Shortchanging the supplements

Do multivitamin manufacturers give consumers what they pay for? Often the answer is no, according to recent research conducted by ConsumerLab.com, a privately held company that publishes test results on health and nutrition products.

Out of 41 multivitamin and multimineral supplements the company tested, 32 percent failed to meet quality standards. Some supplements did not contain as much of a particular nutrient as their labels indicated, while several products exceeded tolerable intake limits established by the Institute of Medicine. For example, one product contained only 17.5 percent of the folic acid amount listed on its label. Another supplement had 41 percent more calcium than indicated. Testing guidelines require supplements to dissolve in liquid in 30 minutes, but one product took 60 minutes, meaning that even though the supplement contained the amounts of nutrients advertised, people who consume the product may not get the full nutritional benefit.

Supplements that fall short of claims can give consumers false assurance that they are getting adequate nutrition, but products that exceed recommended limits can increase the risk for side effects and toxicity. For example, even modestly excessive doses of vitamin A can cause birth defects, and much higher doses can harm the liver, central nervous system, bones, and skin. Excess copper intake has been associated with an increased risk of mental decline in people over age 65.

Another problem is outdated labeling. The Food and Drug Administration set daily values for vitamins and minerals back in 1968. “Although the recommended intakes have been updated periodically over the years, manufacturers still list the outdated requirements on their labels,” said ConsumerLab.com President Tod Cooperman.

The researchers also found that high-priced supplements do not always mean high quality. Many inexpensive products passed all their tests while several expensive products failed.

Germ check

Every day patients with symptoms of respiratory illness fill physicians’ schedules. Doctors sometimes find it difficult to pinpoint whether an infection is caused by bacteria or a virus, a distinction that is important to ensure proper treatment and decrease unnecessary use of antibiotics.

But now researchers at Duke University in North Carolina have developed a blood test that can distinguish between viral and bacterial infections. In a study published in the Jan. 20 issue of Science Translational Medicine, their blood test was 87 percent accurate in classifying more than 300 patients with flu viruses, colds, strep bacteria, and other common infections.

Duke researcher Geoffrey Ginsburg expects scientists to develop new antiviral medications for illnesses such as the common cold within the next decade—a breakthrough that would make virus and bacteria identification even more important. —J.B.

Best of bugs

Creepy-crawly insects may be a new and readily available source of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Researchers at Wageningen University in the Netherlands extracted oil that appeared to contain plentiful fatty acids from mealworms, beetle larvae, crickets, cockroaches, grasshoppers, and soldier flies.

“All the oils smell differently, some nicer than others,” researcher Daylan Tzompa Sosa said in a statement.

One 2009 study found that insect oils frequently contain essential linoleic acids, which are important for healthy child development. Among the best insect sources for healthy fats? Grasshoppers, African palm weevils, and termites. —J.B.