FDA Finds Cheap Fillers in Supplements

FDA Finds Cheap Fillers in Supplements

At Wellgenic we like to say that not all supplements are created equal! Check out this article we found from Today's News! 

FDA Finds Majority Of Herbal Supplements At GNC, Walmart, Walgreens, And Target Don’t Contain What They Claim – Instead Cheap Fillers Like Wheat And Soy Powder

Walmart, Walgreens, Target, and GNC are taking full advantage of the lack of regulation in regards to herbals products and selling the public supplements that do not contain the herbs on the label.

According to an investigation by the New York State attorney general’s office into store-brand supplements at four national retailers — GNC, Target, Walgreens and Wal-Mart, these major retail stores sell dietary supplements that do not contain the herbs shown on their labels and many of which included potential allergens not identified in the ingredients list.

They all received cease-and-desist letters askingthat they stop selling these supplements. “Contamination, substitution and falsely labeling herbal products constitute deceptive business practices and, more importantly, present considerable health risks for consumers,” said the letters, first reported today by the New York Times.

From GNC, Herbal Plus brand:

Gingko Biloba:

  • No gingko biloba found
  • Did detect allium (garlic), rice, spruce and asparagus

St. John’s Wort

  • No St. John’s Wort found
  • Did detect allium (garlic), rice and dracaena (a tropical houseplant)

Ginseng

  • No ginseng found
  • Did detect rice, dracaena, pine, wheat/grass and citrus

Garlic

  • Contained garlic

Echinacea

  • No echinacea found
  • Did detect rice in some samples

Saw Palmetto

  • One sample contained the clear presence of palmetto
  • Other samples contained a variety of ingredients, including asparagus, rice and primrose

From Target, Up & Up brand

Gingko Biloba

  • No gingko biloba found
  • Found garlic, rice and mung/French bean

St. John’s Wort

  • No St. John’s Wort found
  • Found garlic, rice and dracaena (houseplant)

Garlic

  • Contained garlic
  • One test identified no DNA

Echinacea

  • Most but not all tests detected Echinacea
  • One test identified rice

Saw Palmetto

  • Most tests detected saw palmetto
  • Some tests found no plant DNA

Valerian Root

  • No valerian root found
  • Found allium, bean, asparagus, pea family, rice, wild carrot and saw palmetto

From Walgreens, Finest Nutrition brand

Gingko Biloba

  • No gingko biloba found
  • Did detect rice

St. John’s Wort

  • No St. John’s Wort found
  • Detected garlic, rice and dracaena

Ginseng

  • No ginseng found
  • Detected garlic and rice

Garlic

  • No garlic found
  • Detected palm, dracaena, wheat and rice

Echinacea

  • No echinacea found
  • Identified garlic, rice and daisy

Saw Palmetto

  • Contained saw palmetto

From Walmart, Spring Valley brand

Gingko Biloba

  • No gingko biloba found
  • Found rice, dracaena, mustard, wheat and radish

St. John’s Wort

  • No St. John’s Wort found
  • Detected garlic, rice and cassava

Ginseng

  • No ginseng found
  • Found rice, dracaena, pine, wheat/grass and citrus

Garlic

  • One sample showed small amounts of garlic
  • Found rice, pine, palm, dracaena and wheat

Echinacea

  • No echinacea or plant material found

Saw Palmetto

  •  Some samples contained small amounts of saw palmetto
  •  Also found garlic and rice

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Article by: World News - View the full article here. 

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Bottom line, you need to be carefull about what you are putting in your body! We make our products here on site with only the best ingredients! No fillers ever. 

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