Health Alert: Not All Vitamins Are Created Equal

MSNBC.com recently tested vitamins found on store shelves. Of 21 brands of multivitamins on the market in the United States and Canada selected by ConsumerLab.com and tested by independent laboratories, just 10 met the stated claims on their label or satisfied other quality standards. (Do you know how to pick a quality vitamin? Read the Quality Vitamin Checklist so you know where your money is going.)

Most worrisome, is that one product, The Vitamin Shoppe Multivitamins Especially for Women, was contaminated with lead.

"I was definitely shocked by the amount of lead in this product," ConsumerLab.com's Dr. Tod Cooperman stated. "We've never seen that much lead in a multivitamin before."

Other products contained more or less of a particular vitamin than listed on the label. Some did not dissolve in the correct amount of time, meaning they could pass through the body without being absorbed.

ConsumerLab.com independently evaluates hundreds of health & nutrition products and periodically publishes reviews. In the news report, released to MSNBC.com, the company purchased a selection of the popular multivitamins on the market as well as some smaller brands and sent them, without labels, to two independent laboratories to be tested.

"I think this confirms the advice often given: you are safer choosing a well-known brand of vitamins sold by some company that you have confidence in."

In the reports, tests show that the Vitamin Shoppe women's product contained 15.3 micrograms of lead per daily serving of two tablets. This same product also contained just 54% of the 200 milligrams of Calcium listed on the label.

This amount of lead is more than 10 times the amount permitted without a warning in California. This mineral is stored in the body and could build up over time.

"I would be concerned about a woman taking a multivitamin that contains 15.3 micrograms of lead per daily serving," stated Judy Simon, a dietician at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle. "Among other health effects, lead can contribute to high blood pressure."

ConsumerLab.com also found that Hero Nutritional Yummi Bears, a multivitamin for children, had an extra 216% of the labeled amount of vitamin A, delivering 5,400 International Units in a daily serving. That's substantially more than the tolerable level of 2,000 IU for kids ages 1-3 and 3,000 for kids 4-8.

"Because too much vitamin A can cause bone weakening and liver abnormalities, the Yummi Bears could be doing more harm than good. Vitamin A is one of those vitamins you don't want to get too much of," Dr.Cooperman noted.

The lead and Vitamin A findings are worrisome because vitamins are generally taken every day, potentially building up to toxic levels and leading to problems down the line. In particular, women with high levels of lead in their bodies who get pregnant could pass on problems to their baby.

In other findings, Eniva VIBE, a liquid multivitamin sold in packets, had only 54% of the claimed Vitamin A.

The ConsumerLab.com report also found that some vitamins did not break apart within the 30-minute standard set by the United States Pharmacopia. Nature's Plus Especially Yours for Women required more than an hour to disintegrate, while AARP Maturity Formula took 50 minutes. These products could go through your body without releasing the nutrients.

Editor's Note: Shaklee's Vita-Lea won a "disintegration derby" conducted by NBC several years ago that showed Vita-Lea disintegrating in under 20 minutes-- faster than all other multivitamins tested.

There are many, many reasons that set Shaklee apart from all other vitamins, herbs and nutritional supplements on the market today, and one of the most important is found right in the Shaklee Guarantee.

1. 100% guarantee that the ingredients listed on the label are in the product
2. 100% guarantee of quality-controlled product formulations that ensure product safety, purity, reliability, and product performance
3. 100% guarantee that we use the finest quality ingredients available

As you can see with Shaklee, it's not just an unconditional money back guarantee, but a whole philosophy and commitment to making Shaklee products the very best. With Shaklee you never have to worry or wonder if what's on the label is in the bottle. And you can rest assured that you're getting the very best quality and formulation based on solid scientific research and unprecedented testing.

A handy one page view with links to all the vitamins and minerals, herbs, botanicals and nutritional supplements.

Dr. Weil recommends daily supplementation

Sunday, Jan. 7, 2009, I watched Good Morning America and saw Dr. Andrew Weil, an integrated medicine specialist and author of the bestselling "Healthy Aging," share his tips on what supplements people should be taking every day. I have admired Dr. Weil for many years and so I pass his recommendations on to you.

• Multivitamin:

  People should take a quality multivitamin every day because the body needs vitamins every day. Our main dietary source of vitamins are fruits, and vegetables and whole foods. Most people are not eating those in sufficient amounts, or even every day. So the multivitamin is insurance for gaps in the diet. And even if you are eating fruits and veggies everyday, it's not a bad thing.

