{"id":603,"date":"2015-02-19T16:08:38","date_gmt":"2015-02-19T16:08:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stg-blogs.bmj.com\/bmjebmspotlight\/?p=603"},"modified":"2017-08-21T11:54:11","modified_gmt":"2017-08-21T11:54:11","slug":"primary-care-corner-with-geoffrey-modest-md-otc-supplements-not-what-they-say-they-are","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stg-blogs.bmj.com\/bmjebmspotlight\/2015\/02\/19\/primary-care-corner-with-geoffrey-modest-md-otc-supplements-not-what-they-say-they-are\/","title":{"rendered":"Primary Care Corner with Geoffrey Modest MD: OTC supplements — not what they say they are…"},"content":{"rendered":"

By: Dr. Geoffrey Modest\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The New York Times had a rather remarkable article on Feb 3rd noting that in a NY attorney general’s investigation, approx 80% of herbal supplements from 4 retailers “contained none\u00a0of the herbs listed on their labels”, but included “cheap fillers like rice and house plants, or substances that could be\u00a0hazardous to people with food allergies”. Specifically, they analyzed products from GNC, Target, Walmart, and Walgreens (see here<\/a>). This raises several issues.<\/p>\n

–there is a total lack of oversight\/regulation for these “dietary supplements”: ie, no FDA or other agency assuring the quantity or\u00a0quality. I have previously sent out an article on vitamin D supplementation of milk (see\u00a0N Engl J Med 1992; 326: 1178<\/strong>),\u00a0finding that only 29% of 42 samples of 13 brands of milk had the amount of vitamin D advertised on their label (within 20%), 62% had < 80% of what was advertised, and 3 of 14 samples of skim milk had NO vitamin D!! So, people relying on any of the “dietary supplements” are at risk of getting none of what they want.<\/p>\n

–there is clearly a potential health\u00a0risk\u00a0if one has an allergy to an added (but not listed) ingredient to the supplements<\/p>\n

–and, unfortunately, I do find that even in the relatively\u00a0poor urban community where I work, many patients are\u00a0buying these overpriced supplements (which it turns out are often fraudulently labeled).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Will append the list from the article below (O’Connor, 2015<\/a>):<\/p>\n

\"gnc\"From GNC, Herbal Plus brand-\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gingko Biloba:<\/p>\n