Category Archives: Food Supplements

DR LIBBY WEAVER

Last updated14:45, August 15 2017

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While nutritional supplements can help to bridge any gaps or to address deficiencies, they cannot replace a nutritious way of eating.

Nutritional supplements are very common these days.

For some people, supplements are necessary to cover nutritional gaps that can arise from excluding certain foods from their diet, regardless of whether this is by choice or necessity. For others, supplementation is something they view as an insurance policy, to ensure their nutrient intake is adequate if they don't always eat as well as they know they should.

Perhaps you choose to take a multivitamin to top up your intake of a range of nutrients, or maybe you take a specific vitamin or mineral that is lacking in your diet. Or you might take an omega-3 fatty acid supplement, or use a greens powder as a convenient way to increase your vegetable intake.

Good quality nutritional supplements are a financial investment, so you definitely want to be sure you are getting the maximum benefit from what you are taking.

READ MORE: *The problem with vitamin pills and supplements *Why this naturopath won't take supplements *Ask Dr Libby: the best supplements for joint health

If you're not effectively absorbing the nutrients from your supplements, you're not going to be getting all of the potential benefits from these. The old adage that you are what you eat isn't quite correct. You are what you eat, absorb and assimilate, and this is something to consider when it comes to supplementation, too.

Let's consider some common nutritional supplements and how you can get the most out of these.

IRON

Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency in the world, and it can be difficult to restore depleted iron levels without a supplement. Many iron supplements lead to constipation, but most people find this does not happen with liquid iron supplements.

If you take an iron supplement, avoiding tea, coffee or red wine within at least an hour of taking your supplement is essential, as the tannins inhibit iron absorption. Consuming calcium-rich foods away from iron-rich foods and iron supplements can also make a difference to iron absorption, as iron and calcium compete for absorption in the gut.

If you take a calcium supplement, it's important that this is taken at a different time to your iron supplement. The same goes for zinc supplements to maximise absorption, they should be taken at a different time to iron supplements.

Vitamin C, however, significantly enhances the absorption of iron. So if you take an iron supplement, you might like to check the label to ensure it also contains vitamin C.

ZINC

To maximize absorption, zinc supplements are best taken away from food (before bed is a good time) and away from any iron, calcium and folic acid supplements. Tannins in tea, coffee and red wine can also inhibit zinc absorption, as can fibre, so these are best avoided for at least an hour either side of taking zinc.

VITAMIN D

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, so absorption of vitamin D supplements will be enhanced when taken with a source of dietary fat. This means it's best to take your vitamin D supplement with a meal that includes nourishing fats from foods like avocado, nuts, seeds, extra virgin olive oil or oily fish such as salmon. There are two different forms of vitamin D they are vitamin D2 and vitamin D3. Vitamin D3 is the more bioavailable form.

MULTIVITAMIN

Multivitamin supplements are best taken with a meal. When you eat, stomach acid is produced to help digest your food properly, and this will also enhance absorption of some of the nutrients in your multivitamin. The fats that are present in the meal will also help your body to absorb the fat-soluble vitamins (vitamins A, D, E and K). It's also best to avoid drinking coffee, tea and red wine within an hour of taking your multivitamin to get the most out of it.

While nutritional supplements can help to bridge any nutritional gaps or to address nutrient deficiencies, please be aware that they cannot replace a highly nutritious way of eating. Nothing in this world can.

Dr Libby is a nutritional biochemist, best-selling author and speaker. The advice contained in this column is not intended to be a substitute for direct, personalised advice from a health professional. Join Dr Libby for her upcoming Food Frustrations New Zealand tour. For information and to buy tickets, visit drlibby.com

-Stuff

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Dr Libby: How to get the most out of food supplements | Stuff.co.nz - Stuff.co.nz

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is advising consumers and healthcare professionals not to use any liquid drug or dietary supplement products manufactured by PharmaTech LLC of Davie, Fla., and labeled by Rugby Laboratories, Major Pharmaceuticals and Leader Brands, due to potential contamination with the bacteria Burkholderia cepacia (B. cepacia) and the risk for severe patient infection.

The drug and dietary supplement products made by PharmaTech include liquid docusate sodium drugs (stool softeners), as well as various dietary supplements including liquid vitamin D drops and liquid multivitamins marketed for infants and children.

