enforcement agency has threatened major retail and drugstore chains with legal action for selling deliberately misleading herbal products.

I’m all for people taking worthless supplements if they want but selling them snake oil with no snake and no oil is just low.
Btw, it isn’t just supplements. I’ve read articles about DNA being run on fish and apparently if you buy salmon, whitefish or whatever it may something less pricy.

"Things are seldom what they seem,
“Skim milk masquerades as cream.”

 

[christofirst]

I do take supplements, and have done so for years. I truly suspect at times that their only real efficacy is the placebo effect, but that’s good enough for me . I do think manufacturers should be held to the fire to ensure that whatever it is they’re selling is actually what they claim it is (not a lot of substitutes and fillers). I am a little leery of increased regulation here, however, since this opens the door for lobbying interests like the pharmaceutical giants to gain an even stronger monopoly on the health care market.

 

[Suudy]

I’d been told by a couple of doctor friends that the USP label is important. Buying those generic supplements have no guarantee of the quality or purity of the contents. But apparently–at least according to the doctors I’ve talked with about it–USP is reputable and the label is meaningful.

The article doesn’t say, but I suspect that those items tested were the generics provided by GNC, Walgreens, etc. I looked at the letter linked in the article, and it doesn’t look like any brand name related to USP is listed.

 

[Path_Finder]

My biggest worry is more about the exorbitant prices that are out there for vitamins.

I definitely think it can be important to take vitamins and other supplements but one needs to be diligent on the matter.

One can look around and find vitamins and supplements at reasonable prices. You might be able to find such a product at a low-cost or elsewhere pay quite a bit for the same thing.

 

[FollowChrist34]

A healthy, balanced diet will provide all of the nutrients you need and your body will absorb them the way nature intended. I have always believed supplements are a hoax, hopefully harmless, possibly harmful. You can’t live on chocolate malts and fries and just take a daily megawatt multi-vitamin, some powdered garlic and st john’s wort - it just don’t work like that. Would you run your car on Coca-cola and a couple of vitamin C? Why not? Just my opinion. I do swear by the positive effects of tea, herbal, black and green, but then that does actually come straight from the earth more or less…you can make camomile tea out of the camomile that grows wild in your yard. Same with mint.

 

[Suudy]

A healthy, balanced diet will provide all of the nutrients you need and your body will absorb them the way nature intended. I have always believed supplements are a hoax, hopefully harmless, possibly harmful. You can’t live on chocolate malts and fries and just take a daily megawatt multi-vitamin, some powdered garlic and st john’s wort - it just don’t work like that. Would you run your car on Coca-cola and a couple of vitamin C? Why not? Just my opinion. I do swear by the positive effects of tea, herbal, black and green, but then that does actually come straight from the earth more or less…you can make camomile tea out of the camomile that grows wild in your yard. Same with mint.

I’ve always viewed supplements as exactly that–supplements. They aren’t intended as replacements. They also can help when there are defects in our bodies that need a little boost.

 

[maryjk]

**A healthy, balanced diet will provide all of the nutrients you need and your body will absorb them the way nature intended. ** ** I have always believed supplements are a hoax, hopefully harmless, possibly harmful. **You can’t live on chocolate malts and fries and just take a daily megawatt multi-vitamin, some powdered garlic and st john’s wort - it just don’t work like that. Would you run your car on Coca-cola and a couple of vitamin C? Why not? Just my opinion. I do swear by the positive effects of tea, herbal, black and green, but then that does actually come straight from the earth more or less…you can make camomile tea out of the camomile that grows wild in your yard. Same with mint.

Unless you have a disease or condition where a healthy balanced diet doesn’t provide enough. Then your only option is to do without or to supplement.

 

[LisaA]

A healthy, balanced diet will provide all of the nutrients you need and your body will absorb them the way nature intended. I have always believed supplements are a hoax, hopefully harmless, possibly harmful. You can’t live on chocolate malts and fries and just take a daily megawatt multi-vitamin, some powdered garlic and st john’s wort - it just don’t work like that. Would you run your car on Coca-cola and a couple of vitamin C? Why not? Just my opinion. I do swear by the positive effects of tea, herbal, black and green, but then that does actually come straight from the earth more or less…you can make camomile tea out of the camomile that grows wild in your yard. Same with mint.

Unfortunately most people don’t eat balanced diets. They are too high in refined carbs, too low in vegetables, quality meats/fish and healthy fats. Unfortunately the FDA and the diet industry has done us wrong in many of their guidelines.

