Consumers may not realize there is no responsibility for manufacturers to show that dietary supplements are safe and effective. September 2010 Consumer Reports discusses twelve ingredients that consumers should avoid because they have been linked to health risks, including cardiovascular, liver, and kidney problems. These supplements are among those linked by research or case reports to "serious side effects" and that unless otherwise noted, there isn’t enough evidence to "rate their effectiveness for their purported uses", and that the list of dangers does not include all of them.
That of the 54,000 and more dietary supplement products listed in the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, only about a third have any scientific evidence to support some level of safety and effectiveness.
1. Aconite (other names include aconiti tuber, aconitum, radix aconiti), used for joint pain, inflammation, gout, wounds, is described as "unsafe" and has been linked to low blood pressure, nausea, vomiting, heart rhythm problems, respiratory paralysis and death.
2. Bitter orange (aurantii fructus, Citrus aurantium, zhi shi), used for weight loss, allergies, nasal congestion, is "possibly unsafe" and has been linked with heart problems, stroke and death. If caffeine is taken at same time it can increase risks.
3. Chaparral (creosote bush, Larrea divaricata, larreastat), used for infections, detoxification, colds, weight loss, inflammation, cancer, is "likely unsafe", and has been linked to liver damage and kidney problems.
4. Collodial silver (ionic silver, native silver, silver in suspending agent), used for rosacea, psoriasis, Lyme disease, HIV/AIDS, food poisoning, chronic fatigue syndrome, fungal and other infections, is "likely unsafe" and has been linked with discoloration of the skin (bluish skin), mucous membrane, kidney damage, and neurological problems.
5. Coltsfoot (coughwort, farfarae folium leaf, foalswort), used to treat sore throat, cough, laryngitis, bronchitis, asthma, is "likely unsafe" and has been linked with liver damage and cancer.
6. Comfrey (blackwort, knitbone, common comfrey, slippery root), taken for heavy menstrual periods, coughs, chest pain and cancer, is "likely unsafe" and has been linked with liver damage and cancer.
7. Country mallow (heartleaf, Sida cordifolia, silky white mallow, malva blanca), used for allergies, asthma, weight loss, nasal congestion, bronchitis, is "likely unsafe" and has been linked with heart problems, stroke and death.
8. Germanium (Ge, Ge-132, germanium-132), taken for pain, infections, heart disease, glaucoma, liver problems, arthritis, osteoporosis, HIV/AIDS, cancer, is "likely unsafe" and has been linked with kidney damage and death.
9. Greater celandine (celandine, chelidonii herba, Chelidonium majus) used for cancer, liver disorders, detoxification, irritable bowel, and stomach upsets, is "possibly unsafe" and has been linked to liver damage.
10. Kava (awa, Piper methysticum, kava-kava) taken for anxiety ("possibly effective"), is "possibly unsafe" and has been linked with liver damage.
11. Lobelia (asthma weed, Lobelia inflata, pukeweed, vomit wort), taken for bronchitis, asthma, coughing, quitting smoking ("possibly ineffective"), is "likely unsafe" and that toxic overdose can cause very low blood pressure, fast heartbeat, coma and possibly death.
12. Yohimbe (yohimbine, Corynanthe yohimbi, Corynanthe johimbi) used as aphrodisiac and also taken for chest pain, diabetic complications, depression, erectile dysfunction ("possibly effective"); is "possibly unsafe" when used without doctor supervision because it contains the prescription drug yohimbine. Normal doses can cause high blood pressure and rapid heart beat, and high doses can result in severe low blood pressure, heart problems and death.
Consumer Reports developed the list with the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, an independent organization that researches and evaluates the safety and effectiveness of dietary supplements. The data comes from the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, Professional Version, June 2010.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Friday, November 20, 2009
Water Ionizers: Reality or Rip-Off?
As a Registered Dietitian, I have had several clients ask me if alkaline water is better for you than regular water.
Alkaline water is water produced by water ionizer devices that “electrolyze water”. Other names for alkaline water include: Ionized Water, Microclustered Water, Antioxidant Water, Live Water, Energized Water, Structured Water, and Microwater.
From what the advertisers say, you’d think this was a cure-all. There are hundreds of web sites with misinformation about the benefits of alkaline water. The main claims made about alkaline water include that ionized water corrects your body's pH (acid/alkaline) balance, neutralizes harmful free radicals, increases your energy level, hydrates cell better than regular water, reduces many of the symptoms of aging, is energizing, helps the body absorb nutrients more effectively, and on and on. I’ve even seen claims that it can cure everything from obesity and high blood pressure to cancer.
For a product with such miraculous claims, it is noteworthy that there is a lack of real evidence to show that alkaline water is better for health than regular water or that there are special physical properties of alkaline water, like smaller cluster size.
The entire ionized water pitch is dubious, to say the least. What innocent and uninformed buyers of alkalizing machines actually get are overpriced machines that have no health benefits at all. Take a look at the price tag of $1500-$4000 on one of these machines to find the motivation for promoting them. No wonder people looking to make money are lured to be a distributer for water ionizing MLM companies and are eager to believe the claims.
The claims these companies make full of chemistry “double-speak” are unsupported by scientific evidence and fall into the pseudoscience realm. Pseudoscience is a belief that appears to be scientific, but which does not adhere to an appropriate scientific methodology, lacks supporting evidence or plausibility, or otherwise lacks scientific status. To the uninformed the claims “sound good”.
But in actuality, the claims contradict basic laws of physiology, chemistry or nutrition science. You will not find any mention of the benefits of alkaline drinking water in any medical textbook.
