Green Tea & Selenium Supplements Fail Lab Test
April 30, 2009
ConsumerLab.com found quality issues with 40% of green tea and selenium products tested! Quality problems were found with two out of five green tea supplements; the same was true of the selenium supplements reviewed. All lycopene supplements passed the review. Supplements failed testing for a variety of reasons.
Study Highlights
- Among green tea supplements, one was contaminated with lead and provided less than its claimed amount of catechins.
- A daily dose of another green tea supplement provided 78.3 mg of caffeine (the amount in two cans of cola) although it claimed to contain less than 45 mg of caffeine.
- Among selenium supplements, one failed to fully break apart in solution within the 30-minute USP requirement.
- My favorite was one selenium product claimed to include one gram of fiber per pill—an impossibility considering that each pill weighed less than 0.2 grams.
“Cancer prevention is an area where consumers need to know the quality of the products they choose and the reason for choosing them,” said Tod Cooperman, MD, president of ConsumerLab.com. “You won’t know if your supplement lacks a key ingredient since you can’t ‘feel’ a preventive therapy; and contamination is compounded when a supplement is used daily for years.”
SOURCE: Nutraceuticals World
Fish Oil Lowers Cholesterol In Pro Football Players
April 30, 2009
Fish oil given to professional football players has proven to be effective for improving cholesterol levels, according to a study published in the January/February 2009 issue of Sports Health, A Multidisciplinary Approach. The patented fish oil supplement called “Ultimate Omega” (in photo on left) was administered to 36 professional football players from ages 23 to 41 years of age that volunteered to be randomly assigned to either the treatment or control group in the study.
Study Method
Players were grouped according to Body Mass Index and position played. A physical assessment and baseline cholesterol tests were given to directly measure LDL, HDL and other fat lipid concentrations in the blood. The research team chose Ultimate Omega from Nordic Naturals, Inc. During the two month period of the 2006-07 football season, subjects in the treatment group were given 4 soft gels per day of Ultimate Omega, which provided 2560 mg of omega-3 fatty acids (650 mg EPA; 450 mg DHA; and 180 mg other omega-3 fatty acids per soft gel).
“The results illustrated a rather dramatic decrease in triglyceride levels, a healthy increase in HDL, and lowered LDL in the athletes who used a moderately high dose of omega-3 EFA fish oil,” relates Dr. Joseph Maroon, MD.
This study adds to the numerous publications that have shown fish oil to be a helpful preventative measure for heart disease. The American Heart Association recommends 2 to 4 gram of EPA and DHA daily for individuals with elevated triglycerides and 1 gram of EPA and DHA daily for individuals with risk factors for heart disease.
SOURCE: PR Newswire
Supplements Contribute $60 Billion To Economy
April 29, 2009
A new study has found the total economic contribution of the dietary supplement industry to exceed $60 billion dollars! Dietary supplements generate more than $20 billion in annual consumer sales, but the industry’s overall economic contribution goes well beyond the direct purchase of goods. The Economic Impact Report, is the first to quantify the dietary supplement industry’s total financial bearing on the national economy. It considers multiple tiers of contributing factors, including supply, production, research, direct employment, manufacturing, and taxes, as well as these dynamics’ longterm financial effects.
“Most industry assessments typically focus on retail sales. Realistically though, sales are really just the tip of the iceberg,” said Tracy Taylor, Executive Director of the Natural Products Foundation. “The labor, materials, and technology necessary to move any product from staging grounds to the final sale trigger a cascade of economic consequences. Consider for example that the dietary supplement trade generates enough activity throughout production and sales to support over 450,000 jobs, and that industry concerns paid morethan $10 billion dollars in taxes in 2006.”
“Not only does the dietary supplement industry represent an important and growing component of the U.S. economy, it is interconnected in essential ways with many other industries,” write the study’s authors. “For example, the dietary supplement industry contributes to output (or spending) in other industries, such as retail and wholesale trade; real estate, rental and leasing; finance and insurance; professional, scientific, and technical services; and manufacturing.” The dietary supplement industry’s influence is expanding, growing at a rate that exceeds inflation.
