On ABC's "Good Morning America" this morning, there is a segment about some store brands of supplements that are "missing key ingredients and could put you at risk."
Third party testing is always good.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
I would never rely on herbal supplements from those places. GNC .. MAYBE .. but I have not been inside one of those in years and years.
Posted by lightfoot (Member # 2536) on :
This is very disheartening news! BUT there is some question on the testing method that was done using DNA. Apparently that is not very accurate way to test. You can Google the whole story.
So, if supplements were to be regulated IN THE CONSUMERS FAVOR, what agency would this be? The FDA hasn't done that well with drugs or food.
These four aren't my go to places either but this reflects on the whole supplement industry IMO.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
They are trying every angle they can in order to control and then eliminate the supplements and herbals.
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Yeah, they are using overkill, for sure. And the media is not about to distinguish between a few bad apples and the real deal. They want to create a storm. And don't want to do their homework on this matter.
They'd never consider getting some naturopathic doctors on their advisory team. The pharmaceutical companies fund the media, in large part.
Their MD media staff advisors also are not interested in any other kinds of medical advisors on their turf. They seem to tend to want to paint the public as too dumb to distinguish for themselves in these matters.
But many are really too busy to hunt for the real information. The FDA makes it harder at every turn for educational materials of value on herbals . . . and we SHOULD be able to trust these big box stores, in theory. It's assumed by those who don't have much time to study and dig for the truth.
I wonder if these big box stores haven't done this as part of a plan. Conspiracy pops into my mind. Why else would they be so negligent? They know they'll just get a slap on the wrist for this . . . and then get everyone solely on the pharmaceuticals (higher store profit) if all supplements were to become banned (the wish of so many that I hope never occurs).
[Editing to add much later]
In all fairness, after a few replies have found their way through the media maze, it seems that the tests which were used may have been the WRONG TESTS.
Often, they've tested the wrong FORM of a certain nutrient and then declared it null & void. Well, duh. So, those doing these tests are not exactly looking for the truth.
Yes, there are some brands out there that are just trash and do intend to fool for money.
Some brands may be just mediocre at best but just because that's all they've set their sites to being.
Yet, there are some excellent ones as well. -
[ 02-25-2015, 12:38 PM: Message edited by: Keebler ]
Posted by Rumigirl (Member # 15091) on :
Some doctor was quoted in the NY Times about this, saying, that these were "respected" stores. Not in my book they aren't!! This was CVS, Walgreens, GNC, and one other drug store (I forget which one). I wouldn't dream of getting supplements there!
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Exactly, Rumi... no way I would buy my supplements at any of those stores.
The only things I might buy would be well-known probiotics like Florastor or something tried and true.
Posted by average joe (Member # 26091) on :
So where do we buy these supps that so many of us rely on? Is there a company that consistently has their products tested by a third party? Which companies are the best? You can also buy national brands at some of the stores mentioned so it would seem those are ok.
Unless I am reading this incorrectly, It is specifically the store brands they question not necessarily all supps that can be purchased there. I think it responsible that distinction be made.
Nature Made products meet USP guidelines. For those who aren't aware, this means they meet nationally recognized purity and efficacy standards.
Posted by D Bergy (Member # 9984) on :
The tests were bogus. They used DNA tests for extracts, and there is not a DNA fingerprint left when that process is used.
They used the wrong test, and got wrong results.
Dan
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
average joe .. Lymenet members are always touting their favorite brands here. Just write them down as you see them.
I use a lot of the NOW brand products because they are gluten, dairy, yeast and corn free. I can buy them locally at our health food store, or at Swanson's Vitamins.
Source Naturals is another good brand. Pure Encapsulations also.
You can buy from iherb or Vitacost, etc .. They have many name brand products.
Posted by Abxnomore (Member # 18936) on :
Stick to the first tier brands that are sold in doctor's offices such as Metagenics, Douglas, Pure Encapsulations, Allergy Research, Thorne, OrthoMolecular, NeuroScience to name a few.
Posted by Catgirl (Member # 31149) on :
This is just another attempt to scare the public into allowing the fda to regulate our supplements. Maybe some stuff was missing in a few of them, but rest assured the point was to scare people into supplement regulation. Don't fall for it.
I energetically test all of my supplements and they still test positive for me, even the ones I get from GNC.