I won’t try to discuss all the reasons why these claims are nonsense. There are plenty of other credible websites out there that are debunking these claims. Here I’ll focus on the claim that alkaline water is important for maintaining proper body pH and preventing acidity of the blood. The scientific facts: Your body needs no help in adjusting its pH. Your body has an elaborate system that maintains the pH of your body. The pH of your body is strictly controlled because all of the chemical reactions that maintain life depend on it. Unless you have serious respiratory or kidney problems, body pH will remain in balance no matter what you eat or drink.
The idea that one must consume alkaline water to neutralize the effects of acidic foods is ridiculous. If you do drink alkaline water, its alkalinity is quickly removed by the highly acidic gastric fluid in the stomach. When the highly acidic stomach content reaches the small intestines it becomes alkaline by the intestinal juice. So no matter what you eat, the food in the stomach is acidic and the food in the intestines is alkaline.
Further, the enzymes that digest proteins in the stomach require an acidic pH in order to work properly, so if one were to consume sufficient alkali to reduce gastric pH, it would also interfere with protein digestion.
I think that some of the reason people “feel better” after drinking this water is the placebo affect seen when someone “believes” that something works. Placebos have been found in studies to relieve the symptoms in about 40 percent of those who suffer from chronic ailments. Especially when someone has spent money on the “cure”. They really want to believe it is working.
In addition, I believe people who are drinking ionized water feel better because they are drinking more water than they usually do and hence improving their hydration status. However there is nothing magical about the ionized water. Plain tap water will have the same affect if you are drinking until hydrated. As far as “ionized water is energizing”, dehydration reduces one's endurance and hence energy. So maintaining hydration status means you will have more energy and in general feel better.
How much water have you had today? The Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences recommends for sedentary Americans, 16 cups of fluid for men and 12 cups for females. (From a combination of drinking water, beverages, and food). Those who are very physically active or who live in hot climates may need to consume more water.
So, don’t let someone talk you into spending money on a useless machine. Try consuming the recommended amount of plain old tap water instead.
Alkaline water is water produced by water ionizer devices that “electrolyze water”. Other names for alkaline water include: Ionized Water, Microclustered Water, Antioxidant Water, Live Water, Energized Water, Structured Water, and Microwater.
From what the advertisers say, you’d think this was a cure-all. There are hundreds of web sites with misinformation about the benefits of alkaline water. The main claims made about alkaline water include that ionized water corrects your body's pH (acid/alkaline) balance, neutralizes harmful free radicals, increases your energy level, hydrates cell better than regular water, reduces many of the symptoms of aging, is energizing, helps the body absorb nutrients more effectively, and on and on. I’ve even seen claims that it can cure everything from obesity and high blood pressure to cancer.
For a product with such miraculous claims, it is noteworthy that there is a lack of real evidence to show that alkaline water is better for health than regular water or that there are special physical properties of alkaline water, like smaller cluster size.
The entire ionized water pitch is dubious, to say the least. What innocent and uninformed buyers of alkalizing machines actually get are overpriced machines that have no health benefits at all. Take a look at the price tag of $1500-$4000 on one of these machines to find the motivation for promoting them. No wonder people looking to make money are lured to be a distributer for water ionizing MLM companies and are eager to believe the claims.
The claims these companies make full of chemistry “double-speak” are unsupported by scientific evidence and fall into the pseudoscience realm. Pseudoscience is a belief that appears to be scientific, but which does not adhere to an appropriate scientific methodology, lacks supporting evidence or plausibility, or otherwise lacks scientific status. To the uninformed the claims “sound good”.
But in actuality, the claims contradict basic laws of physiology, chemistry or nutrition science. You will not find any mention of the benefits of alkaline drinking water in any medical textbook.
I won’t try to discuss all the reasons why these claims are nonsense. There are plenty of other credible websites out there that are debunking these claims. Here I’ll focus on the claim that alkaline water is important for maintaining proper body pH and preventing acidity of the blood. The scientific facts: Your body needs no help in adjusting its pH. Your body has an elaborate system that maintains the pH of your body. The pH of your body is strictly controlled because all of the chemical reactions that maintain life depend on it. Unless you have serious respiratory or kidney problems, body pH will remain in balance no matter what you eat or drink.
The idea that one must consume alkaline water to neutralize the effects of acidic foods is ridiculous. If you do drink alkaline water, its alkalinity is quickly removed by the highly acidic gastric fluid in the stomach. When the highly acidic stomach content reaches the small intestines it becomes alkaline by the intestinal juice. So no matter what you eat, the food in the stomach is acidic and the food in the intestines is alkaline.
Further, the enzymes that digest proteins in the stomach require an acidic pH in order to work properly, so if one were to consume sufficient alkali to reduce gastric pH, it would also interfere with protein digestion.
I think that some of the reason people “feel better” after drinking this water is the placebo affect seen when someone “believes” that something works. Placebos have been found in studies to relieve the symptoms in about 40 percent of those who suffer from chronic ailments. Especially when someone has spent money on the “cure”. They really want to believe it is working.
In addition, I believe people who are drinking ionized water feel better because they are drinking more water than they usually do and hence improving their hydration status. However there is nothing magical about the ionized water. Plain tap water will have the same affect if you are drinking until hydrated. As far as “ionized water is energizing”, dehydration reduces one's endurance and hence energy. So maintaining hydration status means you will have more energy and in general feel better.
How much water have you had today? The Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences recommends for sedentary Americans, 16 cups of fluid for men and 12 cups for females. (From a combination of drinking water, beverages, and food). Those who are very physically active or who live in hot climates may need to consume more water.
So, don’t let someone talk you into spending money on a useless machine. Try consuming the recommended amount of plain old tap water instead.
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