Category Archives: Nutritional Supplements

Is the FDA About to Ban Supplements?

There is no doubt in my mind that some people (not the majority) in the Food and Drug Administration would like nothing better than to stop the public from having access to nutritional supplements in order to help their buddies in the harmaceutical industry to sell more drugs. A recent attempt was made to grab more power over supplements but it was defeated by the power of the public and lobby efforts from the supplement industry as well as Senators Orin Hatch (R-Utah) and Tom Harkin (D-Nebraska). Unfortunately, the fear mongers out there who want you to donate money to their pet charities (themselves), continue to say that bill SR-1082 will give the FDA the ability to control supplement use above and beyond the DSHEA law already on the books. This is simply not true.

If you follow this link, you can read the truth of the situation along with a transcript of the discussion between Hatch, Harkin, Kennedy and Enzi about protecting DSHEA.  As a matter of fact here is a quote from Senator Enzi of Wyoming, “Yes we took great pains to make certain that there would be no conflict with DSHEA.” Senator Harkin further stated “So to make this absolutely clear, what you are saying is that the bill we are debating would in no way interfere with consumers’ access to dietary supplements.” Senator Hatch even said that the language in the bill would be beneficial to consumers.

Come on, stop the fear-mongering and spend more time making sure the supplement industry gets rid of unscrupulous purveyors of garbage and multi-level companies who promise the moon at super high prices and deliver nothing more than overpriced junk. This is what we need to work on, not scaring people half to death about an issue that isn’t.

Multivitamin Use Causes an Increase in Prostate Cancer? Not!!!

In a paper published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Dr. Goran Bjelakovic (a noted anti-supplement warrior and well known harmaceutical shill) along with Dr. Christian Gluud insinuate that men taking multivitamins seven days a week have a much higher risk of dying of prostate cancer than those who take none. They further go on to dribble that their findings “underscore the possibility that antioxidant supplements could have unintended consequences for our health.”  You know, if I were as bad of a scientist and published garbage like this, I wouldn’t be allowed to speak at any conferences ever again. There are so many flaws and misjudgements in this as to be embarrassing to the National Cancer Institute.

Here are a few problems off the top of my head.

  1. Men who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer are more likely to take multivitamins than those with no health issues. This was not looked at.
  2. The use of multivitamins was done using an intake questionnaire which is notorious for false numbers.
  3. The authors had no idea how long any of the people in the study used the multi vitamins a truly serious flaw.
  4. They claim that the population in question was “well nourished” despite a lot of evidence to the contrary. Our food supply is notorious for poor nutrient levels (see my blog).
  5. They used a cohort study which does not look at all of the variables possible. Statistics are easily manipulated (as they are here) to find something you want to find regardless of whether it really is there or not.
  6. There is no way, using the data supplied that a causative relationship can be developed. The authors admit this yet make conclusions that suggest a causal relationship. This is scientific dishonesty at its worse.

There are more problems with this paper but my biggest issue is how it got out of peer-review unless it was done nefariously, with a pointed agenda attached, aka anti-supplement. As I mentioned earlier, these are well-known anti-nutrient shills and this should be made very well known before giving any credence to the paper.

Shame on the National Cancer Institute.

Nutrition Update for the Week of May 9th

Vitamin D and Physical Performance in the Elderly – In this study, vitamin D status was correlated to physical performance in elderly patients and this study suggested that there was a definitive relationship between the two. Those with low vitamin D levels did poorly on physical performance tests. What was striking was the percentage of people with vitamin D deficiency (28.8% women, 13.6% men). Even more disturbing was the percentage of people with vitamin D insufficiency (74.9% women, 51.0% men).

The authors of the study go on to state. “Given the high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in older populations, additional studies examining the association between vitamin D status and physical function are needed.” Do we really need more studies or do we need to educate our aging population that they need to take additional vitamin D. My suggestion is 800 to 1,200 i.u. daily in the spring, summer and fall and 1,200 to 2,000 i.u.’s in the winter.

Vitamin D and Breast Cancer Risk – As if you need yet another reason to take this nutrient the authors of this study suggest that taking 2,000 i.u.’s of vitamin D would decrease a women’s risk of developing breast cancer by 50%!!! If you aren’t taking this essential nutrient, what are you waiting for???

