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 ...
Totally agree and anyone who eats that stuff is out of their mind. I was one of the unfortunate ones who bought toothpaste from China that was sweetened with anti- freeze, it didn’t do me any damage thank God but it took a long time for me to get that taste out of my mouth. Today I won’t buy anything even remotely associated with China when it comes to eating something, you could be eating cyanide for all they care.
No, not with all the law suits over deaths and complications we're seeing from so many.
Everytime one of those commercials comes on, I think of Jeff Foxworthy’s joke about anal seepage.
Amazing how long mankind managed to survive without big pharm and government regulations.
funny how we never read planted articles about the need for the FDA (federal government) to regulate pot legalized for “medicinal purposes”
in a couple of years it’s going to be easier to buy abortificants than vitamins
I think everyone concluded what I did, that this is now a PR effort to attack the supplement industry by person or persons unknown.
The first suspicion should not be of big pharma, but of the government. It comes across as another one of their ham-handed propaganda efforts.
As far as supplements go, one of the biggest reasons to use them is that a lot of modern medicine *requires* their use, or you will get side effects that could kill you.
For example, statin drugs to lower cholesterol.
If you take statin drugs like Lipitor (atorvastatin), Zocor (simvastatin), Mevacor (lovastatin), Pravachol (pravastatin), and Crestor (rosuvastatin); you *must* take several supplements, because it *also* blocks or inhibits these things, which are essential to the body.
You need to take:
CoQ10, or its active ingredient, Ubiquinol. Its production in your body is blocked by statin drugs, and if you have too little, it can harm every organ in your body, starting with your heart.
Dolichols. Dolichol acts on a molecular (DNA) level to ensure that the cells in our bodies ‘work’ as they are supposed to. So a dolichol deficiency can cause havoc in virtually any area of our body, and because it is done on a cellular level it is extremely difficult to pinpoint where, what and how the problem is happening.
There is no supplement for dolichol.
Squalene (not related to squalane or squamous cell carcinoma.) The immediate precursor of cholesterol is squalene. Researchers have found that squalene inhibits blood vessels formation in tumors. Squalene is a natural and vital part of the synthesis of all plant and animal sterols, including cholesterol, steroid hormones, and vitamin D in the human body. Unless you take it as a supplement, to get it naturally you must consume large amounts of rice bran, wheat germ, and olives.
Other nutrients believed to be negatively impacted by statins include carnitine, omega-3 oils, vitamin E, selenium, creatine and vitamin D.
Reducing LDL (bad) cholesterol below a certain level in the blood can interfere with downstream processes involving sex hormones, cortisol, aldosterone, DHEA and vitamin D.
Both physicians and big Pharm HATE supplements because 1) they do not control them and 2) supplements cut into their business by keeping people healthy.
“CONCLUSIONS:
Many HDS commonly contain catechins that are implicated in hepatotoxicity, although their presence may not be indicated on the product label. Although our results did not establish an association between GTE or catechins with hepatotoxicity, they highlight some of the many complexities and uncertainties that surround the attribution of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) to HDS.”
the glucosamine chondroitin supplement absoluted does work.
it was tried in horses and it worked, then they tried it in people and the people loved it then they did a double blind study against placebo and confirmed with xray evidence this stuff absolutely helps with arthritis and greatly reduces calcification of the joints in the xray study.
try the l-carnitine/alpha lipoic acid for diabetes.
most people I talked to it has helped.
It’s a control measure. Control your access to medically useful supplements so you are forced to government controlled medical care. You won’t get the care. Death is the desired outcome.
Thank you GOP!
All this crap really gained legitimacy with the GOP pushed and passed 2005 Andro ban.
A$$holes...
will check it out Thx
I doubt that the NY Times has more than 10 articles per month worth more than free.
Which one can you get free from a school nurse, and which one will get you suspended under the school zero-tolerance policy?
It is time to call a spade a spade...Supplements are not the problem...
Take a close look through your medicine cabinet. First look for all the obvious Tylenol medications – Tylenol, Tylenol PM, Tylenol Cough and Cold, acetaminophen (the generic name for Tylenol), etc. Next, look for any prescription pain medications you may have such as Lortab or Hydrocodone/APAP – the APAP means Tylenol has been added. Check cold medications – Nyquil, Alka-Seltzer Plus, St. Joseph Aspirin Free and Zicam, etc. Any drug that has APAP, cet, or acetam as part of the name probably contains Tylenol. Notice how many of your medications contain acetaminophen/Tylenol.