SOURCE: Nutraceuticals World
Libimax Contains Tadalafil
April 29, 2009
The FDA announced the recall of Libimax brand sexual supplement due to a safety hazard. The FDA said the Nature & Health Co. of Brea, Calif., initiated the voluntary recall because a FDA lab analysis showed the product contains Tadalafil, which is a drug for erectile dysfunction. The federal agency said Tadalafil can interact with nitrates found in some prescription drugs, lowering blood pressure to dangerous levels. The recalled Libimax is sold as a 1 capsule individual pack or in 10-capsule and 20-capsule plastic bottles in retail stores in California, Georgia, Illinois, Texas, and Ohio. The FDA said the product label neither states it contains tadalafil, nor warns consumers with high blood pressure not to ingest the product.
“Consumers who have Libimax in their possession should stop using it immediately and contact their physician if they experienced any problem that may be related to taking this product,” the FDA said. Consumers with questions can contact the company at 714-257-1800.
SOURCE: UPI.com
TapouT Champion Nutrition Partnership
April 29, 2009
TapouT and Champion Nutrition have formed a partnership of sorts. As you know, TapouT is the premier
mixed-martial arts apparel company. They just announced a licensing agreement with Champion Nutrition to offer sports enthusiasts TapouT Sports Nutrition products! Under this relationship, Champion Nutrition will design, distribute and market the Tapout Sports Nutrition brand to all retailers in the United States and abroad. TapouT Sports Nutrition products will be available in mass-market retailers beginning this summer.
“TapouT is thrilled to be working with Champion Nutrition to offer our fans, fighters and every athlete premium sports nutrition products that will let them train harder and reach their goals,” said Punkass, TapouT Co-CEO and Co-Founder. “TapouT is about expressing your passion and attitude, and whether it’s through our clothing or nutritional products, we want our company to help take that emotion to the next level.”
TapouT Sports Nutrition products will feature premium sports supplements that will allow mixed-martial arts fighters, bodybuilders, and athletes-in-training to increase muscle size and strength. The products are competitively priced and engineered with research-tested ingredients, including highly absorbable forms of protein, creatine, hydration drink formulas and more, to deliver results for serious minded athletes and boost endurance for those pushing their physical limits.
“It’s an honor to develop a line of sports nutrition products under the TapouT name,” said Mark Post, President of Champion Nutrition. “Champion Nutrition has been developing sports nutrition products for athletes and champions in all sports for over 26 years. We look forward to working with TapouT to introduce our nutritional performance expertise to the mixed-martial arts community and all TapouT fans around the world.”
“TapouT has built a stellar reputation by supporting mixed-martial arts fighters in every facet of their career,” says TapouT Co-CEO and President Marc Kreiner. “We’re excited to team with Champion Nutrition to expand our support for these athletes by providing the supplements they need to maintain their training and take their game to the next level.”
About TapouT
About TapouT TapouT is the world’s leading mixed-martial arts apparel, gear and lifestyle brand on the market today. TapouT started as a vision by Co-Founder Charles “Mask” Lewis Jr., and has since become a pioneer of the MMA movement and a $100 million empire. Representing some of the biggest MMA superstars including Chuck Liddell, Frank Shamrock, Thiago Alves and Anthony Johnson, TapouT produces the hottest apparel for men, women and children. Their distinctive, authentic logo graces everything from clothing, accessories, and gear, to nutrition products and a magazine. TapouT is also the exclusive apparel sponsor for Spike TV’s “The Ultimate Fighter” through 2011. For millions of fans worldwide, the TapouT lifestyle inspires those to reach their goals and know that anything is possible if they “Simply Believe.”
About Champion Nutrition
Champion Nutrition is a Sunrise, FL based designer, marketer and manufacturer of performance-based sports nutrition products. Champion maintains its own 135,000 square foot manufacturing facility and has been in the supplement business for 26 years. to read more on this company, click HERE.
