Quite a jolt, watched Frontline: Supplements and Safety (Season 34/ episode2) and was not very happy about how supplements are regulated, advertised and lobbied about in Congress.
Of particular annoyance, turns out vitamin E is suspected of promoting prostate cancer. And since the vast majority of people get plenty in their diet as it is, there is no point in taking a vitamin E supplement. And especially me, my PSA, while stable, is a little high AND the vitamin E capsules I was taking contain 1400% of the recommended daily dose!
I myself was of the thought, well, most supplements are cheap, if no harm accrues from their use, why not take them ?
Well, it's the no harm accrues part where the country is in trouble. Usually, the harm angle is figured out when people using the supplement suffer harm. And that can be too late. Particularly for those folks in Hawaii, some of whom needed a liver transplant after taking a new diet pill. Helluva way to verify safety of a pill, ain't it ?
Another problem with some supplements, with new DNA testing, it's relatively easy for state and federal regulators to determine, for instance, if a black cohosh supplement actually contains any black cohosh. As it turns out, no black cohosh supplement contains black cohosh. How's that for a placebo test ??
Disclaimer:
Yeah, I threw out my vitamin E. I do continue to take krill oil, glucosamine chondroitin, a multivitamin and an AREDS formula vitamin. LOL, I'm still getting plenty of vitamin E.
Of particular annoyance, turns out vitamin E is suspected of promoting prostate cancer. And since the vast majority of people get plenty in their diet as it is, there is no point in taking a vitamin E supplement. And especially me, my PSA, while stable, is a little high AND the vitamin E capsules I was taking contain 1400% of the recommended daily dose!
I myself was of the thought, well, most supplements are cheap, if no harm accrues from their use, why not take them ?
Well, it's the no harm accrues part where the country is in trouble. Usually, the harm angle is figured out when people using the supplement suffer harm. And that can be too late. Particularly for those folks in Hawaii, some of whom needed a liver transplant after taking a new diet pill. Helluva way to verify safety of a pill, ain't it ?
Another problem with some supplements, with new DNA testing, it's relatively easy for state and federal regulators to determine, for instance, if a black cohosh supplement actually contains any black cohosh. As it turns out, no black cohosh supplement contains black cohosh. How's that for a placebo test ??
Disclaimer:
Yeah, I threw out my vitamin E. I do continue to take krill oil, glucosamine chondroitin, a multivitamin and an AREDS formula vitamin. LOL, I'm still getting plenty of vitamin E.
The granting of a pardon is an imputation of guilt, and the acceptance a confession of it.