This hunt is not just an academic exercise. Tylenol is the No. 1 reason for liver failure in America today – not because people are knowingly taking an overdose, but because they are being unwittingly exposed to acetaminophen from a variety of sources over a long period of time. The Tylenol people have done a great job of slipping their product into a myriad of commonly used drugs.
Tylenol is marketed for two purposes – pain relief and as an anti-pyretic, i.e. it lowers fever. It is very effective in these regards, but with increased exposure, side effects are starting to emerge. In addition to liver failure – where the science is quite well worked out – Tylenol probably is bad for the brain and the kidneys.
It was found in the Neurology study that if you take an anti-inflammatory medication for two years, you decrease your risk of Alzheimer’s by about 50 percent as compared to those people who took nothing. This makes sense with what we know about Alzheimer’s being partly an inflammation of the brain.
In the main section of the paper, the data also showed that people who took Tylenol for two years almost doubled their risk of developing Alzheimer’s.
And for the liver, acetaminophen (the generic name for Tylenol)is poison. Tylenol poisoning is one of the leading causes of liver failure and the need for liver transplant.
It’s your body (and money) so do what you will, but I would be highly skeptical of most of these products and suggest others do the same. Products that promise huge weight loss have been around forever and absent exercise and diet I am still not aware of any that does what it promises.
I think some products can be effective, but I would bet 90% of this stuff makes expensive urine.
Yes. Your body at the cellular level can only absorb and therefore use only so much in vitamins ingested, whether from dietary sources, i.e. from the foods we eat and or from vitamin pills. Your body can’t conveniently store the excess somewhere for later use so the excess is excreted via the urine; yes, quite literally it is pissing your money away. But in the case of some, like vitamin A, the excess is not easily excreted and builds up in the liver and can in high doses lead to liver disease and failure and in extreme cases death, and also numerous studies have shown that large doses of vitamin A can lead to osteoporosis.
I have to laugh when I hear people talking about the “evils of “Big Pharma””, who then go on to talk about the wonders of taking various vitamins and “natural” dietary supplements because many of these brands are actually manufactured by, guess who…..big pharmaceutical companies.
Many Vitamins, Supplements Made by Big Pharmaceutical Companies
And as for both the big manufacturers of vitamins and supplements and the smaller companies, the mom and pop shops; since the supplement industry is largely unregulated, you just don’t know where the ingredients are sourced from, how pure they are and or whether or not the active ingredients on the label are in the amounts or percentages advertized or what other ingredients are perhaps not listed on the labels. Not to mention the often dubious or sometimes ludicrous health benefit claims.
If your doctor prescribes you an FDA approved and regulated pharmaceutical drug, when you get that Rx filled at the pharmacy counter, you are given all sorts of information, a pamphlet that I guess a lot of people don’t bother reading, about all the possible side effects no matter how minor, and warnings about overdose and drug interactions, even what foods not to eat while taking it or whether you should take it with or without foods or what foods, whether to take in the AM or PM, etc. And if you experience a side effect, you can report this and it goes into the database of drug side effects mandated and maintained by the FDA. And this is how pharmaceutical drugs are monitored even after being approved; the rather exhaustive pre-approval process that includes numerous laboratory studies, numerous animal studies and finally clinical human trials. And yes some drugs do get recalled after approval but it is this very FDA regulation and oversight that catches drugs that are found to have too many dangerous side effects – although in some cases, I think these are overreactions and an overabundance of caution – some effective drugs have been pulled when only a relatively small number of people suffered any side effects. And FWIW, the FDA along with pharmaceutical companies track any and all side effects even if said side effect was nothing more than, “I took XYZ drug and felt dizzy the next morning” even if that “side effect” could not be directly correlated to the drug itself.
On the other hand if you take an unregulated dietary supplement and suffer a rash, flushing, frequent urination, diarreha or constipation, heart palpitations, high blood pressure or experience an interaction with another supplement or a prescription drug or liver damage or even a heart attack, etc., you are pretty much SOL.
