Some people believe that taking a daily vitamin can improve their health and boost their immune systems. What they probably don’t envision when popping one of those pills or gummies is becoming ill. For that reason, Pharmavite is recalling several varieties of its popular Nature Made vitamins that may be contaminated with salmonella or staph. [More]
vitamins
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]
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]
Makers Of SmartCandy Warned About Possibly Misleading Nutrition Claims
By 4.13.15
The Attorney General’s office for the state of New York is cautioning the company behind “vitamin infused snack” SmartCandy that its advertising may run afoul of state and federal regulations, according to a letter obtained by Consumerist. [More]
Do You Have Cold Symptoms? Don’t Reach For Vitamin C
By 12.22.14
Our colleagues down the hall at Consumer Reports, armed with actual facts, are out to debunk everything that I do when I think I might be coming down with a cold. First, they explained why taking zinc supplements isn’t a good idea, and now they’ve pointed out that taking Vitamin C supplements isn’t all that helpful either. If they debunk lengthy naps next, my cold-coping strategies are all eliminated. [More]
Doctors Plead: Quit Wasting Your Money On Vitamin Supplements Already
By 12.18.13
Every year, Americans spend $28 billion on potions that we imbue with magical powers. We mean, of course, vitamin pills and supplements. We take them by the handful even though study after study has showed us that for people who have a deficiency, vitamin pills don’t do very much good, and may harm our health in the long run. Yes, harm. [More]
Study Links Prolonged Use Of Heartburn & Ulcer Medications With Vitamin Deficiency
By 12.11.13
There are millions of Americans who regularly take prescription proton pump inhibitor (PPI) medications to treat heartburn and ulcers, but researchers claim to have found a link between prolonged use of these drugs and a vitamin deficiency that could increase the risk of dementia, nerve damage, anemia, and other medical complications. [More]
Dr. Pepper Snapple Group Sued Over Mott’s For Tots Immunity Claims
By 1.28.13
A recently filed lawsuit alleges that the labels Mott’s for Tots Immune Support Fruit Punch are making claims it shouldn’t — namely that the beverage will help support one’s immune system. [More]
Did You Buy Disney Or Marvel Vitamins? There Might Be A Refund Waiting For You
By 8.14.12
I prefer to get my vitamins the old-fashioned way (i.e., in the shape of Flintstones characters), but for those of you who prefer your vitamins in the shape of Disney characters or Marvel superheros, the Federal Trade Commission wants you to know you might be due a refund. [More]
Are You Overpaying For Vitamins?
By 10.6.11
According to a recent study surveying over 60 different multivitamins, “there was almost no connection between price and quality.” [More]
Experts: You Don't Need Extra Calcium, Vitamin D
By 12.1.10
Those daily vitamin supplements may not be doing as much good as you think, and may in fact harm you. A committee of medical experts from the Institute of Medicine released a report that says excessive amounts of calcium and vitamin D aren’t helpful. [More]
Choose A Multivitamin
By 10.4.10
Multivitamins come in an array of packages like “Silver,” “Kids Chewables,” and “Schwarzenegger,” but it’s all marketing. Just buy the cheapest. They’re all the same, just in different colored boxes. That’s the advice Consumer Reports is dishing out after it tested 21 different kinds of multivitamins, and finding most were indistinguishable from one another, with two exceptions. [More]
Want More Lead Or Pesticide In Your Body? Try Dietary Supplements
By 5.26.10
Lead has a deservedly bad reputation when it comes to human health and development, but because it’s classified as a heavy metal it will always be kind of awesome. Well, to me. Pesticide, not so much. If you dislike ingesting either type of toxin, you might be interested in a new study being released today by the Government Accountability Office that found trace amounts of “lead and other contaminants” in every sample of 40 health supplements tested. [More]
Health Supplement Guru Nearly Dies After Ingesting Own Product
By 5.4.10
Gary Null sells something called Ultimate Power Meal, which he says you’re supposed to eat twice a day every day. He did that for a month and nearly died, so now he’s suing the company that manufactured the product. [More]
Interactive Chart Helps You Vet Health Supplements
By 3.23.10
Are you tired of forgetting whether you should add creatine or cinnamon to your kale smoothie? Do you worry that the milk thistle you’ve rubbed on your genitals isn’t helping? The “Snake Oil?” graphic at informationisbeautiful.net can help you out–it provides a graphical overview of 166 different health supplements and arranges them according to how much evidence there is that they actually work. [More]
Foods That Are Bad For You: Now Good For You!
By 9.10.09
The Times has a write-up of the Smart Choices campaign, an industry-supported healthy foods labeling program that generously designates foods like Fruit Roll-Ups, mayonnaise, and Cocoa Puffs as good for you. “These are horrible choices,” says the head of the nutrition department at Harvard School of Public Health.
What's In Your Herbal Remedies and Supplements?
By 9.8.09
In the wake of FDA warnings about steroids in nutritional supplements, federal officials are studying ways to improve safety in dietary supplements. Mean time, we’ve got a few consumer tips for those of you who take supplements, courtesy of the Wall Street Journal:
By 8.4.09
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Hey, kids! Get up off the couch, go outside, and maybe drink a glass of milk once in a while. A study published in the scientific journal Pediatrics shows that 70% of children studied had “insufficient” Vitamin D levels, or an outright deficiency. [Consumer Reports Health] [Pediatrics]
