Moral of the story: STAY AWAY!!

Source: AMA Morning Rounds 8/4/2010

Consumer Reports finds 12 supplements with unsafe ingredients.

ABC World News (8/3, story 8, 1:50, Sawyer) reported, "Dietary supplements are a $27 billion a year business in this country, but Consumer Reports has an alert" on "supplements the magazine says can be dangerous to your health." Consumer Reports' Nancy Metcalf said, "With the dozen supplements that we've identified, we think it's all risk and no benefit."

        The CBS Evening News (8/3, story 6, 1:55, Couric) also reported, "Consumer Reports analyzed data from 1,100 supplements and identified 12 that are linked to serious health problems. These include ingredients in weight loss products...which can cause heart problems and liver damage." Certain other supplements "used for cough...are associated with liver cancer and even death." CBS noted that the "FDA cannot regulate" the supplements, which are labeled as foods, "until after a product is already on the market."

        The Los Angeles Times (8/4, Stein) points out that the list of those that are unsafe include "aconite, bitter orange, chaparral, colloidal silver, coltsfoot, comfrey, country mallow, germanium, greater celandine, kava, lobelia, and yohimbe." The report also "argues that the FDA has not fully used its limited authority granted by the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act to ban supplement ingredients that may be dangerous." In addition, the FDA was criticized "for not inspecting Chinese factories where many of the raw materials for supplements originate."

        The Washington Post (8/4) adds that supplement manufacturers "routinely, and legally, sell their products without first having to demonstrate that they are safe and effective." WebMD (8/3, Doheny) also covered the story.