The C.A.M. Report
Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Fair, Balanced, and to the Point

Archive for the 'ConsumerLab' Category

Consumer Alert: Man Up Now capsules

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…)

More quality control problems with Vitamin D

Thursday, December 29th, 2011

ConsumerLab.com has reported problems with 29% of the vitamin D supplements selected for testing and review. (more…)

Product report: Turmeric and curcumin

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…)

Marked variability in red yeast rice products

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…)

Resveratrol: You don’t always get what you pay for

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…)

High percentage of supplements are contaminated

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…)

Product review: CoQ10 and ubiquinol

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…)

False labeling casts a shadow on OTC vitamin D products

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…)

Are you getting your nutrients from your multivitamin supplement?

Tuesday, January 11th, 2011

ConsumerLab.com found defects in over 30% of the multivitamins selected for review. (more…)

Omega-3 from fish, algae, and krill

Tuesday, January 11th, 2011

ConsumerLab.com reports that their tests of fish oil, krill oil, and algal oil supplements revealed quality problems. (more…)

Consumer Alert: Payouji tea and Pai You Guo Slim Capsules

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…)

Consumer Alert: The list is almost too long… to list

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…)

Treating hypertension with time-released garlic tablets

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…)

Arsenic, cadmium and lead in medicinal herbs

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…)

ConsumerLab tests milk thistle supplements

Thursday, December 3rd, 2009

consumer-labMilk 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…)

Thinking of taking valerian to help you sleep?

Friday, July 10th, 2009

Before you do, consider these quotes. (more…)

Herbals and lead levels in Americans

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…)

ConsumerLab tests turmeric (curcumin) supplements

Wednesday, May 6th, 2009

14 brands were tested.

And, the results are grim. (more…)

ConsumerLab tests Coenzyme Q10

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…)

ConsumerLab reports on vitamin A

Thursday, October 30th, 2008

Among 17 products, 4 failed to measure up.

That’s almost 25%. (more…)