Many years ago, I had the privilege of meeting the Dalai Lama’s personal physician. My friends and I were traveling through a small mountainous town in Northern India, largely inhabited by Tibetan refugees, when the doctor agreed to see the public. It was a rare opportunity, so we decided to wait the three hours to visit this man, renowned for his abilities to cure what western medicine, herbal remedies, and common sense could not.
Looking back, I can’t remember my ailment (acne? fatigue? migraines?) but I do remember the small, black, terrible tasting medicine balls he prescribed as a treatment. My friends and I ate them—sometimes up to eighteen little pills a day—for at least a month. Then we read somewhere that medicines sold in Asia may contain toxic heavy metals. Since I had no idea what was in the black balls I was ingesting, I was happy—and kind of relieved—to stop.
Rarely would I worry about such a threat in supplements sold here in the U.S. I assume that what is written on the label is what I’m getting in the pill. But a recent study by ConsumerLabs.com found vitamins in the U.S. may not be so safe after all.
Consumer Labs, an independent company that analyzes health, wellness, and nutrition products, purchased thirty-two multivitamin and multimineral supplements and sent them to two independent labs to be examined. The findings, which were released by MSNBC, revealed that twelve supplements either fell short of stated vitamins or minerals, failed to dissolve, or contained harmful ingredients.
One of these harmful ingredients was lead. Vitamin Shoppe’s Multivitamin Especially for Women had fifteen micrograms of lead, ten times the amount allowed in California. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), lead can cause high blood pressure and nerve disorders in adults and is particularly dangerous for women of child bearing age, who can expose a fetus to lead through the placenta.
The vitamin testing, done by ConsumerLabs.com (a for-profit business with no government certification or affiliation) may not have been perfect. They analyzed only one lot of vitamins and other lots may not have produced the same results. However, Dr. Tod Cooperman, President of Consumerlab.com, said in an interview with MSNBC, “no lot should be bad when it comes to vitamins.”
In addition to lead, high levels of vitamin A were found in a children’s multivitamin. Hero Nutritionals Yummi Bears contained 5,400 International Unit’s (IU) in a daily serving, when the Recommended Dietary Allowance for children ages four to eight is 1,320 IU. Because vitamin A is fat-soluble, it cannot be rapidly excreted from the body and can accumulate, causing musculoskeletal and neurological problems.
Having too much vitamin A can cause problems, but so can having too little. Two of the brands tested were lacking the amount of vitamin A listed on their labels. Eniva Vibe had only half the amount of vitamin A it claimed and Healthy Moments Mint Cream Flavor Vitamin Strips had none. Two brands failed to dissolve within the thirty minute standard—Nature's Plus Especially Yours for Women and AARP Maturity Formula— meaning these vitamins may pass through the system providing no benefit at all.
So what should consumers do? If checking labels can’t guarantee a safe or effective vitamin, how should one be chosen?
Sticking with big name brands may not always be your best bet. Although some brands, like Centrum Silver and One-A-Day Women’s, passed the ConsumerLab.com tests, buying a big brand doesn’t ensure you’re getting your nutrients.
“Big brands often put in fillers that are not processed by our bodies. Consumers should look for something that is whole-foods based, made with organically grown ingredients and cold-pressed processed,” recommends independent wellness consultant, Amy Lewis.
She also recommends purchasing your vitamins from a natural food store, where the sales people may know more about their products than large retail pharmacies.