SOURCE: Inside Bodybuilding
Supplements Off Label Claim
April 28, 2009
ConsumerLab has reported that they’ve found “problems” with over 30 percent of vitamins they tested! The report found that around two thirds of multivitamin products tested at label claim:
“Significantly more or less ingredient than claimed” or were contaminated with lead. “Among twenty-nine products for adults and children that ConsumerLab.com selected, tests showed that eight failed to meet their label claims or other quality standards and twelve others provided levels that may be too high for healthy individuals,” wrote the group, which aims to provide consumers with “independent evaluations” of health and nutrition products.
Higher Than Label Claim
Some of the tested supplements were found to exceed tolerable upper limits for ingredients such as vitamin A, folic acid, niacin and zinc. Three of four children’s supplements tested were found to exceed tolerable intake levels for vitamin A, with one product providing 5,000 IU of vitamin A!
Brands In Question
The brands in question were: Hero Nutritionals Yummi Bears, L’il Critters Groovy Gummy Vites, and Trader Darwin’s Children’s Chewable Vitamins. The Institute of Medicine recommends a daily allowance (RDA) of 1,300 IU for children aged four to eight and an Upper Tolerable Intake Level (UL) of 3,000 IU.
“Excess vitamin A in the retinol form is of concern as it may, in the short term, cause nausea and blurred vision, and, long-term, lead to bone softening and liver problems. ULs for niacin and zinc were also exceeded by some of the products for young children. Excess niacin may cause skin tingling and flushing and high levels of zinc can cause immune deficiency and anemia,” wrote ConsumerLab.
Multivitamins Hit
Two of three men’s multivitamin products tested were also found to be problematic.
- One brand (NOW Adam Superior Men’s Multi) contained 258.8 percent of its folic acid, delivering 2,070 mcg per day. The RDA for folic acid is 400 mcg per day and the upper tolerable level (UL) for folic acid is 1,000 mcg.
- Another men’s multivitamin (Opti-Men) contained 1.62 mcg of lead per daily serving. “Although this amount is unlikely to be harmful in itself, lead exposure should be avoided. The State of California requires warning labels on supplements that provide more than 0.5 mcg of lead per day,” wrote ConsumerLab.
Failed Tests
- Other products tested were found to contain less of an ingredient than claimed on the label.
- One of the four women’s multivitamins tested (Garden of Life Vitamin Code Raw Women) provided 66 percent of its claimed folic acid;
- One of five seniors’ multivitamins selected (All One Active Seniors) contained 44 percent of its vitamin A.
- In testing 3 prenatal vitamins, one was short on vitamin A (Rainbow Light Just Once Prenatal One).
- Multivitamins were also found to be low on ingredients, with one (Purity Products Perfect Multi) providing only half of its claimed folic acid content, and another (Natrol My Favorite Multiple) providing 70 percent of its calcium.
- Brands tested included: All One, Carlson, Centrum, CVS, Eniva, Equate (Wal-Mart), Flintstones, Garden of Life, Glaceau Vitamin Water, GNC, Halo Purely for Pets, Jamieson, Juice Plus, Kirkland (Costco), Life Extension, Li’l Critters Gummy Vites, Member’s Mark (Sam’s Club), Metagenics, Multi-betic, Natrol, Nature Made, Nature’s Bounty, Nature’s Plus, NOW, NSI (Vitacost), One-A-Day, Opti-Men, Pet Tabs, Pregnancy Plus, Propel, Pure Encapsulations, Puritan’s Pride, Purity Products, Rainbow Light, Rite Aid, Sobe Life Water, Solgar, Swanson, Target, Trader Darwin’s (Trader Joe’s), TwinLab, USANA, Vitamin World, Weil, and Yummi Bears (Hero Nutritionals), 21st Century Pet Nutrition.
SOURCE: Nutraingredients.com
Sports Drinks Tough On Teeth
April 28, 2009
A new study shows that the citric acid found in many sports drinks can damage teeth! The finding comes from a study involving teeth from cows. New York University College of Dentistry researchers cut the teeth in half and placed them in top-selling sports drinks. After soaking for up to 90 minutes, which the researchers said simulated sipping on the drinks throughout the day, the enamel coating of the teeth was partially eaten away. This allowed the drinks to leak into the bonelike material underneath the enamel, causing the teeth to soften and weaken. The condition, called erosive tooth wear, can result in severe tooth damage and tooth loss, if not treated.
