Ewww! Do you know what is in your vitamins?
I often get questioning looks when people find out that I offer certain supplements in my office, as if my reason for doing it is financial. The truth is that I carry products that I believe in. The companies I choose to work with do quality assurance testing that exceeds any requirement. Not only that, but they can send me the results of their testing, sometimes specifically enough to tell me about the single bottle I have in my hand. THAT is the level of care and concern that I expect for myself and for my patients.
Earlier this year, the FDA did a study on supplements sold by a four major retail stores and here is what they found:
- GNC supplements contained numerous unlisted fillers that could be seriously harmful to anyone with a peanut or soybean allergy.
- The Ginkgo, St. John’s Wort and Valerian Root at Target contained NONE of those actually ingredients, but instead were made up of rice, beans, peas and carrots.
- At Walgreens, the pill labeled “Ginseng” was actually powered rice and garlic.
- And the supposed Ginkgo at Walmart was made of powdered radish, houseplant and wheat. To top it off, it was labeled at “wheat and gluten-free”
A separate study looked at the ingredients of the #1 Children’s Vitamin, Flintstones. I totally remember having these next to my plate when I was a kid, don’t you?
Anyway, they contain:
- Aspartame
- Coal tar artificial coloring agents: FD&C Blue #2, Red #40, Yellow #6
- Hydrogenated Soybean Oil
- GMO Corn Starch
- Zinc Oxide
- Sorbitol
- And more
Gotta love giving our kids things that are known to cause cancer, neurological diseases, irritable bowel syndrome, heart disease and more.
I think I’ll stick to eating whole foods and taking supplements that are proven to actually contain the ingredients listed, and nothing else.