B. cepacia poses a serious threat to vulnerable patients, including infants and young children who still have developing immune systems, said FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD. These products were distributed nationwide to retailers, healthcare facilities, pharmacies and sold online making it important that parents, patients and health care providers be made aware of the potential risk and immediately stop using these products.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), B. cepacia poses the greatest threat to hospitalized patients, critically ill patients and people with health problems such as weakened immune systems and chronic lung diseases. The symptoms of B. cepacia infections vary widely from none at all to serious respiratory infections. It can spread from person-to-person by direct contact and is often resistant to common antibiotics.

Consumers, pharmacies and healthcare facilities should immediately stop using and dispensing all liquid drug and dietary supplement products manufactured by PharmaTech and labeled by Rugby Laboratories, Major Pharmaceuticals and Leader Brands. These distributors voluntarily recalled the following products:

LEADER BRAND

Liquid Multivitamin Supplement for Infants and Toddlers 50 mL, UPC: 096295128611 ALL LOTS Liquid Vitamin D Supplement for Breastfed Infants 400 IU 50 mL, UPC: 096295128628 ALL LOTS MAJOR PHARMACEUTICALS Certa-Vite Liquid 236ML 00904-5023-09 ALL LOTS Poly-Vita Drops 50ML 00904-5099-50 ALL LOTS Poly-Vita Drops W/Iron 50ML 00904-5100-50 ALL LOTS Ferrous Drops Iron Supplement 50ML 00904-6060-50 ALL LOTS D-Vita Drops 50ML 00904-6273-50 ALL LOTS Tri-Vita Drops 50ML 00904-6274-50 ALL LOTS Senna Syrup 237ML 00904-6289-09 ALL LOTS RUGBY LABORATORIES C Liquid 500mg 118ML 00536-0160-97 ALL LOTS Diocto Liquid 50mg/5ml 473ML 00536-0590-85 ALL LOTS Ferrous Sulfate Elixir 473ML 00536-0650-85 ALL LOTS Fer Iron Liquid 50ML 50ML 00536-0710-80 ALL LOTS Senexon Liquid 237ML 00536-1000-59 ALL LOTS Diocto Syrup 60MG/15ML 473ML 00536-1001-85 ALL LOTS Aller Chlor Syrup 120ML 00536-1025-47 ALL LOTS Calcionate Syrup 16OZ 00536-2770-85 ALL LOTS Cerovite Liquid 236ML 00536-2790-59 ALL LOTS D3 400iu Liquid 50ML 00536-8400-80 ALL LOTS Poly-Vitamin Liquid 50ML 00536-8450-80 ALL LOTS Tri-Vitamin Liquid 50ML 00536-8501-80 ALL LOTS Poly-Vitamin W/Iron Liquid 50ML 00536-8530-80 ALL LOTS

On Aug. 8, 2017, the FDA advised healthcare professionals and patients not to use any liquid drug products manufactured by PharmaTech, following CDCs laboratory testing of PharmaTechs oral liquid docusate detected a strain of B. cepacia linked to recent patient infections.

In 2016, the FDA advised health care professionals and patients not to use liquid docusate drug products manufactured at PharmaTechs Davie, Florida, facility after the products were implicated in CDCs public health investigation into a multistate outbreak of B. cepacia infections.

The FDA encourages healthcare professionals and consumers to report adverse events or quality problems experienced with the use of drugs and dietary supplements products to the FDAs MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program; complete and submit the report online at http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm

Source: FDA

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FDA Warns of Potential B. cepacia Contamination in Drugs, Dietary Supplements - Infection Control Today

Enlarge / A scanning electron microscopic image of Burkholderia cepacia

The Food and Drug Administration advised consumers and healthcare providers Friday to avoid all liquid products made by PharmaTech LLC of Davie, Florida, after finding dangerous Burkholderia cepacia bacteria in the water system used to manufacture its products. Those products include liquid drugs and dietary supplements labeled under Rugby Laboratories, Major Pharmaceuticals, and Leader Brands.

An outbreak of B. cepaciai infections affecting at least 60 people in eight states led the FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to PharmaTech. Late last year, the agencies tracked the source to more than 10 lots of PharmaTechs oral liquid docusate sodium, a stool softener. But suspicion of contamination crept to the companys other products, and this month PharmaTech issued a voluntary nationwide recall of its other liquid products, such as its liquid vitamin D drops and liquid multivitamins that are marketed for infants and children.