CoEnzyme Q10 Does Not Illicit Positive Findings in Healthy Subjects – I a poorly constructed study, the authors of this study suggest that CoQ10 does little to affect help heart markers in healthy men. The stupidity of this study is the fact that they made these conclusions despite the fact that all they measured was a single, 50 mg dose of CoQ10! Are they kidding me?  Why waste time and effort and paper to report on this unless there was an agenda to fill medical research with negative papers of supplements. It is well known that either you need to look at a higher dose (300 mg) or long-term effects of CoQ10. Shame on the authors of the paper and shame on the journal that published this drivel.

Valerian Root and Sleep Quality and Quantity – In a meta-analysis of research on this calmative herb, the authors suggest that valerian may be beneficial in helping improve sleep quantity. They do have some reservations and state that “Future studies should assess a range of doses of standardized preparations of valerian and include standard measures of sleep quality and safety.” Given this study though, if you have sleep problems, trying valerian may be a good idea as the study also states that this herb has shown little in the way of side-effects unlike drugs like AmbienTM.

Circumin and Liver Cirrhosis – In this study, the authors suggest that curcumin may be helpful in treating this serious liver disease. They conclude, “Curcumin inhibited the development of TAA-induced liver cirrhosis mainly due to its anti-inflammatory activities and not by a direct anti-fibrotic effect. As curcumin ingestion is safe in humans, it may be reasonable to assess in clinical studies the beneficial effect of curcumin in slowing the development of liver cirrhosis.”

Multivitamin Supplementation May be Beneficial in Reducing Osteoporosis in the Elderly – Despite the claims by CNNs medical reporting team, here is yet another human study showing the health benefits of nutrient supplementation. In this paper the authors state that the results of the research suggests that daily intake of a multivitamin supplement containing cholecalciferol/vitamin D3 may improve overall nutritional status and reduce the risk of osteoporosis in a nutritionally vulnerable group, such as the elderly.

An Addendum to Yesterday’s Post

Yesterday I discussed the problems within the supplement business, today’s headlines bring more distressing news, one company, Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals, has had a multi-charge indictment put on it and it’s principals that reads like a description of all that is wrong with the nutritional supplement industry. This puts a nasty blanket of suspicion on all of us, regardless of the fact that most companies are stand-up citizens who produce good products and follow the law to the letter and then some.

In a well researched article on MSNBC, the reporter lays out a sordid tale of deception, illegal dealings and discussions of murder and blackmail. The company was found to have added the drug Cialis to their herbal “male-enhancement” supplement, which is something I have been privy to being done by others in the supplement industry. This is where our industry needs to be stronger, policing itself with more vigor and speed than ever before. If not, the FDA will step in and regulate nutritional supplements in a a far heavier handed way than is necessary.

Hey Supplement Industry – Get Your Act Together!!!

With all of the cry wolf alternative health fear mongers falsely claiming that CODEX is coming to America, they won’t discuss the supplement industries ugly secret which is how poorly we self-regulate our industry. In a report garnering headlines at MSNBC.com, a number of supplements which claim to contain chondroitin, either didn’t or had much less than the labels claimed. This is intolerable in our industry and almost beckons government intervention.

Instead of whining about a false impending doom called CODEX (which by the way cannot come to fruition in the US because of the DSHEA bill), start getting going after the lousy manufacturers and distributors who sell crap to consumers. If this trend of bad publicity continues, then the FDA has no choice but to step in and increase surveillance. In my opinion the biggest screamers against FDA interference are those who produce lousy products or people who use questionable practices in their clinics. There is one women, who claims to be a doctor (and is a total fraud), charges $14K to come to a clinic she works at to inject people with a protocol so lacking in science, but high in hype, that people line up to have the work done on them. Unfortunately for many, the results are disastrous. I have worked with a number of them, some physicians, who have had horrible side-effects, some lasting for years.

Maybe the time has come for intelligent regulation of this industry. Sadly, as with most regulation, it will come at a terrible price.

Another Stupid CNN Anti-Supplement Article

You would think by now, CNN would monitor its writers for accuracy but in the case of Caleb Hellerman, I guess he gets a free pass. His article posted on the CNN website today is such a load of garbage that you would have to wonder where this writer gets his paycheck from. Entitled No scientific evidence diet supplements work this pile of trash is unbelievably poorly written and so lacking in honesty, I think it should be listed under fiction instead of being on a news website.

His claim that there is no evidence that nutritional supplements would is a bold faced and unadulterated lie. There are so many studies showing efficacy that he should be ashamed to have even written this drivel. My challenge to Hellerman is that I can come up with 10 studies showing benefits to every one that shows otherwise. His bringing up the embarrassing recent Danish study which purports to show that antioxidant nutrients may shorten life spans should tell you that his prejudice regarding supplements cloud his judgement. The study was so flawed and so obviously twisted since it clearly eliminated any study showing benefits to antioxidant nutrients that no scientist with any credibility would take it seriously. I challenge Hellerman to subscribe to to an email put out by Tishcon called Vitasearch which comes out weekly with studies showing benefits of nutritional supplements from numerous peer-reviewed journals around the world.

