Sean Moloughney04.29.09
ConsumerLab.com, White Plains, NY, found quality issues with 40% of green tea and selenium products tested in its Product Review of Supplements for Cancer Prevention.
Quality problems were found with two out of five green tea supplements; the same was true of the selenium supplements reviewed. All lycopene supplements passed the review.
Supplements failed testing for a variety of reasons. Among green tea supplements, one was contaminated with lead and provided less than its claimed amount of catechins. A daily dose of another green tea supplement provided 78.3 mg of caffeine (the amount in two cans of cola) although it claimed to contain less than 45 mg of caffeine.
Among selenium supplements, one failed to fully break apart in solution within the 30-minute USP requirement. Another selenium product claimed to include one gram of fiber per pill—an impossibility considering that each pill weighed less than 0.2 grams.
"Cancer prevention is an area where consumers need to know the quality of the products they choose and the reason for choosing them," said Tod Cooperman, MD, president of ConsumerLab.com. "You won't know if your supplement lacks a key ingredient since you can't 'feel' a preventive therapy; and contamination is compounded when a supplement is used daily for years."
In addition to the 15 products selected, the report includes results for six products tested through its Voluntary Certification Program. Two other products are also listed as being similar to products that passed testing but sold under different brand names.
Quality problems were found with two out of five green tea supplements; the same was true of the selenium supplements reviewed. All lycopene supplements passed the review.
Supplements failed testing for a variety of reasons. Among green tea supplements, one was contaminated with lead and provided less than its claimed amount of catechins. A daily dose of another green tea supplement provided 78.3 mg of caffeine (the amount in two cans of cola) although it claimed to contain less than 45 mg of caffeine.
Among selenium supplements, one failed to fully break apart in solution within the 30-minute USP requirement. Another selenium product claimed to include one gram of fiber per pill—an impossibility considering that each pill weighed less than 0.2 grams.
"Cancer prevention is an area where consumers need to know the quality of the products they choose and the reason for choosing them," said Tod Cooperman, MD, president of ConsumerLab.com. "You won't know if your supplement lacks a key ingredient since you can't 'feel' a preventive therapy; and contamination is compounded when a supplement is used daily for years."
In addition to the 15 products selected, the report includes results for six products tested through its Voluntary Certification Program. Two other products are also listed as being similar to products that passed testing but sold under different brand names.