“This is the first time that the citric acid in sports drinks has been linked to erosive tooth wear,” study leader Dr. Mark Wolff, chairman of cariology and comprehensive care at the NYU College of Dentistry, said in a news release issued by the school.
Wait 30 Minutes Before Brushing Your Teeth?
Perhaps surprisingly, brushing immediately after having a sports drink might actually cause more damage! According to Dr. Wolff, the softened tooth enamel is vulnerable to the abrasiveness of toothpaste.
“To prevent tooth erosion, consume sports drinks in moderation and wait at least 30 minutes before brushing your teeth, to allow softened enamel to re-harden,” he said. “If you frequently consume sports drinks, ask your dentist if you should use an acid-neutralizing, re-mineralizing toothpaste to help re-harden soft enamel.”
SOURCE: Medline
Sports Drinks Boost Performance Through Taste Buds
April 28, 2009
It has long been known that carb drinks can significantly improve athletes’ performance. But the question is how? The new breed of intra-workout drinks like adreNOline, Mass Xxplosion and Volumaize all contain carbs but this alone is not enough to explain the boost. What’s fascinating is that researchers have now seen performance increases with sports drinks even when athletes spat them out rather than swallowing them!
Sports Drinks Can Boost Performance Without Being Swallowed
According to The Journal of Physiology, researchers not only showed that sugary drinks can significantly boost performance in an endurance event without being ingested, but so can a tasteless carbohydrate – and they do so in unexpected ways.
Study Method
The researchers prepared drinks that contained either glucose, maltodextrin or neither, then carefully laced them with artificial sweeteners until they tasted identical. They asked endurance-trained athletes to complete a challenging time-trial, during which they rinsed their mouths with one of the three concoctions. The results were striking. Athletes given the glucose or maltodextrin drinks outperformed those on ‘disguised’ water by 2-3% and sustained a higher average power output and pulse rate, even though didn’t feel they were working any harder.
Taste Buds Are Stimulated By Carbs
The authors conclude that as-yet unidentified receptors in the mouth independent from the usual ’sweet’ taste buds must be responsible.
“Much of the benefit from carbohydrate in sports drinks is provided by signalling directly from mouth to brain rather than providing energy for the working muscles,” explained Dr Chambers.
Carbs Put In Your Mouth Stimulate Your Brain
The team then used a neuro-imaging technique to monitor the athletes’ brain activity shortly after giving them one of the three compounds. They found that both glucose and maltodextrin triggered specific areas of the brain associated with reward or pleasure, while the artificial sweetener did not. This acts to reduce the athletes’ perception of their workload, and hence enables them to sustain a higher average output.
SOURCE: Scientific Blogging
74 Supplement Companies Under Attack
April 28, 2009
Attorney Bob Lee has joined eight other counties in asking the court to halt the sales of vitamin supplements made or sold by 74 companies unless customers are warned that the products contain cancer-causing lead! The complaint alleges the manufacturers failed to provide the warning required by the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, also known as Proposition 65. The complaint also seeks penalties of $2,500 a day for each violation. State law requires businesses to provide a “clear and reasonable warning” before exposing individuals to chemicals known to the state to cause cancer or reproductive harm. Lead is highly toxic, and has been found to be capable of damaging the nervous system, particularly of children, at increasingly lower levels, according to the complaint. The alleged violations were discovered in July after the FDA released the results of tests of different multivitamin and mineral products, some of which contained excessive amounts of lead according to the FDA testing.
The Companies Being Targeted
- 21st Century Healthcare, Inc.
