Not So Super Supplements

The current generation is perhaps the first generation to possess medicine cabinets more extensive than those of their grandparents.

However, the medicine cabinets of the younger generation are not filled with prescriptions for Lipitor or Plavix, nor are they proven to lower blood pressure, lessen arterial plaque, or cure any ailment: in fact, many of the pills and tablets consumed by Americans today are not scientifically proven to do much of anything.

About 25 billion dollars a year are spent by American on questionable dietary supplements and products including vitamins, minerals, and protein powders.

In fact, many of these products engage in what is known as “Nutritional Quackery”, the practice of deceiving customers with nutritional claims regarding their products. These deceitful claims include claims from fake Medical Practitioners, false claims (“Lose five pounds in five days!”), and insufficient scientific research and reports.

In 2008, an extensive amount of research conducted by sports dieticians (Kundrat, S. & Rockwell, M. ) and Advanced Supplement Testing systems found that 100 of the most common dietary supplements and substances did not contain the amount of product listed on their labels.

Pyruvate, a supplement commonly used by weight lifters, was labeled by the company as containing 500 mg of the product. Once tested, it really contained only 106 mg.

Even more alarming, Bulk Builder was labeled to contain 50 g of protein and 0 g of carbohydrates. In reality, the pill contained 4 g of protein and 53 g of carbohydrates.

Perhaps the scariest of false labeling lies in the fact that 20% of substances tested contained banned products not listed on the label.

Professional athletes taking these substances then underwent regular drug screenings prior to competition and were unable to compete because they were unknowingly consuming the banned products.

There are SOME laws governing supplement production and marketing, but the regulations are loose at best.

In 1994 the Dietary Supplement Health and Education at generalized dietary supplements under “foods” instead of “drugs”.

Therefore, supplements do not need approval from the FDA before they are marketed. Additionally, the safety testing of the supplements is left up to the manufacturers, with the FDA having no hand in the tests conducted. The manufacturers do not need to provide any evidence to the FDA regarding the safety of the supplement unless it contains a dietary ingredient not sold in the U.S. prior to 1994.

In 1999 a law was passed requiring all supplements to carry a nutritional facts label on the bottle, but as mentioned previously, these labels often contains false information. A law passed in 2007 requires that supplements be produced in a “quality” manner.

To ensure that you are purchasing a product that carries the content and amount of Vitamin or Mineral listed on the label:

Check for the U.S.P symbol (U.S. Pharmacopoeia) label on the bottle. This symbol will indicate that the product’s manufacturers followed the set of standards created by the U.S.P for the strength, labeling, purity, and quality of the product.

Do NOT assume that a product is “safe” just because it is “natural”. Many “natural” products are harmful to humans.

You probably wouldn’t consume Mercury right? Mercury is natural. Remember that.

Before consuming any supplement, consider why you should take it. There are many groups of people who can benefit from the use of supplements, and many whom can reach their appropriate nutrient recommendations without any sort of dietary supplement.

The opposite is also true. Those who are taking certain prescription medications or those with certain diseases should not take extra supplements, as these extra doses of Vitamins and Minerals can be highly harmful and potentially fatal.

For instance, children not drinking fluoridated water can benefit from fluoride supplements. However, if children are already drinking fluoridated water and are then given a supplement, Fluoride Toxicity will occur easily, causing decay of teeth and bone, muscle wasting, joint pain, and even crippling or death.

Those individuals who may benefit from Dietary Supplements Include but are not limited to:

-Children not drinking fluoridate water
-Overweight children on a Calorie-restricted diet
-Those with strict vegetarian or vegan diets
-Pregnant women and teenagers, or those who may become pregnant
-Lactating women and teenagers
-People on weight reduction diets for a long period of time
-Women at risk for Osteoporosis
-People recovering from serious surgeries or illnesses

-Those with wasting diseases such as HIV/AIDS
People who have vitamin malabsorptive diseases
-Those with anemia
-Elderly People
-People with lactose intolerance
-People with portions of their intestinal tract removed
-Those with a medically tested and proven Vitamin or Mineral deficiency

If you fall into one of the above categories, contact your physician to discuss whether or not you may benefit by consuming a supplement. Always consult a physician before consuming a supplement; even if you do not fall into one of the above categories, as supplements may interfere with drugs you are already taking (even drugs as common as aspirin).

Those who may be harmed by the consumption of supplements include but are not limited to:

-Those taking fluoride supplements while drinking fluoridated water.
-Those taking supplements in hope of curing cancer, diabetes, heart disease, or serious illness: Supplements are not drugs and should not be consumed for the purpose of curing such diseases. -Consult with your doctor on what treatment methods and drugs are best for you.
-Those taking blood thinning drugs (such as aspirin). Vitamin E, for instance, when taken with blood thinning drugs, can cause excessive and sometimes fatal bleeding.
-Those taking non-medically advised supplements
-Those taking non-medically advised supplements ESPECIALLY if they have liver or kidney diseases. In the event of these diseases, certain types of supplements cannot be properly metabolized, putting the patient at a very high risk for toxicity.

Before purchasing any supplement, remember to consider why you may benefit from the consumption of the product, and weigh the pros and cons with your physician. Supplements should be considered in the same league as other drugs: incredibly beneficial to some, but possibly fatal in the wrong hands.