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September 7th, 2012 at 3:02 pm
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Here is a summary of some of the more salient points of the September Consumer Reports article I posted about yesterday:
Yonkers, NY – In a new report in its September issue and online at www.ConsumerReports.org , Consumer Reports identifies ten hazards that might surprise the large swath of American adults—more than 50 percent—who take vitamins, herbs, or other nutritional supplements.
“Patients sometimes assume that supplements are safe because they are ‘all natural,' but not all supplements are truly natural. In fact, one of the greatest safety hazards to consumers involves supplements that have been spiked with prescription drugs or toxic metals,” said Jose Luis Mosquera, M.D., medical adviser, Consumer Reports, and an internist who specializes in integrative health and medicine.
Consumer Reports identifies ten hazards distilled from interviews with experts, published research, and its own analysis of reports of serious adverse events submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.
Here are some of the hazards discussed in the report, plus advice for staying safe:
Supplements are not risk-free. More than 6,300 reports describing an excess of 10,300 serious outcomes, including 115 deaths and more than 2,100 hospitalizations, 1,000 serious injuries or illnesses, 900 emergency-room visits, and some 4,000 other important medical events, streamed into the FDA from supplement companies, consumers, health-care providers, and others between 2007 and mid-April 2012.
CR notes that the reports by themselves don't prove that supplements caused the problems, but the raw numbers are cause for concern. Current laws make it difficult for the FDA to order a problem product off the market. In fact, to date, the FDA has banned only one ingredient, ephedrine alkaloids.
Protect yourself: Search the FDA's website at www.fda.gov for warnings, alerts, or voluntary recalls involving a supplement you are thinking of taking. If you suspect you're having a bad reaction to a supplement, tell your doctor. You can also report your problem to the FDA at 800-332-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.
Some supplements are really prescription drugs. According to Daniel Fabricant, Ph.D, director of the FDA's Division of Dietary Supplement Programs, dietary supplements spiked with prescription drugs are the “largest threat” to consumer safety. Many recalled products have the same or similar active ingredients as prescription drugs such as sildenafil (Viagra), tadalafil (Cialis), and sibutramine (Meridia, a weight-loss drug that was removed from the market in 2010 because of evidence that it increased the risk of heart attacks and strokes).
Others contained synthetic steroids. “As a result, adulterated products can cause some of the same side effects and interactions that a consumer may be trying to avoid by opting for supplements instead of prescription drugs,” says Dr. Mosquera.
Protect yourself. Consult your doctor if you are having trouble in the bedroom (it could indicate an underlying health problem). And try to slim down with diet and exercise. Build muscle by weight training.
You can overdose on vitamins and minerals. Unless your health-care provider tells you that you need more than 100 percent of the recommended daily intake of a particular nutrient, you probably don't. Megadoses of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K can cause problems, and even some standard doses may interfere with certain prescription medicines. “Surprisingly, some people may experience adverse effects from even normal doses of a vitamin or mineral supplement, especially patients with digestive issues or those who take blood thinners,” says Dr. Mosquera.
Protect yourself: Using information from the labels on the supplements and food you routinely consume, add up your daily exposure to everything, and then check CR's “How much is too much?” table to see if you're overdoing it.
You can't depend on warning labels. For one thing, the FDA doesn't require them on supplements with one important exception, iron. In a market basket study of 233 products purchased online and in the New York City metropolitan area, Consumer Reports found wide variations and inconsistencies in labeling.
Protect yourself: Make sure your doctor or pharmacist knows what supplements and prescription drugs you are taking or thinking of taking. You can also check for interactions by using Consumer Reports' “Guide: 100+ Commonly Used Supplements.” To access the free guide, go to www.ConsumerReports.org/health and click on “Natural Health.”
Heart and cancer protection: not proven. Omega-3 pills and antioxidants are widely thought to reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer, respectively, and millions of women take calcium to protect their bones. But recent evidence casts doubt on whether those supplements are as safe or effective as assumed. The report notes that the widely held view that fish-oil pills help prevent cardiovascular disease hit a snag when a study of 12,500 people with diabetes or prediabetes and a high risk of heart attack or stroke found no difference in the death rate from cardiovascular disease or other outcomes between those given a 1-gram fish-oil pill every day and those given a placebo. These findings were published in a June 11th, 2012, issue of New England Journal of Medicine online report.