I supplement with a greens powder because no way can I get the amount of vegetables you need to absorb the nutrients. My doctor has done blood tests and suggested supplementing with certain vitamins and supplements. I think you need to really educate yourself and also buy quality brands. As noted in the OP some of the products are not exactly (or even sort of) as they are advertised.

 

[FollowChrist34]

Unfortunately most people don’t eat balanced diets. They are too high in refined carbs, too low in vegetables, quality meats/fish and healthy fats. Unfortunately the FDA and the diet industry has done us wrong in many of their guidelines.

I supplement with a greens powder because no way can I get the amount of vegetables you need to absorb the nutrients. My doctor has done blood tests and suggested supplementing with certain vitamins and supplements. I think you need to really educate yourself and also buy quality brands. As noted in the OP some of the products are not exactly (or even sort of) as they are advertised.

I respect that - I am fine with people supplementing their diets as necessary under the guidance of a physician. I agree that there is a difference between quality (usually more expensive products) and cheaper brands. (I shop at Whole Foods. It is one of the biggest drains on my budget - but to me it is an investment and so far it has paid off, knock on wood; I don’t have any deficiencies, iron, calcium, etc. in my blood tests at my physical, good on Vitamin D) And I do take brewer’s yeast (just once a week). It is a supplement, but I really take it just because I like the taste (yes, I know that is weird); I put it in a blender with orange juice - tastes like a malt to me. I honestly don’t know if my body gets those nutrients or not! It’s very expensive.

My comments were really directed toward trying to get people to eat healthier. I think that is the secret - of course there are exceptions. But an ounce of prevention is a pound of cure. People do take better care of their animals and cars than they do themselves. And they don’t know enough about how to cook to make balanced, healthy meals. They do stupid things like cut out all the fats and then just give up in a couple of weeks - we should just cook with olive oil or canola oil or butter, etc. It’s not about being miserable or extreme; that is a recipe for disaster.

 

[Giggly_Giraffe]

Half of these products are advertised to increase a man’s libedo … The other half is advertised for healthy heart ---- to give men healthy libedo’s. Source: ex-boyfriend who took steriroids wondering if he is on the phone screeming at some poor employee at GNC for this???

As a consumer of prenatal vitamins (needed for a possible healthy baby) I do worry about other supplements. When I took care of my dad who had a lung transplant, the doctor would proscribe we goto “GNC” for magnesium supplement (dosage included). Also I had an OBGYN specifically send me to Whole Foods for DHEA & B-12 Methlocobamin. I do hope the FDA does more busts like this.

 

[Giggly_Giraffe]

If I remember correctly, there is a monopoly on the producers of vaccines, & most supplements. I heard that some medicine also has this issue because of the monopoly.

 

[pensmama87]

Ughhhhh not what I wanted to read just after stocking up on vitamins (there were a bunch of great sales and coupons around New Year’s!)

We just do multis, and right now I’m on a prenatal multi. I do make an effort for our family to eat lots of produce and focus on healthy foods but we are on an insanely tight budget. I can spare $5 for a coupon/sale combo bottle of multivitamins that will last me three months, but I can’t guarantee having the money to buy enough fresh stuff to get those nutrients completely from food (especially in winter!). Not to mention cooking is gross to me at the moment and my husband, God bless him, forgets that he needs more than just meat to make dinner.

My mother-in-law drinks those green powder smoothies. Even without morning sickness…blech. (Those strike me as snake-oily, too, but then, she’s done a LOT of health food fads and other weird health-related things.)

 

[JamalChristophr]

Ughhhhh not what I wanted to read just after stocking up on vitamins (there were a bunch of great sales and coupons around New Year’s!)

We just do multis, and right now I’m on a prenatal multi. I do make an effort for our family to eat lots of produce and focus on healthy foods but we are on an insanely tight budget. I can spare $5 for a coupon/sale combo bottle of multivitamins that will last me three months, but I can’t guarantee having the money to buy enough fresh stuff to get those nutrients completely from food (especially in winter!). Not to mention cooking is gross to me at the moment and my husband, God bless him, forgets that he needs more than just meat to make dinner.

My mother-in-law drinks those green powder smoothies. Even without morning sickness…blech. (Those strike me as snake-oily, too, but then, she’s done a LOT of health food fads and other weird health-related things.)

I would highly encourage a high quality omega-3 supplement, as they are especially important for the mom’s health and the baby’s well-being. They promote a very healthy brain for both, and are said to help with the baby’s intellgience. You might do some research if you like.