'Few people know the risks': Investigation blows the lid on vitamin and health supplements
Startling evidence suggests vitamin and dietary supplements are not only a waste of time and money but many are damaging our health.
The billion-dollar supplement industry has been accused of causing liver injuries and at least half a dozen organ transplants.
A joint investigation by the New York Times and the PBS Frontline program in the US has attempted to blow the lid off vitamins, which are taken daily by one in three Australians.
“In the future, many years, we'll look back and we'll say, 'How could we possibly have done this',” Pieter Cohen from Harvard University said.
A forensic examination of the American industry has uncovered widespread fraud with only 21 percent of products tested having “DNA evidence that they contained the product listed on the label,” researcher Steven Newmaster said.
The investigation also tracked how substitute ingredients have injured and killed some users.
One woman who spoke to programme-makers, Cynthia Novida, described the moment she was told the extent to which her body had been damaged by supplement use.
“[He] told me that, 'Your liver is shot, pretty much - you'll possibly need a liver transplant',” she said.
The programme, broadcast on ABC’s Four Corners, also showed how popular ‘megavitamins’, which contain huge hits of single nutrients, exceed recommended daily dosage many times over.
“You actually can hurt yourself, you actually can increase your risk of cancer, increase your risk of heart disease. I think few people know the risks they're taking,” Paul Offitt from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia said.
Australian scientists say protein powders and herbal supplements have been blamed for more than half a dozen liver transplants in recent years.
But Associate Professor Tim Crow from Deakin University said with vitamins, it depends on the dosage.
“Doses of vitamins, in multi-vitamins for example, are considered very, very safe and, when used as directed, at the doses recommended, there shouldn't be any major concern.”
Big-name Australian brands such as Blackmores and Swisse responded to the investigation on Monday, pointing out that industry regulations in Australia are much tighter than in the US.
Carl Gibson from Complementary Medicines Australia said Australian products are the most sought after in the world because of “our very high quality standards”.
“Australian consumers can be absolutely assured that they have access to the finest quality and safety,” he said.
