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You may have noticed we are quite critical of dietary
supplements. We get emails from companies all the time trying
to sell off some diet pill or antiaging quack juice. Sometimes
popup ads appear on those ExitExchange ads for quack potions,
which we do our best to avoid.
But somebody explain how adding so-called natural
ingredients to foods makes them better for you?
By the time 'natural herbs' or 'alternative medicine'
gets to your mouth, they are so far from being natural, it's a
joke.
Sadly, many people who violently oppose genetically
modified foods on the grounds that 'we don't know what they do'
have no problem swallowing "health pills" that could
be just as dangerous or worse. In fact, worse because there are
usually NO studies whatsoever to show side effects.
So what the hell are we eating? Who can we trust?
The US Center for Science in the Public Interest
has many complaints about 'functional foods' which they've forwarded
to the Food and Drug Administration. The list includes complaints
about gingko biloba, guarana, St John's Wort, dong quai, ginseng
and other supplements added to drinks which are readily available
from the drugstore.
CSPI issued a stern press release in April 2001:
"We urge the Food and Drug Administration to promptly act
on the Council of Better Business Bureau's request to halt false
and misleading labels for Arizona Rx Memory Mind Elixir. The beverage
contains ginkgo biloba which is not recognized by the FDA as safe
for use in food, and misleadingly claims to enhance memory."
"We further urge the FDA to take action against
the more than 100 other functional foods that we brought to the
agency's attention. All of these products make misleading claims
and/or contain ingredients not generally recognized as safe for
use in food. Functional foods may represent a major public health
advance or amount to little more than 21st century quackery."
Recent examples are the recall of BioPharm brand
T-Cuts, a dietary supplement which contained tiratricol (triiodothyroacetic
acid or TRIAC). It's a potent thyroid hormone that may cause heart
attacks and strokes.
In June the FDA issued a recall of aristolochic
acid found in Treasures Of The East brand products. Aristolochic
acid is toxic to the kidneys and may cause cancer. And there was
a recall of dietary supplements containing comfrey - an alkaloid
linked to liver disease and is toxic to other tissues.
Just visit any health food store to see shelves
straining to hold up the various potions and plants that have
been added to our foods, most without proof that they work!
There may be some benefit to adding ginseng to your
diet...but is there any benefit to drinking it in your orange
juice every day? Too much of a good thing? We know if we have
too much vitamin C we'll suffer diarrhea and perhaps artery damage.
Too much vitamin A will make your hair fall out and affect your
eyesight. But at least we KNOW this.
For all we know, drinking 1 liter of ginseng-enhanced
juice might cause us to grow an extra head.
Sounds silly, but no more foolish than drinking
unknown substances. Play it safe...eat NATURAL foods!
a copy of the FDA's letter to manufacturers regarding food additives
is here
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