- Apex Fitness Group, A division of 24 Hour Fitness USA;
- Biosan Laboratories;
- Bluebonnet Nutrition Corporation;
- Bronson Nutritionals;
- Buried Treasure, a division of Life Line Food Inc.;
- Clinician’s Choice;
- D&E Pharmaceuticals;
- Davinci Laboratories of Vermont;
- Delaware Natrol;
- Designs For Health;
- Douglas Laboratories;
- Dynamic Health Laboratories;
- Enzymatic Therapy;
- Esteem Products;
- Fairhaven Health;
- Foodscience Corporation;
- Foodscience of Vermont;
- Futurebiotics;
- Genspec Labs;
- Health Authority Dba Doctor’s Trust Vitamins;
- Hxn Corporation Dba Health Xpress;
- Integrative Therapeutics;
- Irwin Naturals;
- J.R. Carlson Laboratories;
- Kirkman;
- Kordial Nutrients;
- Maximum International;
- Metabolic Maintenance Products;
- Metagenics;
- Mountain Naturals of Vermont;
- Natural Organics;
- Nature’s Secret;
- Nature’s Way Products;
- NBTY;
- New Chapter;
- Nexgen Pharma;
- Nf Formulas;
- Now Foods;
- Nutribiotic;
- Nutritional Specialties;
- Nutri-west;
- Olympian Labs;
- Only Natural;
- Optimal Nutrients, USA, a division of Pegasus Plus;
- Pioneer Nutritional Formulas;
- Pure Essence Laboratories;
- Rainbow Light Nutritional Systems;
- Solgar;
- Spring Valley Herbs & Natural Foods;
- Supernutrition Life-extension Research;
- The Daily Wellness Company;
- The Vitamin Shoppe Industries;
- Threshold Enterprises, the Parent Company Of Source Naturals;
- True Fit Vitamins;
- Universal Nutrition;
- Wyeth Laboratories.
SOURCE: Santa Cruz Sentinel
Guys Stay Clear Of Soy
April 28, 2009
Hailing from the same family as beans, peas and lentils, soybeans are crushed to form soybean meal, which is then used to make edible soya products. It contains all the essential amino acids to build protein in our bodies, and many vegetarians opt for using soy products. Surprisingly, according to food-industry estimates, it is also found in 60 per cent of processed foods, adding bulk, flavour and texture. Breakfast cereals, cereal bars and biscuits, cheese, cakes, dairy desserts, gravies, noodles, pastries, soups, sausage casings, sauces and sandwich spreads, to name just a few, often contain soya. It appears on food labels as ’soya flour’, ‘hydrolysed vegetable protein’, ’soy protein isolate’, ‘protein concentrate’, ‘textured vegetable protein’, ‘vegetable oil’, ‘plant sterols’, or the emulsifier ‘lecithin’. Millions believe it to be a healthy option, providing protein with no saturated fat and without the risk of raising cholesterol levels.
Phytoestrogens
The soya plant boasts high levels of phytoestrogens that mimic the action of the body’s own estrogen. And 100g of tofu contains 12.9mg of phytoestrogens, while 100g of soya yogurt or soya milk contains 11.8mg. Dr Margaret Ritchie, an expert in phytoestrogens at the University of St Andrews, explains:
‘These oestrogen-like chemicals are up to 20,000 times weaker than natural oestrogen. If a woman is low in oestrogen, as in the menopause, the extra oestrogen absorbed when soya is eaten can help relieve menopausal symptoms.’
It may also reduce the impact of the body’s own oestrogen on breast and womb tissue, protecting against breast and uterine cancers, which are triggered by the hormone.
Soy Not Good For Guys
However, according to recent studies published in the Journal Of Nutrition, soya baby formula could cause problems in male infants. Research at Edinburgh University into the effects of soya milk on young male monkeys found it interfered with testosterone levels, prompting concerns over fertility and disease in grown men.
Thyroid Disruption
Studies in Japan suggest a high intake of soy-based products can disrupt the thyroid gland, leading to weight gain, fatigue and mood problems. Marilyn Glenville, nutritionist and author of the Nutritional Health Handbook For Women, says:
‘Soya can block the uptake of the chemical iodine which is needed for a healthy thyroid. Turnips, cabbage, peanuts and pine nuts have similar effects. If you are diagnosed with a thyroid problem, you’ll be told to restrict your intake of all these foods.’ She adds: ‘The soya in soy burgers and sausages and added as flavour enhancers is highly processed. The soya-bean fibre is removed and the residue is soaked in an aluminium tank, then treated with chemicals such as nitrates, which some studies have linked to cancer.’
SOURCE: China Daily