B. cepacia poses a serious threat to vulnerable patients, including infants and young children who still have developing immune systems, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in a statement. These products were distributed nationwide to retailers, health care facilities, pharmacies and sold online making it important that parents, patients and health care providers be made aware of the potential risk and immediately stop using these products.

A representative for PharmaTech reached by Ars declined to comment beyond the recall announcement. The announcement includes a full list of products affected with images.

Burkholderia cepacia poses little risk to healthy people, the CDC notes. But it can be deadly in people with weakened immune systems or other conditions, such as cystic fibrosis. Infections can cause a range of symptomsfrom little to none or to severe respiratory distressand spread from person-to-person or through the environment. The bacteria is known to lurk in health care settings and is often found to be resistant to many common antibiotics.

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Supplement maker on FDA blacklist after deadly bacteria found in water system - Ars Technica

Liquid vitamins for infants and children are among several supplements and drugs that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is advising consumers and health care professionals not to use due to risk of severe infection.

The FDA is advising against using any liquid drug or dietary supplement products manufactured by PharmaTech LLC of Davie, Florida, and labeled by Rugby Laboratories, Major Pharmaceuticals and Leader Brands, due to potential contamination with the bacteria Burkholderia cepacia (B. cepacia) and the risk for severe patient infection.

The drug and dietary supplement products made by PharmaTech include liquid docusate sodium drugs (stool softeners), as well as various dietary supplements including liquid vitamin D drops and liquid multivitamins marketed for infants and children.A lab test done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found a strain of B. cepacia in samples of the stool softeners.

B. cepacia poses a serious threat to vulnerable patients, including infants and young children who still have developing immune systems, said FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb. These products were distributed nationwide to retailers, health care facilities, pharmacies and sold online making it important that parents, patients and health care providers be made aware of the potential risk and immediately stop using these products.

According to the CDC, B. cepacia poses the greatest threat to hospitalized patients, critically ill patients and people with health problems such as weakened immune systems and chronic lung diseases. The symptoms of B. cepacia infections vary widely from none at all to serious respiratory infections. It can spread from person-to-person by direct contact and is often resistant to common antibiotics.

Consumers, pharmacies and health care facilities should immediately stop using and dispensing all liquid drug and dietary supplement products manufactured by PharmaTech and labeled by Rugby Laboratories, Major Pharmaceuticals and Leader Brands.

This is not the first time the FDA has advised patients against using liquid docusate (stool softening) drug products manufactured at PharmaTech's Davie, Florida, facility. The FDA issued an advisory in 2016 after the products were implicated in the CDC's public health investigation into a multistate outbreak of B. cepacia infections.

The FDA encourages health care professionals and consumers to report adverse events or quality problems experienced with the use of drugs and dietary supplements products to the FDAs MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program:

Complete and submit the report online at http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm; or download and complete the form, then submit it via fax at 1-800-FDA-0178.

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FDA warns of contamination of multiple drugs, dietary supplements ... - Bucks County Courier Times

Chronicle Editorial Board

Some of the dietary supplements Nicholas Chrysanthou takes to deal with his over 80 food allergies, on the kitchen counter of his home in Houston, TX, June 28, 2017. (Michael Wyke / For the Chronicle)

Some of the dietary supplements Nicholas Chrysanthou takes to deal...

Health-conscious people may want to think twice before taking dietary supplements. Researchers have found a significant increase nationwide in calls to poison control centers related to vitamins, herbs and other supplements. These calls have increased along with the growth of supplement sales in the U.S.

Between 2000 and 2012, there have been around 275,000 calls about over-the-counter supplement exposure. The most serious of the poisoning cases often concerned young children, stricken with breathing problems and seizures. The Journal of Toxicology report found ma huang, yohimbe and energy products were associated with the greatest toxicity.

Over-the-counter dietary supplements are not held to the same rigorous safety standards as medications or food products. The lack of oversight can lead products to be contaminated, mislabeled or of inconsistent quality.

Some embrace supplements as offering a last bastion of freedom over what goes into their bodies. Many patients turn to herbal remedies for a natural approach to health care and to avoid costly medications.

However, without clinical trials and other safety precautions, consumers cant know the potential side effects of certain supplements, particularly when taken with other medications. The study results indicate a need for stronger oversight by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Politics has blocked that kind of oversight for years. So, at the very least, check with a doctor before deciding to be a human guinea pig.

