The Dirty Dozen in Suppllements
Apr. 10th, 2004 05:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thedarksiren2Due to my recent choices in dieting, I have become much more aware of the different ingredients in foods (Also, I lost 2 more lbs this week. YAY!). I also take a bunch of vitamins, although none seem to have any of the following -- pretty straight-up calcium, vitamin E, B-6 & B-12, multivitamins, etc. I may have to check out the multi-vitamin after I get home though. I don't recall having seen any of these ingredients, but who knows. My memory has been such shite as of late...
Anyway, I know I am not the only one here on a diet and taking supplements. Hope you find this info useful.
~8)
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'Dirty Dozen' of Dietary Supplements Named - Consumer Reports Issues List of Potentially Dangerous Supplements
By Jennifer Warner - WebMD Medical News
Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD
April 1, 2004 -- Despite known hazards, many potentially dangerous dietary supplements are readily available for purchase in stores and on the Internet, according to a new report from Consumer Reports.
Today, the magazine released its "dirty dozen" list of dietary supplements that it says are too dangerous to be on the market.
The list includes yohimbe, bitter orange, chaparral, and andro. But researchers say the supplements are sold under many names, which makes it hard for consumers to know what they're getting.
Many of the supplements that made the list have already been banned in other countries. But researchers say regulatory barriers created by Congress have prevented the FDA from taking similar actions to protect consumers in this country.
{Just my own thought here, but this kinda scares me.}
The announcement coincides with a report on supplement safety issued today by the Institute of Medicine, which suggests that the FDA should take action against potentially hazardous dietary supplements and asks Congress to ease restraints on the agency.
Dirty Dozen of Dietary Supplements
Researchers from the consumer magazine say the supplements that made its "dirty dozen" list may cause cancer, severe liver or kidney damage, heart problems, or even death.
For example, they say the herb aristolochia has been conclusively linked to kidney failure and cancer in China, Europe, Japan, and the U.S. Yohimbe, a supplement marketed as a sexual stimulant and herbal Viagra, has been linked to heart and respiratory problems. The supplement bitter orange, whose ingredients have effects similar to those of the banned weight-loss stimulant ephedra, is also on the list of potentially dangerous supplements.
Many of these dietary supplements are sold in both single and combination products marketed for a wide variety of uses, from building muscle and losing weight to easing stress and arthritis.
Researchers divided the list into three categories based on the amount of available evidence about the dietary supplement: definitely hazardous, very likely hazardous, and likely hazardous.
Since the brand names of the products containing the dirty dozen supplement ingredients vary widely, researchers say consumers should read ingredient labels carefully and look for the following:
Definitely Hazardous
*Aristolochic acid (Aristolochia, birthwort, snakeroot, snakeweed, snagree root, sangrel, serpentary, wild ginger).They list this as having caused documented human cancers, and it is linked to kidney failure.
Very Likely Hazardous -- These are banned in other countries, have an FDA warning, or show adverse effects in studies:
*Comfrey (Symphytum officinale, ass ear, black root, blackwort, bruisewort, consolidae radix, consound, gum plant, healing herb, knitback, knitbone, salsify, slippery root, symphytum radix, wallwort). Abnormal liver function or damage, often irreversible; deaths reported.
*Androstenedione (4-androstene-3, 17-dione, andro, androstene). Increased cancer risks and decreases in "good" HDL cholesterol have been reported.
*Chaparral (Larrea divaricata, creosote bush, greasewood, hediondilla, jarilla, larreastat). Abnormal liver function has been linked to use.
*Germander (Teucrium chamaedrys, wall germander, wild germander). Abnormal liver function has been linked to use.
*Kava (Piper methysticum, ava, awa, gea, gi, intoxicating pepper, kao, kavain, kawa-pfeffer, kew, long pepper, malohu, maluk, meruk, milik, rauschpfeffer, sakau, tonga, wurzelstock, yagona, yangona). Abnormal liver function has been linked to use.
Likely Hazardous -- These have adverse-event reports or theoretical risks.
*Bitter orange (Citrus aurantium, green orange, kijitsu, neroli oil, Seville orange, shangzhou zhiqiao, sour orange, zhi oiao, zhi xhi). High blood pressure; increased risk of heart arrhythmias, heart attack, and stroke are risks associated with use.
*Organ/glandular extracts (brain/adrenal/pituitary/placenta/other gland "substance" or "concentrate"). Theoretical risk of mad cow disease, particularly from brain extracts.
