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Spike in Harm to Liver Is Tied to Dietary Aids (supplements)
NY Times ^ | 12/21/2013 | ANAHAD O’CONNOR

Posted on 12/21/2013 9:50:34 PM PST by UnwashedPeasant

Christopher, a high school student from Katy, Tex., suffered severe liver damage after using a concentrated green tea extract he bought at a nutrition store as a “fat burning” supplement. The damage was so extensive that he was put on the waiting list for a liver transplant....

Dietary supplements account for nearly 20 percent of drug-related liver injuries that turn up in hospitals, up from 7 percent a decade ago, according to an analysis by a national network of liver specialists....

“It’s really the Wild West,” said Dr. Herbert L. Bonkovsky, the director of the liver, digestive and metabolic disorders laboratory at Carolinas HealthCare System in Charlotte, N.C. “When people buy these dietary supplements, it’s anybody’s guess as to what they’re getting.” ...

But the supplement business is largely unregulated....

“When a product is regulated, you know the benefits and the risks and you can make an informed decision about whether or not to take it,” he said.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Health/Medicine
KEYWORDS: dietarysupplements; supplements
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To: UnwashedPeasant

California has now outlawed Cinnimon + Gymena + Mulberry exteact that ive taken for years and works for diabetes better than the Big pharma products that i was taking

Big gov and big pharma are the problem

do agree some foreign products need to be scrutinized however


21 posted on 12/21/2013 11:10:04 PM PST by jcon40
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To: willywill
No side effects? Have you ever listened to a pharmaceutical commercial on TV as they run down the list?

Sheesh!

22 posted on 12/21/2013 11:12:15 PM PST by Smokin' Joe (How often God must weep at humans' folly. Stand fast. God knows what He is doing.)
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To: jcon40

Turmeric!

I bought another jar today!


23 posted on 12/21/2013 11:13:17 PM PST by djf (Global warming is a bunch of hot air!!)
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To: djf

Tumeric! yep i take that one too - inflamation - body doesnt develop tolerance to it either I am told


24 posted on 12/21/2013 11:22:51 PM PST by jcon40
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To: Smokin' Joe

ok, I kind of thought you didn’t have to say something was sarc if it was totally retarded.
but, yeah, I was being sarc by saying they want to regulate vitamins, when the regulator, th fda, has an abysmal track record.


25 posted on 12/21/2013 11:27:24 PM PST by willywill
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To: jcon40

I take about 1/2 or 3/4 tsp a day, mixed in warm water.

I should use olive oil instead...

Helps my sinuses, which get fubarred over the winter when it’s so dry.
(my pellet stove makes my house dry as a bone)


26 posted on 12/21/2013 11:30:36 PM PST by djf (Global warming is a bunch of hot air!!)
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To: djf

Re Tumeric

was just reading its primary medicinal use is for stomach and liver problems

ironic being the article is on liver problems I’ll trust Tumeric over Big Pharma’s solutions

Cheaper too


27 posted on 12/21/2013 11:39:44 PM PST by jcon40
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To: jcon40
"do agree some foreign products need to be scrutinized however"

That is what free speech is for. In the age of the internet, there is plenty of scrutiny available already without government sticking its big nose in.

28 posted on 12/22/2013 12:09:33 AM PST by UnwashedPeasant
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To: UnwashedPeasant

Spike Lee harms lliver...


29 posted on 12/22/2013 1:14:03 AM PST by Deetes (God Bless the Troops)
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To: entropy12
" Whenever I opt for Green Tea, it makes me pee constantly."

That's what it's supposed to do, Silly!

This just means your office has really good, high quality Green Tea.
30 posted on 12/22/2013 1:17:17 AM PST by shibumi (Cover it with gas and set it on fire.)
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To: UnwashedPeasant

There is no information about how much green tea extract Christopher Herrera drank. I imagine he chugged the entire bottle.

