09.01.05
ConsumerLab.com, White Plains, NY, has released a new report reviewing the quality of supplements used to treat symptoms of menopause, notably hot flashes. Supplements containing soy isoflavones, red clover isoflavones and/or black cohosh, as well as creams containing progesterone, were tested. Two soy isoflavone supplements failed testing because they contained, respectively, 50% and 59% of their listed total isoflavones and were low in specific isoflavones (daidzin/daidzein and glycitin/glycitein). A soy/red clover isoflavone product also failed because it would not break apart properly, suggesting that some of its ingredients might pass through the body unused. All of the black cohosh supplements passed testing, providing at least one milligram of triterpene compounds per daily serving as recommended by the German Commission E Expanded Monographs. Lastly, all of the progesterone creams contained their claimed amounts of progesterone, but these amounts ranged across products from about 16 mg to 25 mg per gram of cream.
In other news, among 14 brands of ginseng dietary supplements recently purchased in Japan and tested by ConsumerLab.com, only five products passed independent testing by the company. Six products did not contain the ginseng they claimed on their labels and three others exceeded acceptable pesticide levels. One product that failed testing carried the JHFA seal (Japan Health Food & Nutrition Food), indicating that its quality had been checked and approved by an agency sanctioned by the Ministry of Health.
In other news, among 14 brands of ginseng dietary supplements recently purchased in Japan and tested by ConsumerLab.com, only five products passed independent testing by the company. Six products did not contain the ginseng they claimed on their labels and three others exceeded acceptable pesticide levels. One product that failed testing carried the JHFA seal (Japan Health Food & Nutrition Food), indicating that its quality had been checked and approved by an agency sanctioned by the Ministry of Health.