This clearly biased writer (cannot call him a reporter as this would imply his ability to report the truth) also states, “studies have found virtually no evidence supplements improve health your health.” Is he really serious?  Can he be that dishonest? I guess so. What would motivate a writer to so blatantly write nonsense like this is beyond me unless there is something nefarious going on. Either that or he is illiterate and unable to read research papers that number in the thousands that show benefits to taking supplements.

Shame on Hellerman and even more shame on CNN for writing this person a paycheck and publishing his crap.

Vitamin C, E, and A are Bad for Your Health!!! Another Example of Bad Science.

CNN seems to feel that anytime someone comes up with a study that bashes vitamin supplementation, it is their duty to print it regardless of its validity or how biased the report is. The website posted a report about how vitamins C, D, and E are not beneficial in extending life. In the article, they cite a paper published in the Journal of the American Medical Association which proports to show that not only are these supplements worthless, they actually increase the risk of dying.

Let us look at the facts behind this study. First off, it is not based on any original research. It is a review of other studies, 68 to be exact. They picked which studies they were to look at and then made judgements based on whta they deemed good research. Then they removed 19 studies they said were of poor quality and saw that the nutrients were detrimental to health. Too bad they didn’t seek to remove studies funded by groups (big harmaceutical – my spelling) that had something to gain through the publishing of negative studies. Don’t think that happens?  It does and it does happen a lot.  They also avoided using some Chinese studies that show definitive improvements from these essential nutrients.

But the one big error is one that I bring up all of the time and that is the lack of understanding of the concept of biochemical individuality. All this study says, if it is correct, is that vitamin C, E, and A aren’t effective for the greater population. They then extrapolate it to mean no one would benefit. How do they know?  Did they check my blood and determine that?  Did they look at my needs?  Hell no!!! They made a platitudinal statement that has no bearing on my life.  I may need 5 grams of vitamin C a day and you may need 250 milligrams. Until you test, you do not know the answer.

Bad science being chased by irresponsible media equals health damaging information.

I want to add one additional comment that CNN did put into the article and that was a quote from Dr. Meir Stampfer of professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Stampfer said the studies were too diverse to pool together because they looked at various combinations and doses of antioxidants tested in different groups of people. The trials ranged from a three-month study of 109 elderly nursing home residents to a 12-year study of 22,071 male doctors.

“This study does not advance our understanding, and could easily lead to misinterpretation of the data,” said Stampfer, who was not connected to the new report.

Couldn’t have said it any better myself.

Weekly Nutrition Update

Beneficial Effect of Green Tea Extract on Serum and Cardiac Lipids – Aside from its known benefits in protecting you against cancer, turns out green tea extract (GTE) helps improve your lipid makeup which may help reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

Policosanol Supplement Found Ineffective in Altering Serum Lipid Profile – While other studies have suggested that policosanol was as effective as statin drugs in improving serum lipids, this study suggested otherwise. A few possible reasons that the results were different

  • is that this study only looked at individuals with mild hypercholesteremia
  • the doses (20 mg/d) were too low
  • the study was too short (8 weeks)

Reduced Form of Coenzyme Q10 – Ubiquinol – Found to be Highly Bioavailable and Safe at Doses up to 300 mg – A complaint from traditional medicine is that nutrients are not tested for safety at high doses. Here is yet another study that begs to differ with that assessment. I have always recommended 100 mg per day of CoQ10 in split doses and here we see safety at three times that amount. Taking CoQ10 should be part of everyone over the age of 40’s regular regime and 100-200 mg’s minimum if you are taking stating drugs.

Dietary Supplementation with Flaxseed Oil May Lower Blood Pressure in Dyslipidemic Men – If you have high blood pressure and have a poor LDL to Total Cholesterol ratio, start taking flaxseed oil. Of course this shouldn’t be the only thing you do (lower your weight, exercise and eat better) but it seems to be a good step in the right direction based on this study.

Dietary Treatments that Raise Low HDL Cholesterol Levels – While this study suggests that soy protein isoflavones are beneficial in raising low LDL levels, it was the additional mention of adding multivitamins to the mix that caught my attention.