This commentary is from The Chronicles Editorial Board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters.

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Editorial: Why taking supplements can be risky - San Francisco Chronicle

As an addition to a normal diet, food business operators market food supplements, which are concentrated sources of nutrients (or other substances) with a nutritional or physiological effect. Such food supplements can be marketed in dose form, such as pills, tablets, capsules, liquids in measured doses, etc.

The objective of the harmonised rules on those products in Directive 2002/46/EC is to protect consumers against potential health risks from those products and to ensure that they are not provided with misleading information.

With respect to the safety of food supplements, the Directive lays down a harmonised list of vitamins and minerals that may be added for nutritional purposes in food supplements (in Annex I to the Directive). Annex II of the Directive contains a list of permitted sources (vitamin and mineral substances) from which those vitamins and minerals may be manufactured.

This list has been amended by the following Regulations and Directive to include additional substances:

The trade of products containing vitamins and minerals not listed in Annex II has been prohibited from the 1st of August 2005.

Directive 2002/46/EC has been aligned with the new Regulatory Procedure with scrutiny by Regulation (EC) No 1137/2008.

Directive 2002/46/EC on food supplements envisages the setting of maximum and minimum amounts of vitamins and minerals in supplements via the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed ( PAFF Committee) procedure.

The Commission has issued a Discussion Paper on the setting of maximum and minimum amounts for vitamins and minerals in foodstuffs , which identified the main issues to be considered in this exercise and originated a set of Responses.

Although the Commission has consulted extensively with Member States and interested stakeholders on the issue, no proposal has not yet been presented due to the complex nature of the issue and the divergent views that were expressed. All the available data on the potential effects on economic operators and consumers of the setting of maximum amounts of vitamins and minerals in foods, including food supplements, will be taken into account. Every effort will be made to ensure that the maximum amounts set will take into account the concerns expressed by all interested parties.

The EC commissioned a study on the use of substances with nutritional or physiological effects other than vitamins and minerals in food supplements.

Taking into account this study and other available information, the Commission - in accordance with the requirement set out in Article 4(8) of Directive 2002/46/EC on food supplements - has prepared a report to the Council and the European Parliament on the use of substances other than vitamins and minerals in food supplements.

The report is accompanied by two Commission staff working documents.

Member States may, for monitoring purposes, request notification to their competent authority of the placing on the market in their territory of a food supplement product in accordance with Article 10 of the Directive. The list of competent authorities may be found here:

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Food supplements - European Commission

Were just going to put this out there: Alex Jones is not the most trusted name in news. The Infowars host has devolved, in recent years, from a shameless peddler of baseless, far-right conspiracy theories into a bizarre, disorienting spectacle. What exactly is happening as Jones, shirtless and goggle-eyed, roars spit-flecked tirades at the camera? Maybe this performance of rage is somehow cathartic, enacting an anger his viewers feel but cant express. Maybe its self-parodic shtickJones lawyer seems to suggest hes in the know. Or maybe hes simply on some varsity league drugs.

Whatever the case, heres the unfortunate truth: A not-insignificant number of Americans have elected to buy mail order health supplements from this man. The exact number isnt known, but New York magazine estimates between $15 and $25 million dollars worth per year. And thats too bad because, according to a new BuzzFeed investigation, Joness products arent much better than his newsbasically, a waste of time.

BuzzFeed submitted a range of products to Labdoor, a San-Francisco based lab that tests the quality of dietary supplements. The laba for-profit company with a list of venture capital backers including businessman and vocal Trump detractor Mark Cubansubjected each of Joness offerings to a legit-sounding process: We tested samples in triplicate, and wherever possible, cross-checked those results with at least two independent analytical laboratories, so we have complete trust in our conclusions, Brian Brandley, the companys laboratory director, told BuzzFeed News.

Heres the good news. According to Labdoor, the supplementsunlike #pizzagate and Seth Rich conspiracy theorieswerent actively harmful, testing free of heavy metals, illegal substances, and chemicals known to be toxic. But they probably arent doing much good either.

The supplements arent actively harmful. But they probably arent doing much good either.

Some examples: Anthroplex, a daily foundation for men sold for $39.95, cites its zinc content in promotional materials, but Labdoor found that theres actually 31 percent less zinc than promised. At that negligible level, according to the report, even a seriously zinc-deficient person wouldnt see results. This product is a waste of money, the report reads. The claim that Anthroplex works synergistically with the powerful Super Male Vitality formula in order to help restore your masculine foundation and stimulate vitality with its own blend of unique ingredients is fluff on multiple fronts.