*Lobelia (Lobelia inflata, asthma weed, bladderpod, emetic herb, gagroot, lobelie, indian tobacco, pukeweed, vomit wort, wild tobacco). Difficulty breathing and rapid heart rates are thought to be associated with this.
*Pennyroyal oil (Hedeoma pulegioides, lurk-in-the-ditch, mosquito plant, piliolerial, pudding grass, pulegium, run-by-the-ground, squaw balm, squawmint, stinking balm, tickweed). Liver and kidney failure, nerve damage, convulsions, abdominal tenderness, burning of the throat are risks; deaths have been reported.
*Scullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora, blue pimpernel, helmet flower, hoodwort, mad weed, mad-dog herb, mad-dog weed, quaker bonnet, scutelluria, skullcap). Abnormal liver damage.
*Yohimbe (Pausinystalia yohimbe, johimbi, yohimbehe, yohimbine). Blood pressure changes, heart beat irregularities and heart attacks have been reported.
Experts say it's important to tell your doctor about any dietary supplement you may be taking. Not only do many supplements have significant side effects, but they may also interfere with the effectiveness of prescribed medications, such as birth control pills.
SOURCES: Consumer Reports, May 2004. News release, Consumer's Union. FDA. Institute of Medicine.
Anyway, I know I am not the only one here on a diet and taking supplements. Hope you find this info useful.
~8)
+++
'Dirty Dozen' of Dietary Supplements Named - Consumer Reports Issues List of Potentially Dangerous Supplements
By Jennifer Warner - WebMD Medical News
Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD
April 1, 2004 -- Despite known hazards, many potentially dangerous dietary supplements are readily available for purchase in stores and on the Internet, according to a new report from Consumer Reports.
Today, the magazine released its "dirty dozen" list of dietary supplements that it says are too dangerous to be on the market.
The list includes yohimbe, bitter orange, chaparral, and andro. But researchers say the supplements are sold under many names, which makes it hard for consumers to know what they're getting.
Many of the supplements that made the list have already been banned in other countries. But researchers say regulatory barriers created by Congress have prevented the FDA from taking similar actions to protect consumers in this country.
{Just my own thought here, but this kinda scares me.}
The announcement coincides with a report on supplement safety issued today by the Institute of Medicine, which suggests that the FDA should take action against potentially hazardous dietary supplements and asks Congress to ease restraints on the agency.
Researchers from the consumer magazine say the supplements that made its "dirty dozen" list may cause cancer, severe liver or kidney damage, heart problems, or even death.
For example, they say the herb aristolochia has been conclusively linked to kidney failure and cancer in China, Europe, Japan, and the U.S. Yohimbe, a supplement marketed as a sexual stimulant and herbal Viagra, has been linked to heart and respiratory problems. The supplement bitter orange, whose ingredients have effects similar to those of the banned weight-loss stimulant ephedra, is also on the list of potentially dangerous supplements.
Many of these dietary supplements are sold in both single and combination products marketed for a wide variety of uses, from building muscle and losing weight to easing stress and arthritis.
Researchers divided the list into three categories based on the amount of available evidence about the dietary supplement: definitely hazardous, very likely hazardous, and likely hazardous.
Since the brand names of the products containing the dirty dozen supplement ingredients vary widely, researchers say consumers should read ingredient labels carefully and look for the following:
Definitely Hazardous
*Aristolochic acid (Aristolochia, birthwort, snakeroot, snakeweed, snagree root, sangrel, serpentary, wild ginger).They list this as having caused documented human cancers, and it is linked to kidney failure.
Very Likely Hazardous -- These are banned in other countries, have an FDA warning, or show adverse effects in studies:
*Comfrey (Symphytum officinale, ass ear, black root, blackwort, bruisewort, consolidae radix, consound, gum plant, healing herb, knitback, knitbone, salsify, slippery root, symphytum radix, wallwort). Abnormal liver function or damage, often irreversible; deaths reported.
*Androstenedione (4-androstene-3, 17-dione, andro, androstene). Increased cancer risks and decreases in "good" HDL cholesterol have been reported.
*Chaparral (Larrea divaricata, creosote bush, greasewood, hediondilla, jarilla, larreastat). Abnormal liver function has been linked to use.
*Germander (Teucrium chamaedrys, wall germander, wild germander). Abnormal liver function has been linked to use.
*Kava (Piper methysticum, ava, awa, gea, gi, intoxicating pepper, kao, kavain, kawa-pfeffer, kew, long pepper, malohu, maluk, meruk, milik, rauschpfeffer, sakau, tonga, wurzelstock, yagona, yangona). Abnormal liver function has been linked to use.
