By Dr. Alan Kadish
Are you purchasing a quality vitamin or mineral product? In this confusing world of supplements there are many firms with incredible claims and conflicting materials. Unfortunately there is no real safeguard to insure that your purchase is indeed reflective of the company's claims. The FDA has jurisdiction but is limited to removal only of a product that has been shown to present an eminent danger to the public. This is a two bladed sword, read on….
As a consumer it always pays to take the time to evaluate the claims and carefully determine your best course of action. The newest, best and most potent seem to be the catch words of this industry. Many companies claim "cures" of all sorts of maladies. Becoming a critical consumer is essential. Review the material presented and remain objective. Remember that Aunt Martha's lumbago many have little resemblance to your sciatica.
The majority of supplement sellers are very ethical and generally unaware of all the aspects of the industry. You can begin your evaluation by carefully reading the literature provided by the supplier. Is there scientific referenced materials or only testimonials present? Are their sales techniques consisting of quoting scientific sounding publications, but with no way to follow the trail?
Deceptive practices:
One of the most prevalent deceptive practices is to base their claims on other product results. Let me explain. Most supplement manufactures do not engage in scientific studies of their products. Obviously there is a cost issue with any study, however there are a number of excellent firms that do indeed fund studies of their products, to both make certain that they have quality results and are safe at the levels suggested. If the literature supplied does not indicate the product advertised is the product used in the study, forget the claims and look elsewhere. You have NO assurance that this substitution will be effective. The only exception would be to meet the exact specification of the product/s being tested. Many times this can not be done as the method of preparation or the compound is proprietary hence it's protected by patents, and only substitutes are being offered.
FDA:
Clearly the FDA has taken the side of the pharmaceutical industry and not placed your safety first. Remember that the terms Natural and Hypoallergenic are meaningless. Everything is natural and there are no limits on its use in advertisements. Hypoallergenic simply means that a less allergenic format was used. The problem with this is that there are no clear definitions as to what agents meet this definition. These are but two of the many examples commonly found on many labels.
Check list:
What should a consumer ask of any supplement? Always ask the following: What form are the supplements, pills, capsules, liquids or gel caps.
(1) For Pills: What binders, coloring agents, lubricants and/or fillers
are present? There are a number of questions raised about the use of tablets
by capsule manufacturers. However, newer information seems to refute their contentions.
The minimum amount of excipents seems appropriate, coupled with 3rd party disolution
testing. This should insure similarities between delivery, from both tablets
and capsules.
For Capsules: are they vegetable or animal based. Unfortunately some
of the vegetable based capsules are not appropriate, as they contain laural
sulfate and propylgylcol in their manufacture. A propreatary product, vegicaps
is completely natural and contains no adverse ingredients. A number of supplement
manufacturers are in the process of changing to vegicaps because of the BSE
(mad cow disease) scare.
For Liquids: what oils or other agents are present as carriers? Avoid
any that contain cottonseed oil or waxes. Is sugar or some form of sugars used?
For herbs: Is it standardized? This means that the active ingredient
is found in each dose identically. Has the herb been checked for contaminants?
This would include heavy metals, pesticides and herbicides. Is the correct herb
used? You would be dismayed to learn of the substitutions that take place. Good
firms always check the genis and species of their products.
(2)Does the manufacturer adhere to Good Manufacturing Processes at the pharmaceutical, not food requirements level ? There is a clear set of rules for what is referred to as GMP. All drug companies are required to meet these standards. Only some supplement manufactures voluntarily adhere to this approach.
(3) What is the correct dose and does this reflect scientific data or just a guess by the manufacturer?
(4) What potential side effects have been noted?
(5) Are there any supplement-drug interactions?
(6) Are they covered with a money back guarantee?
Dose:
Let's consider doses. The RDA's are meaningless. Follow this logic. The intent of the RDA's is to protect you from the common diseases that occur from lack of a minimum intake of vitamins and minerals. The subjects used for these studies are assumed to be "healthy" individuals. Forgive my sarcasm but when did you last see someone who had scurvy or was perfectly healthy? Statistically the RDA's only apply to ~ 5 percent of the population. There are limits to the appropriate amounts of nutrients that should be consumed. By careful evaluation you can safely determine your optimal levels.
Dangers?
There have been a number of sensationalized warnings regarding many of the natural food supplements. Overwhelmingly these tend to be gross exaggerations and have very minimal and in some case no scientific basis. In the changing environment of the public's acceptance of more natural approaches to health care, the entrenched pharmaceutical industry is loosing millions to those consumers who choose to use supplements. Fear tactics are very successful even when no substantiation is indicated. There are a number of sites on the Internet that offer the consumer a drug-herb interaction guide. There are publications like those from the Institute for Natural Products Research, that are excellent references.
Good Industry examples:
An excellent example of a product that competes with a number of prescriptions is the Pharmanex product, Cholestin™ that is used to decrease cholesterol. After 34 double blind studies, with 1100+ participants it has had not one significant elevation of liver enzymes. Contrast this with the popular Lipitor™ , Mevacor™ and Pravacol™ , which require liver test before and during use because of the potential harm to your liver. In the comparison of the studies, the results show superior effect from the natural product, Cholestin™ vs. the pharmaceutical products and were consistently less expensive.
Another excellent firm is Thorne Research. Unlike most of the industry, they list only the pure, unadulterated ingredients. There is a catch in the labeling law that allows manufactures to use diluted vitamins if they are not added when making the final dosage form. What this means is that the vitamin C listed on the label can be legally containing 10% cornstarch and lactose. These are typical ingredients added by the manufactures of the raw materials. If you're not confused yet consider the labels. The intent of the labels is to clearly let the consumer know what they are purchasing. The above example is the standard and not the exception.
Advise:
If shopping for supplements is overwhelming, seek out professional advice. Your MD and or DO will not be familiar with these products. Although there is a plethora of information on the Internet, use the same care that would be prudent for any other medium. Remember to check if the sites are offering educational materials only, preferably without any product sales. The conflicting information deluge will be with us for some time. New and exciting findings regarding very powerful natural agents is an emerging field that will benefit us all.
Complimentary Practice:
There are many times that it is essential to use a pharmaceutical product. However in my practice, I employ the best of both worlds with a concentration on the least harmful and most effective method, before resorting to pharmaceutical products. You might be interested to know that currently approximately 60% of all prescriptive products are of natural origin or relation.
Quality vs. Cost:
Purchasing inexpensive vitamins is wasteful, however good quality need not be overwhelmingly expensive. There are a number of ingredients in that are simply expensive. You will note that in many formulas, the manufacturer only places an insignificant amount, with the intention of making their product appear "complete". The result is a long list of insignificant components. Remember, if the claims sound too good to be true, it probably is…
For additional information contact us at the Center of Health™ , 541.773.3191 for additional information.