Myths about Dietary Supplements: Not All Vitamins Are Created Equal!

Another shameful confession here…the other day, I made this decision to get rid of about 50 bottles of dietary supplements from Company D--, after talking to my health advisor, Dr. Hirahata, who is one of the certified doctors of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine. He revealed to me that supplements in Japan are classified as food and therefore are not regulated strictly by the Health Ministry. Hence, the drug store shelves are lined up with expensive but bogas supplement products, he says. I sheepishly revealed to him that I was taking at least 20 types of supplements from the famous mega-mail order supplement company D--. I confessed the following list to him:
Multi-vitamins, minerals, Grape Seed extract, Alpha Lipoic Acids, L-Carnitine, Selenium, Coenzyme Q10, Chromium Picolinate, Zinc, Vitamin B-mix, Omega 3 or 6 oil, Calcium, Amino acid, Tocotrienol (Vitamin E), Flavonoid, Polyphenol, Catechin, Isoflavon and other oriental herbal stuff. I think I will stop here, since if I start including these “new” products that were not my “regulars,” the list will look really scary. My best friend A, would watch me fill in the shopping cart at Trader Joe’s with bottles and bottles of supplements when I'd be visiting her in California, and say, “You know what, you’re sick...”

Dr. Hirahata revealed to me that not all vitamins are created equal so don't waste your time swallowing cheap supplements!

Did you know that because supplements are not classified as “drug”, the manufacturers don’t have to provide any evidence to the Health Ministry that it is effective? Did you know that there are no standards that require the ingredients in the bottle match what is written on the label? Did you know that the claims made about the effects of these supplements on the ads and labels on packages are not approved and therefore could be inflated? Did you know that quality control is up to the manufacturer. I am not saying that all supplements are not effective. All I am saying is that you need to choose the right ones if you are looking for any kind of real health benefit.

What’s in the bottle may not always match what’s on the label! A Japanese news program analyzed 30 supplement products claiming to contain Coenzyme Q10. Out of these, only 5 or so contained what was listed on the label!! There were several products with NO active ingredient in there. And most products contained less than half the amount of ingredient listed on their labels. Unbelievable!!

So, this is the eye-opening reality about the supplement market. Don’t be fooled by the inflated claims on packages and ads. If you’re going to buy something, choose a product from a well-known manufacturer or pharmaceutical companies that will avoid taking quality risks. I will continue later about how to choose the right products.