Then theres the $29.95 Survival Shield X-2, an iodine supplement that Jones claims is derived from 200+ million year old salt crystals, is tested for radiation and supports thyroid health and healthy hormone levels. According to Labdoor, thats bunkits just everyday iodine sold, at 30 bucks an ounce, at a steep markup. Its the same stuff doctors used to pour on surfaces as a disinfectant, Labdoors report read.

Theres more: a Child Ease concoction that claims to support attention span in kids, made from herbs that havent been tested for safety or efficacy. A $50-dollar Lung Cleanse spray thats basically cheap cough medicine. A Brain Force Neural Activator with B vitamins and amino acids, but at lower levels than youll find in other products.

Taken together, the items in the Infowars store offer imagined, pseudo-scientific solutions to a range of American symptoms. Were scattered. We cant concentrate. Our joints hurt. We dont feel as young and vigorous as we used to. Were afraid of aging. Were afraid of death. And Jones is only the oldest trick in the con artist book: hes tapping into peoples anxieties and insecurities, and exploiting them to make money. Its gross. Its unethical. But, in this case, its actually not illegal.

By their very legal definition, supplements dont have to do anything. Unlike drugs, supplements are not intended to treat, diagnose, prevent, or cure diseases, according to the Food and Drug Administration(FDA). That means supplements should not make claims, such as reduces pain or treats heart disease. Claims like these can only legitimately be made for drugs, not dietary supplements. In other words, supplements are just like drugsin that you put them in your body. But unlike drugs, they dont have to have measurable benefits. The bar for supplements is extremely low: basically, they just cant be poison.

The Atlantics James Hamblin has a good explainer on how we got here, a huge and growing supplements industry thats based on little more than wishful thinking.

Jones is doing his very thing hes built his brand decrying: namely, abusing power and influence to dupe people and take advantage of them.

This expansive category was set forth in the Dietary Supplements Health and Education Act of 1994, known as DSHEA, Hamblin writes. Backed by Senator Orrin Hatch and enormous investment from the supplement industry, the law allows any of these products to go directly to market and carry unfounded claims about what the product does. The burden is on the FDA to prove that the product is unsafe, if it later proves to be harming people, and then take the producer to court.

But considering the amount of money that Americans spend on supplementsestimates range from $11 billion to almost $40 billion, which averages out to between about $30 and $120 per person per yearits clear that people dont expect them to do nothing. We spend our hard-earned money on supplements because we want to be more healthy and less sick. Surely some people probably see, in their vitamins and herbal solutions, the promise of a cure.

And thats whats weird about Jones-branded supplements. As Vices Motherboard points out, Infowars makes its products appealing by tapping into peoples fears about Big Government. In this case, the idea is that government doesnt want you to know about health cures, because its in bed with Big Pharma, which makes money by preying on the sick. The only way to buck the tyrannical system is to spend $59.95 on Caveman Pure Paleo Shake Powder.

Like all good lies, theres some truth to ityou dont have to reach very far to find examples of lobbyists weakening laws that protect public health. But the sinister thing is that, by selling the dubious supplements he sells through the Infowars store, Jones is doing the very thing hes built his brand decrying. Namely, abusing power and influence to dupe people and take advantage of them.New Yorkmagazine makes a compelling case that Jones hardly makes anymoney from his news operation. The real revenue driver? Supplements.

Most people would agree that government regulation should protect us from unduly harmful products and especially predatory business practices. Should it protect people from wasting their money on products that are basically harmless? That depends on your point of view. In the end, perversely, the whole thing proves Alex Jones point: the government has turned its back on you on this one. With supplements, youre on our own.

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Would you buy supplements from Alex Jones? - New Food Economy - The New Food Economy

European authorities have notified the EU of several incidents of food supplements being found to contain banned substances this week.

A food supplement was withdrawn from the market in the Czech Republic after inspections by Czech authorities found a supplement aimed at sexual appetite and function contained a banned substance.

The State Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority (CAFIA) said the batch of Maxxes food supplement, a food supplement containing a blend of botanical herbs, was found to contain the banned substance sildenafil.