Consumption of Trans Unsaturated Fats may Increase the Risk of Ovulatory Infertility – As if we needed another reason to ban trans fats, here is yet another. Given the fact that infertility is at an all time high, is it any wonder that trans fats are being implicated. Taste over sanity I guess.

Low Levels of Coenzyme Q10 May Be Linked to Migraine Headaches in Children and Adolescents – Supplementation with CoQ10 May Help – This one caught me off guard but it did suggest that CoQ10 may be beneficial in treating children with migraines. From what the earlier study showed, adding 50-100 mg’s of CoQ10 is a safe protocol to try out.

Thioctic Acid (Lipoic Acid) May Be Effective in Preventing Migraine Headaches – In this small study lipoic acid was shown to be beneficial in preventing migraine headaches. One interesting thought is that according to Dr. Andrew Cutler , lipoic acid is a good chelator of mercury from the brain which may explain its benefits here.

Supplementation with Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids May Improve Psychological Well-Being in Patients with Recurrent Self-Harm – Long known for psychological benefits, this is just another in a long string of positive studies on the benefits of Omega-3 fatty acids.

Supplementation with Calcium + Vitamin D during a Weight-Loss Intervention May Enhance the Beneficial Effect of Weight Loss – You should know my opinion of vitamin D by now so if you need more information and research on its benefits, here is yet another study showing additional benefits not reported previously.

Nutrition Update for the Week of January 29th, 2007

Augmenting Zinc Supplementation with Vitamins A and D May Increase Plasma Concentrations of Zinc: Implications for Alzheimer ‘s Disease and Other Diseases – In this study, researchers found that when zinc was combined with vitamins A and D, plasma zinc went up faster than and higher than any other combination tried. This is significant especially with the elderly who are notorious for being zinc deficient.

Increased Dietary Intake of Omega-3 PUFAs from Plant Sources May Improve Bone Health – This study suggest that supplementing with omega-3 fatty acids may improve bone health via a reduction in bone resorption. Yet another reason to take at least 1 gram of omega-3’s daily (3 grams would be even better in my opinion).

Maternal Intake of Folic Acid During Early Pregnancy May Lower Risk of Isolated Cleft Lip (with or without cleft palate) in Infants – Cleft palate is a tough disease to go through as it requires multiple surgeries in many cases to correct. Taking a nominal amount of folic acid every day (400 micrograms) has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of an infant developing a cleft palate. One word of caution, there is some evidence that too much folate (over 2 milligrams daily) may increase the risk of having a child with cleft palate. Doing a simple organic acid in urine test from MetaMetrix can give you a strong clue if you are folate deficient. The marker they use is formiminoglutamic acid or FIGLU for short.

Elevated Homocysteine and Low Folate May Exert a Negative Effect on Specific Cognitive Domains – Yet another reason to supplement with folic acid. Test yourself for homocysteine as early in life as possible and work on lowering it. The blood test is available through many major labs and should become a standard of care.

Green Tea may Alleviate Diabetes in Rodents – One of the active ingredients in green tea, ECGC, is beginning to get a lot of good press, especially in the treatment of obesity. In this study, it seems to be beneficial in treating diabetes.

Association between Low Plasma Vitamin D and Type 1 Diabetes in Young Adults – As my regular readers know, I am a big vitamin D fan and this study just keeps my enthusiasm going. Get yourself a bottle and take at least 800 IU’s a day in the winter, spring and fall and 400 IU’s in the summer.

Supplementation with Korean Red Ginseng May Improve Glucose and Insulin Regulation in Subjects with Well-Controlled Type 2 Diabetes – This is another in a string of studies I have read that show benefits of ginseng with diabetes.

Choline: Critical Role During Fetal Development and Dietary Requirements in Adults – Choline is one of those great brain nutrients that may have a lot of other benefits including the reduction of homocysteine via its conversion into the essential amino acid methionine.

Come back next week for another update and don’t forget to go to Vitasearch for more details on the studies reviewed here today.

JigsawBar – My Opinions

My friend Pat Sullivan, founder of JigsawHealth and ACT Software, made an offer on his blog site www.PatSullivan.com for bloggers to judge the taste of his health bar JigsawBar. Well, I received my two boxes today and I have to say I am very impressed. These are THE best health bars I have ever tried.

They are well constructed nutritionally and taste really good. Both the coconut-almond and the chocolate were home runs in my opinion. Amazingly they made it with no soy (which is a great thing), casein or gluten and contain a number of nutrients, omega 3 fatty acids and have the right balance of carbohydrates, fats and proteins.

Pat, you did well. Props to you, your staff and the manufacturer this is something I will recommend to all my friends.