It’s no secret that nutritional health supplements are big business! Understandably so, since many health food supplements can actually help increase your overall health and performance. However, some supplements can actually do more harm than good. I’ll get into the list of good and bad supplements (based on this Consumer reports article) in a moment. Before I get into the lists of good and potentially “bad” supplements, please consider this: ALL supplements are only the icing on the cake and DO NOT replace real food. In other words, don’t prioritize taking a vitamin C pill when you’re still eating fast food as your primary meal sources.
Consumer Reports a very interesting story titled.
In today’s post, I’ve summarized the recently released Consumer Reports article titled “The 12 Most Dangerous Supplements” and provided below, what I feel to be the key, take-home points form the article. I’ve also included the Consumer Reports list of the 12 Most Dangerous Supplements to avoid ( based on their reports) along with their list of supplements you should consider.
Here are (what I feel to be) the key, take-home points bullets from this Consumer Reports article:
– “More than half of the adult population have taken supplements to stay healthy, lose weight, gain an edge in sports or in the bedroom, and avoid using prescription drugs. In 2009, we spent $26.7 billion on them, according to the Nutrition Business Journal, a trade publication.”
– “What consumers might not realize, though, is that supplement manufacturers routinely, and legally, sell their products without first having to demonstrate that they are safe and effective. As a result, the supplement marketplace is not as safe as it should be.”
– “Working with experts from the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, an independent research group, we identified a group of ingredients (out of nearly 1,100 in the database) linked to serious adverse events by clinical research or case reports. To come up with our dozen finalists, we also considered factors such as whether the ingredients were effective for their purported uses and how readily available they were to consumers.”
– “The dozen are aconite, bitter orange, chaparral, colloidal silver, coltsfoot, comfrey, country mallow, germanium, greater celandine, kava, lobelia, and yohimbe. The FDA has warned about at least eight of them, some as long ago as 1993.”
– Of the more than 54,000 dietary supplement products in the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, only about a third have some level of safety and effectiveness that is supported by scientific evidence, according to a review by NMCD experts. And close to 12 percent have been linked to safety concerns or problems with product quality.”
-“It’s against the law for companies to claim that any supplement can prevent, treat, or cure any disease except some nutrient-deficiency conditions. But in the past two years, the Federal Trade Commission has filed or settled 30 cases against supplement marketers, charging that they made exactly those kinds of claims.”
– “Look for the “USP Verified” mark: It indicates that the supplement manufacturer has voluntarily asked U.S. Pharmacopeia, a trusted nonprofit, private standards-setting authority, to verify the quality, purity, and potency of its raw ingredients or finished products. USP maintains a list of verified products on its website.”
– “Research in the right places: Be skeptical about claims made for supplements in ads, on TV, and by sales staff. If a claim sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Instead, try these sources:”
– “Consumers might be attracted to dietary supplements because they’re “all natural” and don’t contain the synthetic chemicals found in prescription drugs. But they might be getting fooled.”
Consumer Reports List of Supplemnts to Avoid
“These supplement ingredients are among those linked by clinical research or case reports to serious side effects. We worked with the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, an independent research group that evaluates the safety and effectiveness of nutritional supplements, to develop this list. We think it’s wise to avoid all the ingredients on it. Unless otherwise noted, there’s insufficient evidence to rate their effectiveness for their purported uses. Dangers listed are not meant to be all-inclusive.”
– ACONITE
– COMFREY
– KAVA
– LOBELIA
– YOHIMBE
Go here to get more detailed information on the Consumer Reports list of Supplements to avoid, including: Also known as names of the supplements listed above, purported uses, possible dangers and additional comments on the above supplements.
11 Supplements to Consider
“These popular supplements, listed in alphabetical order, have been shown to likely be safe for most people and possibly or likely to be effective in appropriate doses for certain conditions. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before starting any supplement. Most supplements haven’t been studied in pregnant or nursing women. The list of interactions and side effects is not all-inclusive.”
– CALCIUM
– FISH OIL
– LACTASE
– PSYLLIUM
– PYGEUM
– SAMe
Go here for more details on the Consumer Reports list of Supplements to Consider, including: Also known as names of the above supplements, Efficacy for selected uses, Selected potential side effects, Selected drug interactions.
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