In 2007 The U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) Dietary Supplement Information Expert Committee voted to require cautionary statements on the labels for green tea extracts and black cohosh dietary supplements. There was concern about possible liver damage for a small group of people susceptible to side effects taking these supplements.

Their warning for green tea said, “Caution: Must take with a meal. In rare cases extracts from green tea have been reported to adversely affect the liver. Discontinue use and consult a healthcare practitioner if you have a liver disorder or develop symptoms of liver trouble, such as abdominal pain, dark urine, or jaundice.”

The cautionary statement for black cohosh supplements read: “Caution: In rare cases black cohosh has been reported to affect the liver. Discontinue use and consult a healthcare practitioner if you have a liver disorder or develop symptoms of liver trouble, such as abdominal pain, dark urine, or jaundice.

In 2008 the USP decided to defer its warning label for green tea extract because of the rareness of cases with liver damage. It kept the warning for black cohosh.

Green tea extracts can contain extremely high doses of polyphenols which can cause damage to liver tissue. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, the standard recommended adult dosage for green tea extract is 100 to 750 milligrams a day. Intakes above that may be toxic.


31 posted on 12/22/2013 1:35:53 AM PST by jonrick46 (The opium of Communists: other people's money.)
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To: UnwashedPeasant

The article cleary states they are not talking about vitamins and minerals, but primarily weight loss, bodybuliding, and energy supplements.


32 posted on 12/22/2013 1:36:22 AM PST by Codeflier (Bush, Clinton, Bush, Obama - 4 democrat presidents in a row and counting...)
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To: UnwashedPeasant

I have definitely noticed hit pieces on vitamins, also.

Clearly someone is drawing a bead on vitamins.

I expect liberals to attempt to regulate them.


33 posted on 12/22/2013 1:49:55 AM PST by Cringing Negativism Network (Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty, bring him back...)
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To: jcon40

My dad is diabetic and monitors his blood suger closely with a meter. He says the effect of cinnamon is undeniable.


34 posted on 12/22/2013 1:51:57 AM PST by Yardstick
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To: UnwashedPeasant

Just read the article. A pop-up told me I had read 5 of 10 free articles this month. Do I want to pay 99 cents for unlimited access?


35 posted on 12/22/2013 2:32:26 AM PST by AmericaUnite
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To: UnwashedPeasant

Time for a “War on Vitamins” pinglist.


36 posted on 12/22/2013 3:43:31 AM PST by oprahstheantichrist (The MSM is a demonic stronghold, PLEASE pray accordingly - 2 Corinthians 10:3-5)
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To: UnwashedPeasant
Dietary supplements account for nearly 20 percent of drug-related liver injuries that turn up in hospitals, up from 7 percent a decade ago ...

How many "drug related liver injuries that turn up in hospitals" are there, total? Is the total incidence up or down? Assuming that acetaminophen overdose is another main cause, has the publicity and changes in drug marketing reduced those cases, giving other causes a higher percentage?

37 posted on 12/22/2013 4:20:32 AM PST by Tax-chick ("Our infinite sadness can only be cured by an infinite love." ~Pope Francis)
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To: willywill
My apologies, I'm sorry I didn't catch the sarcasm.

Either I misread a lot lately, or there seem to be a fair number of people who pop in and say things which are off base and mean it.

38 posted on 12/22/2013 4:36:09 AM PST by Smokin' Joe (How often God must weep at humans' folly. Stand fast. God knows what He is doing.)
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To: ransomnote

I see it as an attack on naturalist and alternative medicine
Sure there are abuses and stupid people doing things they shouldn’t

but there are also wonderful natural supplements and even cures for things some of us may be denied medical care for in the future

comrade. when the state decides it’s time for you to accept death, it’s time to die


39 posted on 12/22/2013 5:00:36 AM PST by silverleaf (Age takes a toll: Please have exact change)
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To: Seaplaner

bingo


40 posted on 12/22/2013 5:00:56 AM PST by silverleaf (Age takes a toll: Please have exact change)
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