Maxxes claims to: increases the libido and confidence, while other properties of Maxxes boost the endurance for long lasting sexual activity and promote circulation to the reproductive organs resulting in a faster, harder and longer lasting erection.

Sildenafil, the substance identified in Maxxes, is an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), and is the main acting agent in Pfizers erectile dysfunction drug Viagra. Active pharmaceuticals like sildenafil are banned in food supplements.

This drug is only allowed for use in medicines, and preparations containing sildenafil can only be given by the doctor due to possible side effects, said the CAFIA.

Czech authorities immediately withdrew the Maxxes food supplement from sale and the distribution network. Proceedings have also begun to impose a fine.

During inspections, authorities also noted that the product had been distributed to other EU countries, as such as rapid alert has been put out via RASFF.

Poland and Hungary: Unauthorised novel ingredients

Meanwhile, in a second case Polish and Hungarian officials have notified that a foodstuff of special nutritional, imported from the USA and targeted at athletes, was also found to contain banned substances.

The Hungarian National Food Chain Safety Agency (NBIH) said it was notified of the incident via the Union's Rapid Alert System (RASFF) after the issue was initially discovered in Poland.

The product Cellucor C4 G4, Chrome Series, primarily intended for bodybuilders, is a multi-flavoured, special nutritional food. It is available in many EU countries however Polish officials found that the Pink Lemonade flavour contains unauthorised ingredients in the form of creatinine nitrate and teak (a caffeine-like purinase alkaloid).

Both ingredients are classed as novel food ingredients, and are therefore unauthorised for sale within Europe, said the NBIH.

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Supplement recalls: Polish, Czech and Hungarian authorities report cases of banned substances - NutraIngredients.com

Dietary supplements are big business with close on 400 million per year spent in the UK. Vitamins, minerals, botanicals and amino acids are just some of the pills and potions that can be found in supermarkets and health food shops. Over one third of adults regularly take a supplement despite most people not really needing anything other than a healthy balanced diet.

One of the main supplement types are those marketed to aid weight loss. A recent study on supplements seized by the police in Brazil has suggested that some of the supplements contained significantly more caffeine than the amount stated on the labels and even some drugs were detected including laxatives. The researchers aim was to validate a chromatography method, but the work highlights some of the risks that people face when they take unregulated supplements.

The research, published in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology Determination of caffeine and identification of undeclared substances in dietary supplements and caffeine dietary exposure assessment analysed supplements seized by the Brazilian police between 2010 and 2016 as being products not allowed to be sold in Brazil and focused on weight loss supplements.

One of the aims of the work was to validate a GC-MS method for the quantitation of caffeine and identification of other substances in supplements, mainly weight loss products, and to estimate the caffeine intake by consumers. The team used a simple sample preparation method that included extraction with chloroform and water, centrifugation and then analysis of the organic layer.

Of course, chromatography can be used for many different aspects of food analysis including contamination as discussed in the article, How Safe is Safe? Analytical Tools for Tracing Contaminants in Food, or making better chocolate as discussed in the article, Rapid Screening of Volatile and Semi-Volatile Organic Components in Cocoa Beans and Chocolate Products Using a Portable GC/MS System.

The researchers aim was to validate a chromatography method, but the work highlights some of the risks that people face when they take unregulated supplements. Out of 213 samples tested from 52 different products almost 27% of the samples contained more than 120% of the caffeine levels stated on the labels.

The researchers argue that by considering the maximum recommended dose on the product labels, several of the samples could lead to people taking a dose of caffeine above the recommended daily allowance of 400mg.

Equally worrying, in 28 of the samples the researchers identified undeclared drugs including drugs banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency particularly troubling for any athletes taking one of these supplements.

The work highlights that you must be careful what you take. Can you trust the manufacturer of the supplement? Regulations on labelling vary around the world and the internet means you can shop anywhere. Be careful.

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Watching Your Weight Chromatography Analyses Brazilian Supplements - Chromatography Today

By Steve Mister and Jim Griffiths, PhD, the Council for Responsible NutritionSteve Mister and Jim Griffiths, PhD, the Council for Responsible Nutrition , 09-Aug-20172017-08-09T00:00:00Z Last updated on 09-Aug-2017 at 18:11 GMT2017-08-09T18:11:21Z

If the world is our oyster, why does the government make it so hard to sell vitamins?

