ConsumerLabGlucosamine/ ChondroitinMSN

ConsumerLab flunks 8 of 38 bone health products

The products were purported to contain glucosamine, chondroitin, and MSM (methylsulfonylmethane). You can buy the full report here, or MSNBC gives a glimpse of the findings here.

Two products exposed include Nature’s Plus Ultra Maximum Strength Chondroitin 600 for people and Nutri-Vet Nutritionals Hip and Joint Soft Chews for dogs.

The problem is that the manufacturers of the failed products didn’t include the advertised amount chondroitin in their tablets.

The bottom line?
Consumers are wasting their money and placing their health at risk when they buy expensive but fraudulent products.

Some manufacturers question the validity of the ConsumerLab.com results. However, I’m aware of none that have provided alternative test results. And since the government doesn’t allow the FDA to monitor the quality control of supplements (see comment below), there’s no follow-up to document and ensure that quality control issues by these companies are corrected.

4/15/07 11:05 JR

Hi, I’m JR

John Russo, Jr., PharmD, is president of The MedCom Resource, Inc. Previously, he was senior vice president of medical communications at www.Vicus.com, a complementary and alternative medicine website.