When ConsumerLab, an independent testing lab, recently analyzed 42 leading multivitamins, 16 (38%) failed quality tests. The problems included sub-potency, exceeding FDA nutrient limits, and tablet disintegration—all of which can affect the efficacy or safety of these products.

For CNCA Health, pointing out quality problems in the supplement industry is a double-edged sword. We want you to be aware of the potential for problems so that you can protect yourself. It’s also why we conduct up to 200 quality tests or more to ensure purity, potency and authenticity.

On the other hand, we’re concerned that such news may discourage you from including dietary supplements in your personal health and wellness strategy.  That’s why this report on multivitamin quality is so disturbing.

Next to fish oil, multivitamins are the most popular dietary supplement in America—and for good reason. National surveys reveal that most Americans are not getting enough of key nutrients from diet alone, so taking a multivitamin may help fill any dietary gaps.

But when you look at what ConsumerLab found you’ll be justifiably concerned that you are not getting what you paid for—or worse, that you may be getting something you didn’t want.

What They Found:

• Thirteen products did not provide the amount of nutrients listed on the label. For example, one multivitamin only contained 15% of the vitamin A it claimed to provide while another only delivered 37.5% of the folic acid promised.
• Several products, including some for children, exceeded tolerable limits for niacin, vitamin A, magnesium and zinc. Too much niacin can cause skin flushing and tingling while excess zinc can cause immune deficiency and anemia.
• One product contained 248% of the claimed amount of Vitamin A (as retinol). Manufacturers are allowed to include a little more to allow for full potency through the life of the product, but in this case, too much vitamin A can be toxic.
• Two products did not pass the disintegration test by taking 40 minutes to break apart rather than within the 10-minute limit. This may reduce your body’s ability to absorb the ingredients, and limit their effectiveness.
• Among the three pet products tested, one product was contaminated with lead.

What Went Wrong

Virtually all of the problems would have been discovered before the products hit store shelves if the supplement makers had conducted thorough quality testing throughout the manufacturing process, including:

• Testing raw ingredients for authenticity--to prevent fake or fraudulent ingredients
• Testing raw ingredients for purity--to find contaminants like lead, chemical solvents used in processing, or herbicides, and fungicides for that may affect plant-based ingredients
• Testing raw ingredients for potency—to know how much of the active ingredient is present to make sure label potency claims are met.
• Testing during production and post production--to ensure that product quality remains intact and that the finished products exceed government and voluntary standards.

Unfortunately only a fraction of manufacturers’ go to these lengths—but CNCA Health is one of the few that does. We perform over 225 tests on our products—that’s almost four times more than many other brands.  

We encourage you to learn how CNCA Health goes the extra mile to ensure that our products deliver the highest standards for purity, potency and authenticity.

It’s one of the many reasons why CNCA Health supplements are doctor recommended and hospital approved.

Sources:

ConsumerLab (subscription required)

The non-profit organization Environmental Working Group (EWG) just released its 2012 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce that reveals the total pesticide load for 46 popular fruits and vegetables. The guide also includes new information on pesticides in baby food and drinking water.

The EWG guide is famous for listing the worst offenders, dubbed the “Dirty Dozen,” as well as the produce with the least pesticide residue, called the “Clean Fifteen.”

It’s important to note that these lists are based on data from the USDA pesticide testing program. The produce is washed and/or peeled prior to testing so the amount of chemicals detected represents what would be consumed.

Dirty Dozen Plus

These fruits and vegetables are best to buy organic.

1. Apples – 98% of conventionally grown apples had pesticides
2. Celery – Highly contaminated, celery tested positive for 57 different pesticides
3. Sweet Bell Peppers – Up to 15 pesticides were found on a single sample
4. Peaches
5. Strawberries -- Thirteen different pesticides were measured on a single sample of strawberries.
6. Nectarines (imported) -- Every single nectarine tested had measurable pesticide residues
7. Grapes -- As a category, grapes have more types of pesticides than any other fruit, with 64 different chemicals
8. Spinach
9. Lettuce -- Seventy-eight different pesticides were found on lettuce samples 
10. Cucumbers
11. Blueberries -- Domestic blueberries tested positive for 42 different pesticide residues
12. Potatoes

Plus: Green Beans and Leafy Greens (including Kale and Collard Greens)

This year EWG expanded the Dirty Dozen with a “Plus” category to highlight two crops -- green beans and leafy greens, meaning, kale and collard greens because they contain pesticides of special concern. They are commonly contaminated with organophosphate insecticides that are highly toxic to the nervous system.

Clean Fifteen

More than 90 percent of cabbage, asparagus, sweet peas, eggplant and sweet potato samples had one or fewer pesticides detected. Of all the fruits and vegetables on the “clean” list, no single sample had more than 5 different chemicals detected.

1. Onions – Less that 1% of samples had any pesticides
2. Sweet Corn – Ninety-eight percent of samples had no detectable pesticide residues
3. Pineapples
4. Avocado
5. Cabbage
6. Sweet Peas
7. Asparagus
8. Mangos
9. Eggplant
10. Kiwi
11. Cantaloupe (domestic)
12. Sweet Potatoes
13. Grapefruit
14. Watermelon
15. Mushrooms

Pesticides in Baby Foods

New to EWG’s guide this year are the results of USDA testing of about 190 samples of prepared baby food consisting of green beans, pears and sweet potatoes.

Nearly all pear samples (92%) had at least one type of pesticide residue with 26% of samples containing five or more pesticides. A total of 15 different pesticides were found among the samples. One of the pesticides detected, iprodione, is categorized by the EPA as a probable human carcinogen and is not approved for use on pears.  Its presence in the sample constitutes a violation of federal law.

The green bean baby food  tested positive for five pesticides including organophosphates which were found in nearly 10% of samples.

The only good news in baby food testing:  sweet potatoes sold as baby food had virtually no detectable pesticide residues.

Pesticides on Tap

Also new to the guide are the results of USDA testing for pesticides, herbicides and other agricultural chemicals in community drinking water systems that use surface water such as reservoirs, lakes or rivers as their water sources.

Tests of 284 samples from 12 different water systems found:

• The presence of 65 pesticides or their metabolites
• The toxic herbicide atrazine or its metabolites in every single sample
• The herbicides 2,4-D and metolachlor in more than 70 percent of the samples
• Six other pesticides in at least half the samples

Get the Guide

For more test results and ways to reduce your exposure to pesticide residue, download the full report:  EWG’s 2012 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce.

Source:

Environmental Working Group