supplements

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FDA Tamps Down on Fluoride Supplements for Kids

Agency says they're no longer being recommended for children under 3, despite dentists' warnings

(Newser) - The FDA on Friday moved to limit fluoride supplement use to strengthen children's teeth, the latest action by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his deputies against a dental care mainstay. The FDA said the products are no longer recommended for children younger than 3, as well as...

Many Protein Powders Have a Heaping Helping of Lead: Report

Plant-based powders show highest lead contamination in Consumer Reports tests

(Newser) - A new investigation reveals that popular protein powders and shakes may contain alarming levels of lead, raising fresh questions about the safety of supplements fueling America's protein obsession . Consumer Reports tested 23 protein powders and shakes from established brands, finding that more than two-thirds of them packed more...

How Jet Lag Factored Into This CEO's Downfall

Supplements probe forces out one of Japan's most high-profile CEOs

(Newser) - A quest to ease jet lag has toppled one of Japan's most prominent CEOs. Takeshi Niinami, the high-profile CEO of Suntory Holdings—the force behind Jim Beam since 2014—resigned Tuesday after a police investigation tied to supplements that he was set to receive. The 66-year-old executive elaborated...

2 Mushroom Pioneers Now Arguing Over What a Mushroom Is

Debate in mushroom supplement world has even drawn in the FDA

(Newser) - Two pioneers of the mushroom supplement world, Paul Stamets and Jeff Chilton, are embroiled in a dispute over a basic but critical question in their field: What counts as a "mushroom"? The two, who co-authored the 1983 guide The Mushroom Cultivator and helped popularize mushroom growing, are...

Creatine Stands Up to All the Hype
Creatine Stands Up
to All the Hype
May 17, 2025 8:00 AM CDT

Creatine Stands Up to All the Hype

Sales are exploding, and the consensus seems to be it's worth taking

(Newser) - On social media and in supplement aisles, creatine is having a moment: Sales at the Vitamin Shoppe jumped 320% from 2019 to 2024, and overall creatine sales are projected to grow from $1.11 billion in 2024 to $4.28 billion by the end of the decade. And it'...

Panel: Calcium, Vitamin D Won't Stop Grandma From Falling

Independent task force recommends against such supplements for older adults

(Newser) - Don't start pushing calcium and vitamin D pills on your older family members for bone strength just yet—at least not if you're trying to prevent falls and fractures. That's because an independent panel of health experts on Tuesday said there's not enough evidence that such...

Japanese Health Supplement Proved Not That Healthy

Now 5 in Japan are dead, 100 are hospitalized after taking products with benikoji, a red mold

(Newser) - Five people who took Japanese health supplements have died and more than 100 have been hospitalized as of Friday, a week after a pharmaceutical company issued a recall of the products, officials said. Osaka-based Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co. came under fire for not going public quickly with problems known internally as...

Watchdog Warns About Dodgy 'Antiviral' Products on Amazon

'There’s a whole cottage industry of scams based on COVID-19'

(Newser) - Amazon's bottom line has remained extremely healthy during the pandemic—but some of those profits might be coming from companies making dubious claims about their products' ability to fight viruses. NPR reports that searches for "coronavirus supplement" or "COVID supplement" return many pages of results from third-party...

Woman Wary of Prescription Drugs Gets Liver Damage From Supplement

Doctors determined red yeast rice supplement likely to blame

(Newser) - A woman who was wary of taking prescription statins to lower her cholesterol took red yeast rice supplements instead—and ended up with acute liver damage. After six weeks of using the over-the-counter supplements, which contain the same chemical that statins use to reduce cholesterol (monacolin K), the 64-year-old Michigan...

Her Body Unable to Process Protein Intake, Bodybuilder Dies
Protein 'Overdose' Contributed
to Woman's Untimely Death
in case you missed it
Aug 19, 2017 12:11 PM CDT

Protein 'Overdose' Contributed to Woman's Untimely Death

The bodybuilder was unaware her body couldn't process that much protein

(Newser) - An Australian woman who appeared to be in great shape suddenly died at age 25—and doctors say protein supplements contributed to her death. Meegan Hefford, a bodybuilder, had been complaining since early June about feeling "weird" and lethargic. On June 19, she was found unconscious in her apartment;...

