ACSH has made it, big time! We've been accused of supplying fake news! All because we (and other "fake newsers") have spoken out about the many faults of the dietary supplements industry. But the critic, Bill Sardi, thinks cancer can be cured and that vaccinations make kids sicker. This dude has a Home Depot full of loose screws.
dietary supplements
More than a third of kids are using dietary supplements. Due to the many preventable, adverse drug reactions they cause – such as arrhythmias and cardiovascular events – researchers set out to quantify pediatric and adolescent intake.
There's nothing magical about a rattlesnake. Just because rattlesnakes are tough and cool doesn't mean that you'll be tough and cool if you eat them. Instead, you might just be a dope.
Alas, the $37 billion dietary supplements industry likely will remain unregulated for the foreseeable future. And with it, the fight against junk science and bogus health claims must soldier on.
There are many reasons not to take dietary supplements, just take a look at some of the stuff we've written in the past. But to jog your memory, here are five reasons not to start taking dietary supplements, or multivitamins.
Surely Pfizer wouldn't mind if you took a closer look at what's listed on its label for Centrum Silver Men, which is marketed to men age 50+, right? Copper sulfate: Pesticide. Silicon dioxide. Glass. Titanium dioxide. Paint. But the biggest dirty little secret about multivitamins is that few people actually need dietary supplements.
GNC is just one of many companies that has profited by selling junk to a scientifically-naive public. But, perhaps they haven't profited enough. The company is in financial trouble. And we are not losing sleep over it.
The health claims made by dietary supplement purveyors do not ring true, according to a "Frontline" exposé recently aired by PBS. Not only are many mislabeled as to content, some are actually dangerous and potentially lethal. Worse yet, the FDA can't get them off store shelves until someone is hurt or killed.
Vitamin D has acquired the reputation of a sort of miracle nutrient, with various studies suggesting it can prevent cancer, strengthen muscle and bones and prevent falls and fractures. But recent studies don't support such ideas thus, no new miracles in sight!
What exactly is missing from your diet that must be supplemented by an anabolic steroid? Not sure? Well, we don't know either. To find out, go ask Orrin Hatch. The longtime Utah Senator co-crafted the law that allows this insanity to occur.
Early this month the FDA sent warning letters to five supplement companies, advising them that picamilon, an ingredient they included in some of their products, does not meet the standard for dietary ingredients.
We've written repeatedly about the problems with dietary supplements which contain ingredients that range from ineffective to dangerous. But now Oregon has noticed, and the state is suing General Nutrition Centers for selling supplements containing ingredients that haven't been approved for sale in the U.S.