The decrease in foot traffic to malls claimed yet another victim: Vitamin World has filed for bankruptcy and outlined plans to close dozens of stores. [More]
supplements
Probiotic Supplement For Babies Recalled Due To Confusing Directions
By 9.8.17
Sometimes people take directions too literally. It’s in case of that that Garden of Life, LLC, is recalling a probiotic supplement made for babies. [More]
FTC: No Evidence That Herbal Products Alleviate Opiate Withdrawal
By 5.4.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Given the pain, nausea, intestinal distress, craving, and other unpleasantness involved in opiate withdrawal, it’s understandable that people might be tempted to put their faith in an herbal supplement that promises to alleviate these problems. However, the Federal Trade Commission says the marketers of one such product had no science to back up their claims. [More]
Sexual Enhancement Supplements With Ridiculous Names Contain Prescription Drugs For Sexual Dysfunction
By 4.25.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
A supplement company that must let their 12-year-old cousin name its products has recalled a slew of sexual enhancement supplements — for men and women — after tests showed that these items contained actual FDA-approved prescription drugs used to treat sexual dysfunction. [More]
We Dissected This Fake News Site Linking Denzel, Stephen Hawking To Brain-Boosting Pills
By 2.27.17
For years, marketers of sketchy dietary supplements have cooked up fake news websites and used bogus “reporters” to push their product online. But we stumbled on one site that quadruples down on the fiction, attributing utterly made-up endorsements to bona fide stars of stage, screen, sports, and science. [More]
A Supplement Company Sued Over Research It Didn’t Like… And Lost
By 2.8.17
Unlike FDA-approved medications, makers of dietary supplements are not required to demonstrate that their products are safe or effective. That shouldn’t stop independent researchers from doing their own tests to find out if a product works or is dangerous, but when one Harvard professor tried to do just that, supplement makers tried to shut him up.. [More]
Doctor Who Endorsed Sketchy Joint Pain Supplement Failed To Mention She Was Married To Company’s Owner
By 10.5.16
When you turn on the TV and there are one of those infomercials that pretend to be a talk show, you’re probably justified in questioning the bona fides of anyone endorsing the product being sold. Case in point: A joint pain supplement that not only made unsubstantiated claims about being able to treat medical conditions like fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis, but which failed to mention that the doctor endorsing the supplement also just happened to be married to the company’s owner. [More]
Man Charged With Fraud, Accused Of Importing Illegal Sex Drugs
By 9.27.16
One important consumer lesson that we hope our readers take away from this site is that erectile dysfunction drugs that you find on a gas station counter are never a good idea. An Alabama man has been charged with intentionally defrauding and misleading consumers for importing a drug sold as a “male enhancement product” that contained sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra. [More]
Ad And Supplement Self-Regulation Groups Have Issues With Gwyneth Paltrow’s Favorite Smoothie Dusts
By 8.9.16
If someone offered you a magic dust that would transform you into actor, mother, and lifestyle advice entrepreneur Gwyneth Paltrow, would you take it? If that doesn’t interest you, what about a powder that claims to be “designed to maintain healthy systems for superior cognitive flow, clarity, memory, creativity, alertness, and the capacity to handle stress”? [More]
Anyone Can Make & Market A Dietary Supplement, Including Consumer Reports
By 7.27.16
When you see ads for dietary supplements, there are often scientists in lab coats looking at beakers and flasks, saying science-y things. In the real world, just about anyone with a credit card can make and market a supplement, even one that contains potentially unhealthy ingredients. Just ask our colleagues at Consumer Reports, the creators of the new (totally fake) weight-loss supplement Thinitol. [More]
15 Dietary Supplement Ingredients To Avoid
July 27, 2016
Taking a stroll down the dietary supplements aisle can be bewildering, what with the variety of ingredients plastered all over labels, suggesting they can help with this or that ailment. But there are some ingredients out there that may do more harm than good. [More]
Supplement Maker Must Stop Claiming “Elimidrol” Can Relieve Opiate Withdrawal
By 7.6.16 — Updated: 1.11.17
Last year, Sunrise Nutraceuticals was one of more than 100 supplement companies sued by the Federal Trade Commission for allegedly making unfounded health or disease-treatment claims. To settle that suit, Sunrise has agreed to suspend allegedly false claims that its Elimidrol dietary supplement can alleviate the symptoms of opiate withdrawal. [More]
Amberen Must Stop Claiming Menopause Supplement Is “Proven” To Cause Weight Loss
By 5.20.16
Last year, the Federal Trade Commission sued Lunada, the makers of the supplement Amberen, alleging that the company did not have the science to back up claims that Amberen was “clinically proven” to cause substantial weight loss, and to alleviate just about every symptom associated with menopause: hot flashes, night sweats, sleep problems, fatigue, and irritability. Now Lunada has agreed to stop making these claims to settle the complaint. [More]
GNC Looking To Sell Itself, Other Restructuring Options
By 5.2.16
Amid declining sales and increased scrutiny on the supplements industry, GNC Holdings is looking to either restructure its business or sell itself.
[More]
CVS Sued Over Claims Its Algae Supplement Improves Memory
By 2.1.16
Drugstore giant CVS is being sued for marketing and advertising its algae-based Algal-900 DHA supplements as proven memory enhancers, when the science used to prop up that claim is allegedly bogus. [More]
7 Things You Need To Know From Frontline’s Investigation On Supplements & Safety
By 1.20.16
They look like drugs, they’re regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, but Frontline‘s new investigation found that supplements are very, very different. [More]
Melatonin Helps People Fall Asleep, But Has Potential Problems And Side Effects
January 7, 2016
If you’re having trouble falling or staying asleep, you may first turn to melatonin, a synthetic version of the hormone that regulates our sleep/wake cycles. It might seem like a mild and natural alternative to sleeping pills, but there are potential problems. The hormone can interact with other medications and have side effects like next-day grogginess, and since it’s regulated as a supplement, its potency may vary. You also may need a much lower dose than what’s in the bottle: as little as .1 mg works for some people. [Consumer Reports] [More]
Supplement-Maker Who Diluted Products With Other Powders Sentenced To 40 Months In Prison
By 9.9.15
When you buy a food product or a dietary supplement, you should be confident that the product’s ingredients are listed on the label, and that you’re getting what you paid for. Federal prosecutors say that one dietary supplement wholesaler in New Jersey spent four years selling products diluted with products like maltodextrin or rice flour, increasing profits but defrauding customers. The company’s owner now must forfeit $1 million in profits and has been sentenced to 40 months in prison and one year of supervised release. [More]
