Antioxidants and Your Health
Get back to the basics - eat fresh at home and neutralize free radical oxidation, which is rusting away your body, by eating a variety of foods high in antioxidants every day. Why? Antioxidants, as the name implies, help prevent oxidation,...
Herbal Remedies for Arthritis, Fibromyalgia, Muscular Ache, Joint Pains
Arthritis is one of the most common chronic diseases in the world. According to Ayurveda arthritis is primarily a vata (air) disease which is due to accumulation of toxins in the joints and is known as amavata.This can be caused by poor...
Oil of Oregano: The Natural Antibiotic and Antiseptic
Many of us sprinkle oregano on our pizza and stews without realizing its impressive healing powers. Much more than a flavorful herb, it contains three to 20 times more antioxidant activity than other herbs or fruit, and oregano’s mineral rich...
Splash Your Acne Supplement Expenses with Food
Twenty-one year old Lydia Garcia faces an imminent dilemma- poverty or acne. Lydia religiously uses three herbs to keep her skin clear and she’s always on the prowl for supplements to augment her health. Just last week she read that the Chinese herb...
The Best Body Building/Weight Loss Supplements - Athlete's Testimony about the benefits of Creatine
Creatine has become mainstream back in 90's and now it's evolving to even a more potent supplement. It can help you gain lean muscle mass and indirectly help you lose body fat. Here are some commons questions and answers about creatine.
*Exactly...
Three Problems of Supplements Today
1.Most of the supplements available on the market today are found to have poor bioavailability. To ensure that the body benefits from the supplement, the active ingredients of the supplements need to be absorbed into the blood stream and reach the organs so that they can do their job. There are few ways nutrients can get into the blood stream: injection, via the lining of the walls of upper intestine and colon. When you consume a supplement, it reaches the stomach and active ingredients are released. The environment of the stomach is very acidic (ph1.0-3.5). At this stage, majority of the active ingredients are destroyed by the stomach acids. Some may not be damaged but most are almost
severely affected. As a result, only about 10% of active ingredients manage the absorption process and enter the blood stream. Some poor quality supplements may even pass through the body with no absorption at all!
Poor bioavailability of supplements is very common issue in supplements industry today. Unfortunately
very few companies have the know-how knowledge and technology to incorporate the delivery technology into the supplements.
2.Many supplements are contaminated with metals, unlabeled prescription drugs, microorganisms,
or other substances. In U.S., dietary supplements are regulated by FDA (Food and Drugs Administration)
as foods. The government is not responsible for the safety and effectiveness of the supplements. It's
the supplements manufacturers' responsibility to ensure the effectiveness, safety, potency and
efficacy of the products. Many manufacturers took for granted. Most supplements today are produced in
less than
optimal environment. As a result, the products are contaminated with leads, metals, chemicals, bugs, and other substances.
Following are just few reported cases:
- FDA warns consumers that Actra-Rx(dietary supplements for sexual enhancement) undeclared
prescription drug ingredient.
- 2 out of 21 magnesium products are found to have lead in a study conducted by independent body,
Consumerlab.com.
- Several popular nutritional supplements are found to be contaminated with steroid.
3.Many supplements have false claims and inaccurate labels. Because dietary supplements are loosely regulated, there is no pressure to ensure the accuracy of the labels of the products. This means that you may be taking less, or more of the ingredients stated on the labels. In addition, there are products that promise to cure diseases and wide spectrum of health problems. Most of these claims are rather questionable, for example:
- A product called "Sea Silver" said their product have 98% bioavailability because liquid can bypass the digestive system. As mentioned earlier, the only way for liquid to bypass the digestive
system is through injection, not drinking.
- Barefoot coral calcium supplements is said to be able to 'neutralize' the toxic acidity of blood. The truth is, calcium supplements can only change the acidity of body fluids. About the Author