Supplements at major retailers are a scam

[planosteve]

The New York State attorney general’s office accused four major retailers on Monday of selling fraudulent and potentially dangerous herbal supplements and demanded that they remove the products from their shelves.

The authorities said they had conducted tests on top-selling store brands of herbal supplements at four national retailers — GNC, Target, Walgreens and Walmart — and found that four out of five of the products did not contain any of the herbs on their labels. The tests showed that pills labeled medicinal herbs often contained little more than cheap fillers like powdered rice, asparagus and houseplants, and in some cases substances that could be dangerous to those with allergies.

The investigation came as a welcome surprise to health experts who have long complained about the quality and safety of dietary supplements, which are exempt from the strict regulatory oversight applied to prescription drugs.

The Food and Drug Administration has targeted individual supplements found to contain dangerous ingredients. But the announcement Monday was the first time that a law enforcement agency had threatened the biggest retail and drugstore chains with legal action for selling what it said were deliberately misleading herbal products.

Among the attorney general’s findings was a popular store brand of ginseng pills at Walgreens, promoted for “physical endurance and vitality,” that contained only powdered garlic and rice. At Walmart, the authorities found that its ginkgo biloba, a Chinese plant promoted as a memory enhancer, contained little more than powdered radish, houseplants and wheat — despite a claim on the label that the product was wheat- and gluten-free.

Three out of six herbal products at Target — ginkgo biloba, St. John’s wort and valerian root, a sleep aid — tested negative for the herbs on their labels. But they did contain powdered rice, beans, peas and wild carrots. And at GNC, the agency said, it found pills with unlisted ingredients used as fillers, like powdered legumes, the class of plants that includes peanuts and soybeans, a hazard for people with allergies.

The attorney general sent the four retailers cease-and-desist letters on Monday and demanded that they explain what procedures they use to verify the ingredients in their supplements.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/03/new-york-attorney-general-targets-supplements-at-major-retailers/?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share&_r=0

[crackertoes]

With the exception of doctor-prescribed supplements for an established deficiency, supplements are a scam PERIOD.

[planosteve]

With the exception of doctor-prescribed supplements for an established deficiency, supplements are a scam PERIOD.

I agree. I wish I could convince my wife. She takes a bunch of them.

[millergrovesue]

I understand that some people are completely overboard on the supplement wagon. But too many doctors are completely ignorant when it comes to supplements. They have been overly influenced by pharmaceutical reps and advertising.

[millergrovesue]

I understand that some people are completely overboard on the supplement wagon. But too many doctors are completely ignorant when it comes to supplements. They have been overly influenced by pharmaceutical reps and advertising.

I should have said I wouldn't trust a traditionally trained physician who practices traditional medicine to advise me on supplements. The vast majority of them have very little knowledge when it comes to nutrition.

[ann jusko]

The research is there and so compelling on cinnamon. I take it and there's no doubt it IS cinnamon. Burp and you'll know for sure it is cinnamon. I know two surgeons who take it to level blood sugar during long surgeries. They can't exactly have a sandwich during the procedure. The reason I know this is they commented on it when checking my medications prior to surgery. To infer that doctors don't keep up with research is painting with a very broad brush. My internist called me to tell me about the research on zinc. I have an auto immune disease. Zinc has been found to be very helpful. I take 100mg per day and have had NO problems for 2 years. That's phenomenal.