The Basics On Sound Nutritional Advice
There is most likely no area in the public domain that has more false and misleading information than the Nutraceutical industry or Vitamin and Supplement industry. Turn on the TV and watch late night Infomercials on the latest product, to make you lose weight, get rid of all your problems, clear your arthritis etc. etc. “There’s a sucker born every minute” is a phrase often credited to P. T. Barnum ( 1810–1891), an American showman. There is always a new washed up Celebrity hocking a new product, for personal gain. Remember the sound advise: “If it s to good to be True, then it most like is False”
Sports nutrition is slowly moving from the niche markets of gyms and health food stores to mass-market outlets. Driven by new ingredients, packaging formats and changing consumer behavior, sport products are finding their way into supermarkets and convenience stores to satisfy consumer demand for healthy and convenient lifestyle solutions. However, authenticity and efficacy remain big challenges for the sports nutrition market (Euromonitor, 2009) since consumers tend to be skeptical of the validity of the claims. Historically, consumers of sports nutrition products have been bodybuilders and athletes. This is changing as weekend sports enthusiasts and lifestyle users are creating new market opportunities for food manufacturers.
Globally, the market for sports nutrition products (excluding sport beverages) is estimated at US$4.7 billion (Euromonitor, April 2010), of which, the United States (U.S.) is the largest consumer, representing approximately two-thirds of the world market in both volume and value of retail sales.
Suppliment Quality
This information will forever change your views about nutritional supplements – read the following carefully!
With the exception of a few supplement companies, we as consumers have absolutely no idea if our nutritional supplement pills contain what is written on the label, and here is why:
•There are no laws and regulations for manufacturing supplements…it is an unregulated industry at present.
•Did you know that most companies selling supplements are marketing companies? In other words, the supplement stores/shops do not make supplements; they only sell them.
Look on your supplements labels: you will likely read: “distributed by” or “manufactured for” the company that sells the supplements to the public.
This means that most companies selling supplements to us have no idea if the product contains the nutrients listed on the label, because in most cases the “selling” company has nothing to do with supplement manufacturing.
• Drug manufacturing is very different. In the United States, there are about 100 companies that are licensed to manufacture pharmaceuticals. The FDA visits these facilities on a regular basis to insure that manufacturing procedures are proper. Failure to comply with regulations means closure of the company and potential criminal prosecution. Supplement manufacturing is very different from pharmaceutical manufacturing.
•There are approximately 1000 manufacturers of supplements currently in the United States, and unlike drug manufacturers, they are NOT required by law to adhere to consistent manufacturing standards, and NO agency inspects nutrition supplement manufacturers.
• As of January 1, 2004, supplement manufacturers are only required to register with the FDA as a Food Manufacturing Facility. This is a new requirement, which went into effect as part of the BioTerrorism Act. Consider what this means in terms of the supplements you may be taking.
• Approximately 1000 of the companies that manufacture supplements have never been visited or inspected by any outside agency to insure appropriate manufacturing.
– This means that no one has any idea what these companies are doing in terms of manufacturing and quality control; we must rely solely on company literature…and which company will admit to less than adequate manufacturing practices? None. All will claim great prowess.
• Approximately 50 supplement manufacturers are GMP-certified (Good Manufacturing Practices) by the Natural Products Association (NPA). The NPA is a 70 year-old organization and about 15 years ago it created a GMP certification program for nutritional supplement manufacturers.
Only 50 of the more than 1000 manufacturers have endeavored to get GMP-certified by the NPA, and several of them are suppliers of raw materials to the GMP manufacturers.
You can visit the NPA website to see if your supplement company has met the minimal standards set forth by the npa. Here is a Link! NPA
The NPA-GMP companies are listed in alphabetical order. Notice that FoodScience Corporation
Essex Junction, VT the parent company for DaVinci Labs. is on the list.
Walmart is the largest retailer of Vitamins in USA, and most likely Canada. Walmart buys in bulk from the largest suppliers, with the lowest prices, and greatest margins for profit. Most custom manufacturing companies that are members of the NPA could not meet the volume that Walmart requires. Be wary of the products from Large Volume retailers. You are what you eat and consume. It is always best to try and consume Whole Foods, and avoid Processed Foods. Almost all Packaged Foods are processed, with names from a chemical Compendium, that you have never heard of. Most of these chemicals, will improve shelf life, and make the food more attractive in color or texture, but these chemicals and combinations of chemicals have interactions and often side effects that we might pay the price for in the future.
If this newsletter has your attention, you can access more info on my website for a detail primer on nutritional basics. If you have any questions about a nutritional product or some product that UNCLE Gus is trying to pedal to you, send me a quick note about the product or idea. I will try to respond in a timely fashion. doctorrazz@me.com .
Remember “You don’t have to live with the pain.” New Patients always Welcome.
Comprehensive Chiropractic Rehabilitation & Sports Medicine
Glen G. Rasmussen B.Sc., D.C. 805 Sydney St. Unit 4a Cornwall On K6H3J7,
Office: 613-662-2106 doctorrazz@me.com, doctorrazzchiro.com
Proud Distributor of DaVinci Vitamins and Supplements.