Likely Hazardous -- These have adverse-event reports or theoretical risks.
*Bitter orange (Citrus aurantium, green orange, kijitsu, neroli oil, Seville orange, shangzhou zhiqiao, sour orange, zhi oiao, zhi xhi). High blood pressure; increased risk of heart arrhythmias, heart attack, and stroke are risks associated with use.
*Organ/glandular extracts (brain/adrenal/pituitary/placenta/other gland "substance" or "concentrate"). Theoretical risk of mad cow disease, particularly from brain extracts.
*Lobelia (Lobelia inflata, asthma weed, bladderpod, emetic herb, gagroot, lobelie, indian tobacco, pukeweed, vomit wort, wild tobacco). Difficulty breathing and rapid heart rates are thought to be associated with this.
*Pennyroyal oil (Hedeoma pulegioides, lurk-in-the-ditch, mosquito plant, piliolerial, pudding grass, pulegium, run-by-the-ground, squaw balm, squawmint, stinking balm, tickweed). Liver and kidney failure, nerve damage, convulsions, abdominal tenderness, burning of the throat are risks; deaths have been reported.
*Scullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora, blue pimpernel, helmet flower, hoodwort, mad weed, mad-dog herb, mad-dog weed, quaker bonnet, scutelluria, skullcap). Abnormal liver damage.
*Yohimbe (Pausinystalia yohimbe, johimbi, yohimbehe, yohimbine). Blood pressure changes, heart beat irregularities and heart attacks have been reported.
Experts say it's important to tell your doctor about any dietary supplement you may be taking. Not only do many supplements have significant side effects, but they may also interfere with the effectiveness of prescribed medications, such as birth control pills.
SOURCES: Consumer Reports, May 2004. News release, Consumer's Union. FDA. Institute of Medicine.
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no subject
Date: 2004-04-10 07:36 pm (UTC)When considering vitamins, not all forms of the "same" vitamin or mineral are equal. The cheapest and most widely used calcium supplement - calcium carbonate - is basically chalk dust, and doesn't absorb very well at all. Taking a lot of it over a long time could possibly result in a buildup of mineral deposits.
Calcium is so widely added to foods, and so abundant in many healthy foods, that most people don't benefit much from supplementation. There is still NO conclusive evidence that taking a calcium supplement will reduce the risk of bone fractures or osteoporosis. Diet is the main factor. And no, milk is not the ideal source of calcium. The high protein content of cow's milk actually causes calcium loss. Same with meat.
Another thing to consider when taking calcium is that the USA has the highest RDA in the world at 1000 mg. We also have the highest osteoporosis rate. People in other countries get by much better than we do on a fraction of our calcium intake. It's suspected that they are able to do so because they eat less animal protein and don't drink a lot of coffee and soda. High acidity in the diet - and high amounts of foods that promote acidity - are more closely associated with weak bones than low calcium intake.
In fact, taking too much calcium can make your bones worse off by causing a magnesium deficiency. Magnesium is an important mineral in bone formation and also for the nervous system and muscles. You generally need more calcium than magnesium, but a magnesium deficiency has more severe effects. Because Ca and Mg have the same valence, they directly compete with each other for uptake. Other countries set the RDA for magnesium higher than we do and the RDA for calcium lower. Too much calcium can result in brittle bones and nerve damage.
Now there's food for thought.
Even though I sell them for a living, I actually don't take a multivitamin or any other supplement on even a remotely regular basis. Of course, I am far from the picture of perfect health, but that's mainly because I don't eat enough.
no subject
Date: 2004-04-11 04:48 am (UTC)Actually, I take calcium for reasons that have zero to do with osteoporosis. I did a bit of research after seeing something in a doctor's office a few years ago, and it has proven very effective in minimizing the monthly madness I suffer from, PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder). It doesn't stop the hormonal crazies entirely, but it certainly helps make my life more tolerable than when I didn't take calcium regularly.
It is said it also aids in weight loss, but I am not so certain of the evidence in this. I cannot say that it has aided me in that department.
I knew about the magnesium deficiency c/o
I have seen and heard of many of these herbs, and know that some of them truly have bad effects on me personally. Then again, so does aspartame -- talk about a nasty substance! I have seriously adverse effects to it, as does my father - he is highly allergic to it.
Thanks for the extra info. Always appreciated!~8)