A South African consumers' guide to scams, pseudoscience and voodoo science, OR, a critical thinker's guide to the ins and outs of Complementary and Alternative Medicine
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Tainted Supplements Database, created in 2007, lists products adulterated with active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). Between 2007 and 2021, 1,068 unique dietary-supplement products were added to the database. A recent study has found that the products likely to include APIs were for sexual enhancement and weight loss.
The author noted:
Since 2016, the percentage of products containing more than one API has increased.
Since 2016, the percentage of adulterated products for sexual enhancement was higher, the percentage of weight-loss products was lower, and no muscle-building products were reported.
Some products with APIs were removed from the market by the FDA because the risks were too great, some were never reviewed by the FDA, and some combined multiple APIs in ways that make it impossible to determine how benefits compare to harms.
Reference: Continued Risk of Dietary Supplements Adulterated With Approved and … Read the rest
These reputable articles argue that these claims are invalid and not physiologically possible – unless you are undernourished or malnourished.
BBC: Covid-19: Can ‘boosting’ your immune system protect you?
“Unfortunately, the idea that pills, trendy superfoods or wellness habits can provide a shortcut to a healthy immune system is a myth. In fact, the concept of “boosting” your immune system doesn’t hold any scientific meaning whatsoever.”
Cedars Sinai Hospital: Can You Really Boost Your Immune System?
“Dr. Cassel says most of the things people take to boost their immune system, such as vitamins or supplements, don’t have any effect on your immune response.”
“They are claimed to cure everything, even long COVID. But the science on adaptogens is very disappointing.”
Adaptogens are said to be substances, often plants (such as ginseng and golden root), that help the body adapt to stress with no side effects. A recent article makes these points:
Their long-term safety has not been demonstrated.
Regulation of this market is poor.
Some adaptogenic herbs are known to have potentially serious side effects.
Evidence for effectiveness usually comes from animal studies and a few published studies in humans that tend to be small and lacking in rigor.
This editorial published in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) asks:
“Essential nutrients plus clever marketing: it is clear why vitamin and mineral supplements are so appealing. But that begs the question of why it is so easy to market the unproven benefits of these products while it is so difficult to convince people to receive lifesaving vaccines.”
The article is though provoking and worth reading here
In the event of difficulty accessing the site, it is copied here.
JAMA Intern Med. Published online June 21, 2022. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2022.0119
Currently, US adults spend more than $10 billion per year on vitamins and dietary supplements,1 believing against most evidence that fortified gummy bears and water infused with vitamins will improve their health and well-being.
Here’s what the evidence says about what works (and what doesn’t).
By Annie Sneed
St. John’s wort “promotes a positive mood.” Valerian root reduces “levels of anxiety and stress.” Lavender oil is “calming for body and mind.”
If you are among the tens of millions of people in the United States who suffer from depression or anxiety, it is easy to be captivated by the promise of mood-boosting supplements. Take these pills daily, their marketing suggests, and soon you’ll be happily bouncing through verdant, sun-soaked fields, no prescription required.
But, while experts say that some mood-lifting supplements are better studied than others, the wider evidence on their effectiveness is shaky at best. “I’m not saying that there’s evidence that these things aren’t useful,” said Dr. Gerard Sanacora, a professor of psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine
Melatonin, which is regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a dietary supplement, is widely used as a sleep aid. According to an analysis of 260,435 reports of ingestion of melatonin by teenagers and preteens made to the American Association of Poison Control Centers’ National Poison Data System from 2012 to 2021:
94.3% of the ingestions were unintentional
83.8% were among children under age six
17.2% involved symptoms, mostly of the gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, or central nervous systems
99.0% occurred in the home
88.3% were managed on-site
among 27,795 patients who received care at a health care facility, 19,892 (71.6%) were discharged, 4,097 (14.7%) were hospitalized, and 287 (1.0%) required intensive care
most of the hospitalized were teenagers with intentional ingestions
4,555 (1.6%) resulted in more serious outcomes including five children who required mechanical ventilation and two died
pediatric ingestion reports increased from 8,337 in
Its differentiator is that it is ‘ionised’ to be ‘alkaline’, with a claimed pH of 10. For this, you can expect to pay two to three times as much as you’d pay for regular filtered water in a bottle.
This product claims in a Carte Blanche advert that it would allow users to “Lose the weight you’ve always wanted to lose, in only seven short days, without ever stepping foot in a gym …” It adds that this “… Jump Start seven-day programme is super-fast weight loss to flush out stored toxins, and once you remove these toxins the fat is released from your body in a quick, yet safe manner”. It also features the following “Before” and “After” photos of people purported to have lost weight using this programme.
The Complainant submitted that there is insufficient evidence to support reliance on juice- based diets, that research from trusted sources have linked liquid diets to an increased risk of eating disorders and health complications, and that people should only undertake liquid based diets under close medical supervision.
The Complainant added that there was no evidence … Read the rest
A consumer laid a complaint with the Advertising Regulatory Board against the claims being made for Wondernut arguing that there is no robust evidence to support the claims being made for this product.
The product claims, inter alia:
May Lose centimetres
May Improve Muscle tone, May Increase weight loss and detoxifies your system.
May Maintains Energy levels
May Enhances skin – Making it soft and shiny May increase your skin elasticity
Transform food into energy instead of fat
After a thorough consideration, the ARB agreed and ruled against the claims being made for this product.
The Directorate of the Advertising Regulatory Board has been called upon to consider claims made by the Advertiser for its “Wondernut Capsule” … Read the rest
The Directorate of the Advertising Regulatory Board was called upon to consider a complaint against claims made on the Advertiser’s website https://www.optiway.co.za/ and heard during a radio commercial.
The Complainant submitted that there is insufficient evidence to show that this test, which is “… essentially an IgG type test ” can deliver on its claimed efficacy, that is, can detect foods which result in “food intolerance”.
The ARB concluded that in light of the adverse finding, the Advertiser is requested to withdraw this claim with immediate effect and within the deadlines stipulated in Clause 15.3 of the Procedural Guide.