Ginseng Surprise

By Ian K. Smith, M.D.

The other day, a website called ConsumerLab.com sent some big ripples through the dietary-supplement industry--and triggered a frantic phone call from my producer on NBC's Today show. She wanted to know about the results of a study in which scientists at the website tested the contents of several over-the-counter products, comparing what they found inside with the ingredients listed on the label.

It wasn't, to put it mildly, a stellar day for the booming supplement industry, whose U.S. sales have ballooned to more than $14 billion a year. ConsumerLab, a small, independent laboratory in White Plains, N.Y., is trying to position itself as the Consumer Reports of the supplement industry. According to the report, some of the country's favorite natural health additives may be downright unhealthy.

Topping the list was ginseng, the root of a Chinese plant that some believe will do everything from boosting energy to combating immune-system disorders like colds, flu and respiratory infections. Eight of the 21 brands tested were found to contain high levels of pesticides, and some also harbored significant amounts of lead. Unfortunately, ConsumerLab did not name the brands that had problems, although it did list nine brands that passed its review (see www.consumerlab.com)

The website also reports on problems found in vitamin C, saw palmetto, gingko biloba and several arthritis formulas. Nearly a quarter of the gingko brands tested did not contain the advertised levels of the active ingredient GBE, which is believed by some to increase blood flow to the brain and improve cognitive functions. In the case of glucosamine-chondroitin, a combination supplement used increasingly to treat arthritis, nearly half the brands tested had lower than claimed chondroitin levels.

"How could manufacturers get away with this?" my producer wanted to know. Easily. Thanks to the Dietary Supplements Health and Education Act of 1994, the Food and Drug Administration no longer regulates the supplement industry the way it watches over prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Supplements don't get the same premarket safety and efficacy evaluations that drugs get, nor does the FDA set standards to ensure that labels accurately reflect contents.

Some in the supplement industry are already taking potshots at ConsumerLab.com which publishes its test methods but does not submit its results to peer review, as reputable scientific journals require. But until there is a better system of standards and quality control--the FDA is currently working on such a proposal--the reports of small testing outfits like this one are better than nothing.

In the meantime, consumers can look for the seal of the National Nutritional Foods Association, the largest dietary-supplement trade group in the U.S. Members are required to submit to random inspection by a third party, which rates them on basic quality-control measures and cleanliness. Only those receiving an A rating are allowed to apply for certification and use of the N.N.F.A. good-manufacturing-practices seal.

And while the FDA doesn't test supplements itself, it does provide information on complaints it has received and brands the agency has pulled off the market for safety reasons. At the very least, you can always call the manufacturers directly. If they can't answer your questions, then probably no one can.

Dr. Ian appears on WNBC-TV in New York City. Send e-mail to [email protected] For more on supplements, try nnfa.org