If I buy a box of Twinkes that does not purport any health benefits at least I’m going to get a lot more truth in that packaging ingredient labeling than what I get should I buy an herbal supplement that does.
I’m not a big fan of Dr. Oz but IMO this gives a pretty good overview and rather surprisingly to me, some sound advice if you take supplements, what to consider and be aware of:
The Hidden Dangers of Dietary Supplements
And
The skinny on FDA regulation of dietary supplements
Most so called “herbal” and “natural” supplements are totally worthless; some can even be dangerous and interact negatively with some prescription medications and even other herbal supplements. But people see the label that says “herbal” or “all natural” and mistakenly think – “it’s not a chemical - it’s “natural” so it must be good for me!” “And if it’s good for me, more of it must even be better!” LOL!
And contrary to claims often repeated claims that it is the so called “big pharma industry”, i.e. big business and crony capitalism that wants to keep you in the dark about the true benefits of supplements and put it to “the small guys”, and force regulation on the supplement industry to put them out of business in favor of the their friend in big pharma; it is actually quite the opposite.
OK, the source for this, “Citizens for Ethics.org” also says a lot of things I don’t agree with, they do make some good points about how lobbying money corrupts the process.
”Far and away the largest recipient of campaign contributions from the supplement industry in the 2010 election cycle was Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) who took in $45,780, 59% more than the lawmaker in second place, freshman Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI). Sen. Hatch wasn’t up for reelection. Further, the supplement industry paid the lobbying firm of Walker, Martin and Hatch – in which Sen. Hatch’s son, Scott Hatch, is a partner -- $125,600 in 2010 alone. Scott Hatch cannot lobby his father directly, but records indicate Jack Martin, a former aide to Sen. Hatch, lobbied for supplement industry clients.”
”Lobbying spending by the industry has increased 86% since the 109th Congress. Further, the political action committees (PACs) linked to the supplement industry have increased donations to federal candidates. In addition to Sen. Hatch and Rep. Amash, CREW found major recipients of supplement industry cash during the 2010 election cycle included Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), all of whom either sit on committees considering legislation affecting the industry or have an industry presence in their home states. The supplement industry is the third-largest industry in Utah, with revenues estimated at up to $4 billion a year.,
And
Dietary Supplements: Latest Government Uproar No Match for Industry Lobbying Money
The simple truth is that if you eat a healthy, well balanced and varied diet; a diet that includes proteins from sources like lean meats and fish and beans and legumes and whole grains and dairy products and a fairly wide variety of readily available fresh fruits and vegetables, healthy oils like olive oil and yes, real butter in moderation, or unless you suffer from certain diseases like celiac or you are a pregnant woman for whom it is recommended to take a folic acid supplement (and even then - most pregnant women can get more than enough folic acid by eating right, before and during pregnancy) you are getting more than enough essential vitamins for good health from the food you eat and simply don’t need to take any vitamins or herbal supplements.
Even if you occasionally indulge in pure junk foods, unless you consume nothing but (and FWIW, even most junk foods still provide a surprising amount of vitamins and essential nutrients and minerals), you are still likely to be getting more than enough essential vitamins and minerals than your body needs on any given day.
Even if and when they are harmless, OTC vitamins and other herbal or dietary supplements are a complete waste of money that is much better spent at your grocery store or local farmer’s market on healthy fresh whole foods.
Good post - my wife has a friend that is onto the “next great thing” every few months and they spend a good bit of money on it. I just nod and try not to argue - by my recollection her enthusiasm has involved every kind of remedy for improving excrement, improving complexion, strengthening bones, preventing hair loss, improving mood, improving sleep, improving memory, improving circulation, lowering cholesterol, losing weight, pain management, and even remedies to aid in pregnancy. She forwards every well made video (with an agenda) under the sun about the ills and benefits of everything you can imagine - Monsanto, GMO, organic, etc etc. The most consistent thing is carnival barkers in white lab coats and I have yet to see any real change beyond weathering like the rest of us! I sometimes wonder how much she has spent on this stuff.
We all want to believe and I do recognize that some homeopathic remedies work such as plantain or comfrey on burns or bee stings to relieve pain, but I am highly suspicious of anything synthesized in an unknown lab and put in a gelatin capsule that promises to change my life.
it’s exactly what it’s about.
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