The Journal of the American Medical Association recently published a study on immunity dietary supplements. Sales have skyrocketed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective was:
"To examine whether select dietary supplement products advertised as supporting or boosting the immune system are accurately labeled according to the Supplement Facts label of listed ingredients and to qualitatively describe the product labels’ characteristics in terms of claims made."
Thirty of the more popular immunity dietary supplements were selected and analyzed:
"Product analysis was performed using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. The list of ingredients detected through analysis for each product was compared with the ingredients on the product’s Supplement Facts label to determine whether the product’s label was accurate. Claims made on product labels were also evaluated by using the Operation Supplement Safety Scorecard’s set of questions to describe the labels’ characteristics."
The results were not flattering:
----Only 13 of the 30 products had accurate labels based on the product analysis.
----Of the 17 products with inaccurate labels, 13 had ingredients listed on the labels that were not detected through analysis, such that their labels were misbranded.
----Nine products had substances detected that were not claimed on the product labels, some of which may be considered adulterated.
----Five were misbranded and contained additional components not claimed on the label.
----No product had third-party certification seals present on the packaging.
----Ten of the 13 products with accurate labels received a score of 4 or more when applying the Operation Supplement Safety Scorecard, meaning the product was “likely okay/less risky.”
----Quality control measures seem to be insufficient for most of these select products, and claims made on labels may be misleading consumers who purchase products.
Note: Supplement companies are NOT required to prove efficacy for their product to the Food and Drug Administration. It's a wild, wild lawless west out there. Even people like Alex Jones make money off "his" supplement brands.
Product Claims with No Supporting Evidence
There are exceptions, but the vast majority of companies that make the list of claims below are lying to you. Write them and ask them for their so-called "evidence". Most will not reply or send you shoddy reports that are not peer-reviewed or use strict scientific methods. For example, they will not supply a third-party certification. Just four of the most reputable are:
-BSCG (Banned Substances Control Group)
-NSF (National Sanitation Foundation) International
-Informed Sport
-USP (US Pharmacopeia)
No evidence for the following sensational and unsubstantiated claims on their labels:
----all season's immune support
----immune strengthening ingredients
----a powerhouse immune system booster
----bolster up your body’s immune support
----research based
----research supported
----clinically studied
----scientifically proven
----supported by…gold-standard clinical studies
----backed by science
----#1 doctor recommended brand
----third party tested
----purity and potency
----lab tested verified
Source Analysis of Select Dietary Supplement Products Marketed to Support or Boost the Immune System https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2794987
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Photo: https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/scam-on-red-dice-406246144?
Jerry De Luca is a Christian freelance writer who loves perusing dozens of interesting and informative publications. When he finds any useful info he summarizes it, taking the main points, and creates a (hopefully) helpful blog post.
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