Good for You, Good for Our Earth

First the Environmental Working Groups identified 12 most pesticide ridden fruits and vegetables, then the David Suzuki foundation listed the 12 cosmetic chemicals to avoid and just this week Consumer Reports followed suit by identifying 12 dietary supplements, which they refer to as their “dirty dozen”. It isn’t a surprise that Consumer Reports would choose to review herbal dietary supplements, as they are estimated to be worth more than 5 billion in sales, and continue to increase in popularity. With that much money to be made, one would think that there would be regulations in place to ensure safely to consumers. We have laws around the sales of over the counter pharmaceutical drugs and alcohol, as most of us know too much of a good thing, is never a good thing! Currently however, Health Canada does not regulate supplements as strictly as drugs, and there is a war raging between producers of the supplements and health regulators on whether they should be able to do so. Supplements do not have to undergo safety or efficacy tests prior to being sold and it’s not illegal to market supplements as a treatment, preventive measure, or cure for disease to anyone of any age. It is with that in mind that the popular Consumer Reports Magazine scrutinized nearly 1,100 ingredients found in the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. They examined supplements that have ingredients that may have potential health risks, possibly leading to cancer, kidney and liver damage, cardiovascular problems, and death. The report states that out of the products they studied, only about a third have any scientific evidence to support some level of safety and effectiveness. Many consumer however feel that they don’t need the research to know if something is working for them, and would like nothing more then for the government to stay clear of supplement regulations. While the debate rages on, my suggestion is simple.  Just like you head to your medical doctor to obtain drugs that require a prescription, so should you head to see your Naturopathic Doctor and/or registered dietitian before heading to the supplement counter. Having health professionals help you choose the product that will work for you, with the least amount of harm takes the guess work out of the rows of pills that line the shelves.  For those of us that are not Consumer report subscribers, Medical News Today, featured an excellent article on the report which can be found here.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 4th, 2010 at 10:44 AM and is filed under Toxins, Vitamin Supplements. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.