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)

With so many supplement brands on the market, we are often asked what differentiates CNCA Health supplements from other brands. There are several factors that set us apart, but the two most important are: science-backed formulas and extensive quality testing.

As an example of what we mean, we’ll use a recent ConsumerLab review of several brands of Green Tea Extract to illustrate how CNCA Health provides a superior product. (ConsumerLab is an independent testing lab that helps consumers identify the best health and nutritional products.)

Among the 13 green tea supplements selected for testing, two did not contain as much of the active compound, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), as stated on the label. Several contained far less EGCG—only 22 to 78 mg--than what is typically used in clinical studies. And finally, one contained more caffeine than listed on the package.

Expert Formulas

In sharp contrast, two capsules of CNCA Health Green Tea Extract delivers a minimum of 220 mg of EGCG, almost 10 times the amount of the EGCG found in some of the products ConsumerLab tested. Why the difference? CNCA determines product potency--the amount of the active ingredient(s) in a single dose--based on clinical research. That way you can be sure you're getting an optimal amount for maximum effectiveness.

Moreover, the caffeine content on a recent lot of CNCA Green Tea Extract was 0.482%, delivering only 2.6 mg of caffeine per serving. (The caffeine content claimed on the CNCA label is less than 1% per serving.) Other brands had as much as 84 mg of caffeine per serving. That’s twice as much caffeine as the average soda.

CNCA Health products are also concentrated so you can take fewer capsules. Unlike other brands, who standardize to 40% active compounds. CNCA's Green Tea Extract is standardized to 80% active ingredients to provide twice the potency.

Proven Quality

Like all of our products, every lot of CNCA Health Green Tea Extract is carefully analyzed to ensure potency and purity.

A single serving of CNCA's Green Tea Extract is guaranteed to deliver much more EGCG than most other brands (220mg - 275mg of EGCG). This single serving amount is the equivalent of drinking five to six cups of green tea - but with very little caffeine.

Purity tests also ensure maximum freedom from: heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, aflatoxins, bacteria, yeasts and molds.

What This Means for You

We go to extraordinary lengths to ensure our products are based on good science, made with ultra-pure ingredients and deliver superior potency because, in our opinion, it's simply the right thing to do.

This is also why our supplements are used in top hospitals, pharmacies, and by thousands of people across the US who demand nothing less than the highest quality nutritional supplements available.

Source:

ConsumerLab – membership required for full report

According to the Natural Products Association (NPA) the latest criticism of the supplement industry in the Chicago Tribune, “offers a distorted picture of supplement safety,” said NPA Executive Director and CEO John Shaw. And being insiders ourselves, we too found many problems with the article as well:

• Using a few examples of supplement quality issues as an indictment of the entire industry is, as they say, throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
• The article perpetuates the myth that supplements are not regulated. (We addressed this myth in a prior post.) It’s important to emphasize that dietary supplements are part of a fully-regulated industry. Good manufacturing practices apply to all supplement manufacturers, large or small, and everyone in the industry must comply with them.
• Some of the examples of violations they cited were over six years old. Why alarm consumers over problems long since resolved?
• If the newspaper is truly interested in protecting the public, why not provide as we have, tips to choose the best quality supplements.

Granted, every industry will have its share of bottom dwellers that may try to cut corners to increase profits, but by and large most manufacturers like CNCA Health will not sacrifice the safety and efficacy of their products to make a buck.

While we do applaud the FDA’s efforts to root out unscrupulous manufacturers, the supplement industry does not sit idly by.  Industry groups like the NPA and many others take a proactive approach to self regulate and educate its membership on best practices. In doing so, industry standards are often higher than the minimum standards set by the FDA.

Leading dietary supplement manufacturers work hard to maintain the highest standards as we exist first and foremost to help people enjoy optimal health and wellness. Anything less would be morally offensive.

CNCA Quality Standards

At CNCA, our manufacturing process includes extensive testing for maximum purity and optimal potency. Our quality standards are unparalleled in the nutritional supplement industry, going well beyond the requirements of other certification programs and FDA regulations. We achieve the highest levels of quality by using independent analytical laboratories to extensively test raw materials and finished goods for purity, identity and potency.

For example, CNCA raw materials are independently tested for toxins and contaminants that are not required under USP and NSF certification programs. Our potency and metals testing are more precise, and our exhaustive chemicals and solvents testing greatly exceed USP and NSF standards. Finally, unlike other national standards, we screen all our botanicals for a full range of aflatoxins, agrochemicals, and solvents (more than 100 individual tests).

Because of our vigilance to quality, CNCA products are recommended by some of the country’s leading medical practitioners every day. CNCA products are used in hospitals, pharmacies, and by thousands of people across the U.S. who demand nothing less than the highest quality nutritional supplements.

We go to these extraordinary lengths to ensure that our superior quality products are consistently ultra-pure– because, in our opinion, this testing must be done in order to protect the public health. Our commitment to superior quality may make CNCA products cost a little more than the “bargain basement” brands, but if you’re as serious about your health as we are, it’s simply the right thing to do.

We encorage you to watch this five-minute video interview with Dr. Timothy Birdsall, vice chairman of CNCA's Quality Control Unit, who explains just how easy it is to find contaminated supplements and recommends which supplements everyone should consider taking.

Sources:

Chicago Tribune

Natural Products Association

The most recent cover story in the September 2010 issue of Consumer Reports, entitled The 12 Most Dangerous Supplements, generated a firestorm of comments and controversy all over the MSM and the Internets, albeit at the tail end of what's usually a very slow news month in the middle of the summer.

If you're one of the growing number of folks who have subscribed to our daily health blog over the past few months, however, I wouldn't be surprised if you thought you'd already heard about some of these very same problems before. Fact is, you probably have…

A few months ago in this space, we discussed Reader's Digest's "crash-course" on vitamin safety, 5 Vitamin Truths and Lies. Unlike the aforementioned piece that clocked in at just under 1,500 words, Consumers Digest devoted eight full pages to supplements, providing guidance on a variety of topics.

Even though the Consumers Digest article was very thorough and detailed, I'm not sure how much more you'd learn about supplements that you already have, if you've been following our blog, even for a little while. Arguably, if you've been doing your homework, you may already have a pretty good understanding about what it takes to choose the right supplement for your health.

But this may be your first time reading our 14-month old health blog, or, perhaps, you're just getting around to looking. No matter… We've done the work for you. What follows are six detailed questions you should be asking every time you consider taking a supplement:

1. Has the supplement you're considering ever failed a quality test by an independent source, like ConsumerLab.com?

2. Has the company producing the supplement ever been the target of a regulatory agency like the FDA or FTC?

3. Does the product label of the supplement you're considering include testing data that guarantees its authenticity, purity and potency?

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