Cranberry Juice Won't Prevent UTIs, but This Might

(Newser) - Our planet racks up an estimate $6 billion a year in spending on urinary tract infections, according to the American Urological Association . Now, for as little as $15, a potential way to prevent new infections. A new supplement called Uqora is a powder you mix with water when the risk...

Fact-Checkers Pounce on Ben Carson's 'Bald-Faced Lie'

His denial of relationship with controversial company Mannatech is under scrutiny

(Newser) - During Wednesday night's debate, Ben Carson took a question about his relationship with a company called Mannatech that makes dietary supplements and has been accused by officials at the state and federal level of shady health claims. His reply:
  • "Well, that’s easy to answer. I didn’t
...

Dietary Supplements Land 63 People in the ER Daily

FDA, CDC study identifies 23K such ER visits annually

(Newser) - Dietary supplements promise to help you lose weight, build muscle, and boost energy, but they could also send you to the emergency room. Some 23,000 ER visits each year are attributed to everything from herbal pills to vitamins that cause cardiovascular problems, severe allergic reactions, and vomiting, particularly in...

Diet Supplements Have Amphetamine-Like Chemical
Diet Supplements Have Amphetamine-Like Chemical
STUDY SAYS
Apr 8, 2015 3:53 PM CDT

Diet Supplements Have Amphetamine-Like Chemical

Study says BMPEA is dangerous, but the FDA is ignoring it

(Newser) - There's a chemical lurking in diet supplements that could be dangerous to consumers, and health experts accuse the FDA of doing little, if anything, to remove it. The chemical, beta-methylphenethylamine or BMPEA, is similar to amphetamine, but its side effects have never been studied on humans, the New York ...

Vitamin D May Not Be Disease-Fighter
 Vitamin D May Not 
 Be Disease-Fighter 
STUDY SAYS
Dec 6, 2013 3:22 AM CST

Vitamin D May Not Be Disease-Fighter

Low levels a symptom, not a cause of illness, researchers say

(Newser) - Is there any point in healthy people taking vitamin D supplements? New research suggests that while low levels of the "sunshine vitamin" are linked to many illnesses, the deficiency is a result, not a cause of sickness, reports Reuters . French researchers who reviewed hundreds of other studies were unable...

Vitamin A May Fight Skin Cancer: Study

Supplement pills reduced risk, particularly in women

(Newser) - If you're worried about getting skin cancer, maybe some vitamin A supplements are in order; a new study has shown that people taking them were 60% less likely to develop melanoma. The study, which was published today in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, followed 59,000 people for six...

Ditch the Extra Calcium, Vitamin D
Ditch the Extra Calcium, Vitamin D
NEW REPORT
Nov 30, 2010 9:05 AM CST

Ditch the Extra Calcium, Vitamin D

Supplement sales have grown, but experts say they're not necessary

(Newser) - Doctors have been recommending vitamin D and calcium supplements for years. But it turns out, for most people, neither supplement is needed—and too much vitamin D could actually be harmful. A committee of experts determined that most people have enough vitamin D from their diets, sunshine, and other natural...

Study: Most Herbal Supplements Contaminated

Crackdown unlikely to make it into food safety bill

(Newser) - Herbal supplements are often contaminated with pesticides and heavy metals, and sellers are prone to making illegal claims about their health benefits, a congressional study has found. Almost all 40 dietary supplements tested had trace amounts of contaminants like lead and mercury, and 16 of the samples contained pesticide residues...

Bad Vitamin Killed Polo Horses: Team Captain

Common drug was tainted, he claims

(Newser) - A tainted vitamin supplement killed the 21 horses that collapsed before a polo match in Florida last weekend, the captain of the Venezuelan team claims. He notes that five horses not given the drug are fine. The French drug, called Biodyl, is commonly administered in Europe but not approved for...

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