  Choose a multivitamin by reading the labels. There are some things that definitely should and shouldn't be on the label. The multivitamin should not contain any pre-formed vitamin A, which is usually called retinol. Don't get a multivitamin that has iron in it unless your doctor has recommended you do so. (Learn more about choosing a quality multivitamin.)

  You do want vitamin D3. If the label says vitamin D2, then it's not the good kind of vitamin D.

• Vitamin D:

  There's research coming out really month by month showing vitamin D prevents many kinds of cancer and multiple sclerosis. We used to think vitamin D was just necessary for bone health, but now we're seeing it prevent a lot of other diseases.

  But make sure you're taking D3. So often, you see orange juice or foods that say they're vitamin D fortified. But many times, those are fortified with D2. Vitamin D has to be taken with fat. Taking a vitamin D pill with orange juice isn't going to work; it won't stick to you.

• Omega 3 Fatty Acids: Take one gram of fish oil every day. The body needs adequate intake every day for optimum mental and physical health, and there are not many dietary sources. You can really only find it naturally in oily fish from cold water (salmon, herring, sardines). It helps prevent heart disease, aging, cancer and dementia.
• CoQ10: People should also take the antioxidant CoQ10. It helps muscle function, heart function and brain function. It is absolutely necessary for people with heart disease. Co-Q-10 is made naturally in your body, but more doesn't hurt.
• Herbal Tonics: Tonics are natural substances, which, taken over time, increase general resistance to illness and encourage longevity. There are many different ones, and they're worth learning about and experimenting with. If you're lacking in energy or get sick a lot, these could be very useful to you.

Dr. Weil also had recommendations about how to choose a supplement. He said that when it comes to supplements, there's not necessarily a correlation between price and quality, which is important to know. Start by reading the label. Be careful of the milligram amount you're getting per capsule.

If the recommended dose is 1,000 milligrams and the pill only contains 200 milligrams, then you're going to be taking a lot of pills every day just to reach that dosage, so pay attention to the details.

Try to get brand-name recommendations. Sadly, many doctors haven't learned about supplements in medical school, so your doctor may not be able to advise you on that. To find the best brands, do your homework. Either get names of products from people you trust, or go on the Internet and look these supplements up. Check how the different brands do quality control. Ideally, pharmacists will be able to help; but again, they aren't getting this in their education any more than our physicians are.

We hope this information is of help to you and yours. Optimal health requires knowledge and action on our part.

How can we stay healthy during the year?

Listen to a discussion about how to stay healthy during the year.

This 16 minute discussion covers:

• Is there a natural supplement that can boost our immune system?
• What is interferon and what does it do to keep us healthy?
• What are the challenges to our immune system?
• Learn about Dr. Kojima, the world renowned immunologist who discovered interferon in 1954, and spent 40 years searching for a natural interferon booster.
• How can we boost our immunity?
• What does the digestion tract have to do with immune health?
• What is the most important thing you need to do to stay healthy?

Additional Information: Read an informative pamphlet on a natural supplement to boost the immune system developed by Dr. Kojima.

Learn more about natural immune support.

Find premium immune support supplements.

Find a comprehensive source of digestive health supplements.

Find powerful, green and non-toxic cleaners.

Do you know how stress effects your health?

Listen to a discussion about the health impact of stress.

This 31 minute discussion covers:

• Costs of stress.
• Causes of stress. How many are in your life?
• What is the impact of stress on our body?
• What is the stress response and how does it work?
• What is chronic stress and how does it affect us?
• Who is most at risk for stress related health problems?
• How does stress effect our heart, cortisol levels, memory, and immunity
• How do men and women react differently to stress?
• What can we do to lessen the effects of stress on our bodies?
• How does stress effect weight? How does diet effect stress? What should we eat to help our stressed out bodies?
• How can a cup of tea help?
• What other supplements can assist with stress and how do they help?

Additional Information: Read an informative pamphlet on a comprehensive stress relief supplement.

Learn more about stress and find supplements to aid in blunting the effects of stress on our bodies.

Health Alert: Red Wine (Resveratrol) Can Help Prevent Stroke Damage

Red wine might work to protect the brain from damage after a stroke, and drinking a couple of glasses a day might provide that protection ahead of time, U.S. researchers recently reported.