Its time the U.S. began promoting our scientificly-vetted nutrition standards to the rest of the world. International trade and exports of dietary supplements can help bolster a range of U.S. nutrition industries. We know consumers in other nations love supplements made in the USA. When we can export more products to other countriesparticularly those with even greater nutritional deficiencies than here in the U.S.we provide health benefits around the world and produce a healthy profit for U.S.-based companies.

So when the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex) met last month in Geneva, the U.S. government had an opportunity to uphold the U.S. National Academy of Medicines Food and Nutrition Boards (NAM-FNB) potency recommendations and to promote exports of supplements. Under consideration for adoption were proposals to set new Nutrient Reference Value (NRV) requirements (analogous to U.S. Dietary Reference Intakes) for vitamins D and E. While much of the work of the Commission (a governing body formed by WHO and FAO) leads mere mortals eyes to glaze over, whats critical here is that once Codex adopts a NRV, participating countriesand there are over 180 of themare required to accept imports of dietary supplements containing nutrient levels up to those NRV levels, and cannot refuse them or reclassify them as drugs by invoking more protective, less scientific approaches.

But in this case, the U.S. delegation let the opportunity slip through its fingers.

Just last summer, the U.S. FDA issued new requirements for the Daily Values (DVs) that will be used onNutrition FactsandSupplement Factslabels in the U.S. FDA put the DVs for vitamin D at 20 micrograms/day and for vitamin E at 15 milligrams/day. The DVs represent those nutrient intake levels the U.S. government believes are necessary to assure the vast majority of Americans do not suffer from deficiency-related diseases like rickets, scurvy, pellagra and muscle weakness and are supposedly the result of the most recently available research on nutrient requirements. (The implementation of these rules have now been delayed for unrelated reasons, but no one is suggesting that the new DVs for vitamins D and E are too high; in fact, some U.S. scientists insist they are still way too low.)

During the Geneva meeting, Codex adopted new NRVs for vitamins D and E, at 515 micrograms/day and 9 milligrams/day, respectively. The U.S. delegation had an opportunity to make a case for higher potencies in line with NAM-FNB recommendations. At the very least, the U.S. delegation could have pushed for the Codex Commission to send the lower recommendation levels back to the Codex nutrition committee for reevaluation, urging that committee to use current scientific data that strongly supports higher levels. Instead, the U.S. delegation sat silent.

It appeared that the U.S delegation did not want to offend its international counterparts, so in the spirit of compromise, it allowed these ridiculously low NRVs to sail through unchallenged. What this means is that other countries looking for an easy excuse to favor their own products over U.S.-made supplements can invoke supposed safety concerns to exclude higher potency U.S.-made supplements or treat them like pharmaceuticals.

The U.S. delegation also offered that the NAM-FNB ought to have the final word in setting the DRVs, and until NAM-FNB has an opportunity to examine the most recent data on these nutrients, the U.S. could not endorse higher levels internationally. That argument collapses, however, because the state of current research was apparently strong enough for FDA to set new levels for vitamins D and E for the U.S.but not for the rest of the world? Maybe, instead, its time for the U.S. delegation to take a stronger role in defending our science-based nutrition decisions to the rest of the world, and perhaps aid the export markets as well.

The U.S. may have another chance very soon. Later this year the WHOs Nutrition Guideline Expert Advisory Group (NUGAG) is expected to release a new report on the health effects of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which will include an evaluation of the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids. Many observers expect the report will be excessively conservative and restrained in evaluating the role PUFAs play in disease prevention and reduction, and will especially downplay the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids; that it will cautiously conclude that there is insufficient evidence to encourage more consumption of omega-3s (whether in fish or in supplements).

The U.S. delegation to Codex will have a chance to do the right thing if this plays out as some expect. The delegation can call the conclusions out as too fainthearted and watered-down. It can take a critical view of the manner in which NUGAG interprets the evidence to belittle health results. The delegation can demand NUGAG incorporate all the science around omega-3s in its analysis rather than cherry-picking only that data that supports a wishy-washy result. This is an opportunity for the U.S. government to take a stand. Theres still a pearl to be found in international trade of supplements.

Were watching.

About the authors:Steve Mister is president & CEO and Jim Griffiths, Ph.D., is vice president, scientific & international affairs, both at the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), the leading trade association for the dietary supplement and functional food industry.

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Exporting supplements: Harder than shucking oysters - NutraIngredients-usa.com