Archive for the 'ConsumerLab' Category
Monday, February 27th, 2012
Man Up Now claims to be “herbal” and “all natural.” Consumers may mistakenly assume the product is harmless and poses no health risk. One consumer below thinks it no big deal.
Consumers who have Man Up Now capsules should stop using them, because the FDA determined it contains sulfoaildenafil, a chemical similar to sildenafil, and the active ingredient in Viagra. (more…)
A. ALTERNATIVE MEDICAL SYSTEMS, ConsumerLab, Erectile Dysfunction, FDA/FTC/CDC | Comments Off on Consumer Alert: Man Up Now capsules
Thursday, December 29th, 2011
ConsumerLab.com has reported problems with 29% of the vitamin D supplements selected for testing and review. (more…)
ConsumerLab, Vitamin D | Comments Off on More quality control problems with Vitamin D
Tuesday, November 1st, 2011
Supplements containing turmeric and its key compound, curcumin, may be helpful in treating inflammatory diseases and other conditions.
ConsumerLab.com reports some problems with 2 of 10 products tested. (more…)
ConsumerLab, Turmeric | Comments Off on Product report: Turmeric and curcumin
Wednesday, October 5th, 2011
Red yeast rice is an alternative therapy to treat high cholesterol levels. It contains monacolins that may inhibit HMG-CoA reductase — the enzyme inhibited by statins.
Researchers at Chestnut Hill Hospital, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, report marked variability of monacolin and citrinin content in 12 readily available red yeast rice products. (more…)
Cholesterol/Lipids, ConsumerLab, Heart Disease, Red Yeast Rice | Comments Off on Marked variability in red yeast rice products
Saturday, June 11th, 2011
Resveratrol supplements have been popular since 2006, when studies in animals showed “life-extending” and “endurance-enhancing” effects. Similar evidence doesn’t exist for people, which is the reason there are few posts about it on this site.
ConsumerLab.com’s most recent tests revealed that 2 resveratrol supplements provided only 43% and 87%, respectively, of their listed amounts of resveratrol. (more…)
ConsumerLab, Resveratrol | Comments Off on Resveratrol: You don’t always get what you pay for
Friday, May 20th, 2011
The New York Times reports, “Nearly all herbal dietary supplements tested in a Congressional investigation contained trace amounts of lead and other contaminants, and 16 of the 40 supplements tested contained pesticide residue that exceeded legal limits.
Here are the details of what the Government Accounting Office found. (more…)
CAM Politics, ConsumerLab, Herbals | Comments Off on High percentage of supplements are contaminated
Monday, April 25th, 2011
CoQ10 and its activated form, ubiquinol, are popular supplements for treating or preventing a range of conditions including congestive heart failure, migraine headache, high blood pressure, and Parkinson’s disease — although none of the evidence is conclusive.
ConsumerLab.com tested 31 products for content and dosing. (more…)
Coenzyme Q10, ConsumerLab, Headache/Migraine, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Migraine, Parkinson's | Comments Off on Product review: CoQ10 and ubiquinol
Saturday, April 23rd, 2011
During the meeting of the Joint Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers and America’s Committee on Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis, researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, reported that actual content ranges between 1% and 82% of what’s on the label. (more…)
ConsumerLab, Vitamin D | Comments Off on False labeling casts a shadow on OTC vitamin D products
Tuesday, January 11th, 2011
ConsumerLab.com found defects in over 30% of the multivitamins selected for review. (more…)
ConsumerLab, Vitamins | Comments Off on Are you getting your nutrients from your multivitamin supplement?
Tuesday, January 11th, 2011
ConsumerLab.com reports that their tests of fish oil, krill oil, and algal oil supplements revealed quality problems. (more…)
ConsumerLab, Omega-3 Fatty Acids | Comments Off on Omega-3 from fish, algae, and krill
Sunday, October 24th, 2010
Testing by the MHRA (Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) found that these supposedly natural products contain an undeclared pharmaceutical ingredient called sibutramine (Meridia). (more…)
Anxiety (Panic)/Depression, ConsumerLab, Nausea/Vomiting, Obesity, Sleep (Insomnia) | Comments Off on Consumer Alert: Payouji tea and Pai You Guo Slim Capsules
Wednesday, August 11th, 2010
There are 2 things in CAM you can count on.
First: There’s a good chance that the contents of the supplement you buy are likely to be less than what’s listed on the label. (more…)
Consumer Alert, ConsumerLab, Erectile Dysfunction, FDA/FTC/CDC | Comments Off on Consumer Alert: The list is almost too long… to list
Saturday, July 24th, 2010
Researchers from the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, in Moscow report that time-released tablets (Allicor) are more effective than regular garlic supplements (Kwai). (more…)
CAM Interactions, ConsumerLab, Garlic, High Blood Pressure | Comments Off on Treating hypertension with time-released garlic tablets
Thursday, March 25th, 2010
This study was conducted at the University of Sofia in Bulgaria using local herbals.
I don’t know the relevance to herbals in other parts of the world, but the results are disturbing. (more…)
Chamomile, ConsumerLab, Heavy Metals, Herbals, Hibiscus, Peppermint Oil | Comments Off on Arsenic, cadmium and lead in medicinal herbs
Thursday, December 3rd, 2009
Milk thistle is sometimes taken as a natural treatment for liver problems.
Unfortunately, most milk thistle supplements contain less than the labeled amount of silymarin. (more…)
ConsumerLab, Milk Thistle | Comments Off on ConsumerLab tests milk thistle supplements
Friday, July 10th, 2009
Before you do, consider these quotes. (more…)
ConsumerLab, NCCAM, Valerian | Comments Off on Thinking of taking valerian to help you sleep?
Saturday, July 4th, 2009
The relationship between supplements and lead levels in blood has been an ongoing project for researchers in Boston.
In this study, researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center report specific herbal supplements are associated with higher blood lead levels among women. (more…)
Ayurveda, Bee Pollen, Black/Blue Cohosh, Chinese Medicine, Consumer Alert, ConsumerLab, Echinacea, Ginkgo, Ginseng, Kava, Pregnancy, St. John's Wort, Valerian | Comments Off on Herbals and lead levels in Americans
Wednesday, May 6th, 2009
14 brands were tested.
And, the results are grim. (more…)
Consumer Alert, ConsumerLab, Turmeric | Comments Off on ConsumerLab tests turmeric (curcumin) supplements
Saturday, January 24th, 2009
Just 1 of 39 coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) (ubiquinol) supplements tested contained levels lower than listed on the label.
But large variations in dose and forms may confuse consumers, according to ConsumerLab in their latest report. (more…)
Coenzyme Q10, ConsumerLab | Comments Off on ConsumerLab tests Coenzyme Q10
Thursday, October 30th, 2008
Among 17 products, 4 failed to measure up.
That’s almost 25%. (more…)
ConsumerLab, Vitamins | Comments Off on ConsumerLab reports on vitamin A