In an effort to better understand how red wine works, the scientists from Johns Hopkins University fed mice a moderate dose of a compound found in red grape skins and seeds before inducing stroke-like damage. They discovered that the animals suffered less brain damage than similarly damaged mice who were not treated with the compound, which is called resveratrol.

"When we pre-treat the animals with the compound orally, then we observe that we have a significant decrease in the area of stroke damage by about 40 percent," said Sylvain Dore, the lead researcher for the study.

Dore and his research team presented their results from the study, which was funded in part by the U.S. government, at a Society for Neuroscience conference in Atlanta.

"What is unique about this study is we have somewhat identified what can be the specific mechanism," in the wine that is good for health, Dore said. "Here we are building cell resistance against free radical damage." The study showed that resveratrol increases levels of an enzyme in the brain, heme oxygenase, that was already known to shield nerve cells from damage.

Dore said the beneficial effects associated with drinking a moderate amount of red wine could be explained by the fact the wine turns on the heme oxygenase anti-oxidant system.

"Red wine has been suggested for the heart. Here what we show is its special effect in stroke and pre-treatment," Dore said. "It suggests that prophylactic use of wine could work." The fermentation process in winemaking boosts the
concentration of resveratrol, Dore said. But said more studies are needed to translate the findings from mice into humans.

The amount of wine that must be consumed in order to reap the benefits of the compound will vary depending on a person's weight and the concentration of resveratrol in the wine. But, Dore said, it will likely work out to about two
glasses a day.

Editors Note: Besides providing the most bioavailable form of CoQ10 which helps supply energy for your heart, this CoQ10 Heart supplement also contains 640 mcg of resveratrol, equivalent to the amount of resveratrol in one glass of red wine. In light of this promising study, CoQ10 Heart supplement may be an even more valuable part of any smart cardio health program. For more information on this breakthrough supplement, please read this informative pamphlet.

Make Your Money Stretch

Cost of Diet Plans

Forbes magazine's 8/30/06 issue gives us a great weekly price comparison for diets. Cinch wasn't included but it easy to see where it fits in.

• LA Weight Loss: $138.29/wk


• Jenny Craig: $137.65/wk


• Nutrisystem: $113.52/wk


• Atkins: $100.52/wk


• Weight Watchers: $96.64/wk


• CINCH Starter Pack: $94.98/wk*


• The Zone: $92.84/wk


• Ornish: 78.74/wk


• CINCH Refill Pack: $78.64/wk*


• South Beach: $78.61/wk


• Slim Fast: $77.73/wk


• Sugar Busters: $69.62/wk


• Subway: $68.60/wk


• Average Single American Food Expense: $54.44/wk

Visit our educational site and learn why this plan really works. Lose inches and save money too!

* Cost of snacks and evening ""regular food"" meal were not included in the Cinch numbers. If you look at the relatively low cost of good, unprocessed food, the cost of Cinch is highly competetive with other plans, particularly since we have high quality supplements and tea included in our plan. A bargain compared to all the problems that come from overweight and obesity in any case.

Stop yo-yo dieting. A diet for the rest of us.

In 1980, 35% of Americans were overweight to obese. 48 billion dollars, and hundreds of diets later...

More than 65% of Americans are overweight to obese.

Why Do Most Diets Fail?

Most Diets Are:

• Nutritionally inadequate - you feel bad, sooner or later
• Too hard to follow - interferes with life
• Results are too slow - frustration
• Unsafe ingredients - negative side effects (Ephedra, Ephedra Alternatives, other stimulants)
• Slow your metabolism - the “yo-yo” effect

The Dreaded Diet Cycle

• With most diets you lose fat and muscle
• Muscle loss = lower metabolism (fewer calories burned)
• After dieting, you can’t burn calories like you did before. So you gain weight back. Start next diet. The yo-yo effect.
• In a preliminary clinical study, participants on the this program retained 100% of lean muscle mass

Why this diet plan works:

1. Formulated to help you get off the dreaded diet cycle
2. Leverages 50 years of nutritional science leadership and innovation
3. Clinically tested leucine formula (Read a published artical titled "The Role of Leucine in Weight Loss Diets and Glucose Homeostasis")
4. Powered by Leucine

To get the whole low-down about this revolutionary diet plan backed by 50 Years of Nutritional Science Leadership visit our educational site.