Consumer Reports also notes a recent blow against calcium supplements by German and Swiss researchers who followed almost 24,000 adults for an average of 11 years. They found that regular users of calcium supplements had an 86 percent increased heart-attack risk compared with those who didn't use supplements, as reported in the June 2012 issue of the Journal Heart.
Protect yourself: Lay off the antioxidant supplements and reduce your cancer risk safely by quitting smoking, avoiding excessive alcohol, and eating a healthy diet that includes plenty of fruit, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and whole grains.
To put some of this information in perspective for our clients and readers, the risks cited in this article are quite small when one considers that according to the AMA 290 deaths occur each day due to prescription drugs
As no one seems to believe these numbers are real, I'll quote the source: The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Vol 284, No 4, July 26th 2000, authored by Dr Barbara Starfield, MD, MPH, of the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health.
That study, which is twelve years old -- and drug deaths have risen considerably since then -- documents 106,000 deaths per year from the "adverse effects" of FDA-approved prescription medications.
That being said, two take away lessons are true....nothing on this earth is completely risk free, and yes, as with any product know exactly where it is coming from, who the manufacter is and what their safety record is. As I published earlier this year here in my Dateline Story our distributor Emerson as well as our Manufacturers: Douglas Labs, RxVitamins, Emerita, Metagenics and all the others I represent and distribute have an IMMACULATE safety profile and their quality control measures are available for all to see...and speak for themselves!
As stated in my Dateline rebuttal, reports of supplements adulterated with drugs and toxins are associated only with fly by night, unscrupulous operations that no one knows anything about. While I recognize our products cost a bit more they are substances you are putting into your bodies and therefore should be taken seriously indeed!
I agree with the report that people can and do overdose on vitamins and herbs. Many first time clients appear at my clinic in Arlington Heights with bags of things they are taking with no knowlege or wisdom whatsoever...one of the first things I do is make certain they haven't overdosed or created a conflict with their medications. The interaction resource linked above is a good reference for laypersons. I also agree that many supplements widely sold are unregulated drugs and some actually contain toxins and drugs. I do not sell or dispense these items and never have or will! I only prescribe and dispense natural supplements that have existed for aeons and have an excellent safety profile and been thoroughly researched.
I also agree and do not like to see people self treating for symptoms that may be indicative of medical problems. These symptoms should be investigated by the individual and their medical doctors. It is also possible to overload on a vitamin such as D or iron, even if you have been tested as deficient in since people respond to vitamin therapy in their own unique fashion and time.
Lastly, with respect to research and epidemiologic studies as non scientists many people can be misled by sensational headlines, when in fact, with respect to epidemiology two things are in fact true. One, NEVER can conclusions be drawn from these studies with regard to specific nutrients. These studies sometimes illuminate areas in need of more study with controlled experiments, but really nothing more....
Lastly, calcification of arteries and heart attacks is again a complex physiologic and biochemical area...here is a review of the actual process:
Cardiovascular calcification, or the buildup of calcium plaques in the arteries of the heart, presents an increased risk of heart attack or stroke. Bits of plaque can break off and be carried by the bloodstream to critical junctures in the body and brain causing serious illness and death.
A variety of factors can cause calcification, including lack of exercise, a high-fat, high-sugar diet, obesity, diabetes, and low intake of vitamin K. To reduce the risk of further calcification, physicians generally recommend treatment with cholesterol-reducing drugs, diet, exercise and other lifestyle changes. To suggest that the cause is calcium supplementation is well, simplistic at best...but certainly grabs attention!
I hope this information reaches you in good health and spirits and answers some of your questions! I certainly hope you will visit our natural pharmacy for my personal recommendations on HUNDREDS of natural products with great prices and FREE shipping! If you are searching for a natural doctor or acupuncturist in the Chicago suburbs read about our award-wnning clinic right here!
My best to you!
Best of Health!
Visit our Natural Product Pharmacy for top prices and FREE SHIPPING on hundreds of natural products from professional brands like: Metagenics, Douglas Laboratories, Pure Encapsulations, Integrative Therapeutics, Thorne Research, and Carlson Labs!
Taryn DeCicco, ND, LAc, LDN
Naturopath
Acupuncturist
Clinical Nutritionist
Professional Vitamins and Supplements
Chinese Herbs
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Arlington Heights, IL
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