Karolyn Gazella founded the Natural Medicine Journal in 1992 and has been writing about integrative health ever since. Karolyn keeps us posted on what stories caught her eye this month during our regular check-in with her. Join host Brian Johnson and Karolyn talking about some current controversies and curiosities.
Key Take-Aways
Counterfeit ingredients and mislabeling
A recent JAMA analysis looked at 30 different natural products. Authors found that only thirteen had correct labels and seventeen did not. Of major concern was that they contained ingredients listed on the label that were not in the product. Moreover, nine of the seventeen products had ingredients not listed on the label, and some of those ingredients were adulterated, which means they could be harmful.
Limitations of this study
Product sample size was small and all were sourced from Amazon. Testing was not able to assay multiple-ingredient products effectively, and as such, it was not possible to test for sensitivity for key ingredients. Also, none of the thirty products had third-party certification labels.
Quality issues with supplements
Quality is currently under the spotlight in the natural product industry. For instance, some herbal extracts are standardized and some are not, and some products rely on the science associated with the standardized extracts whereas others do not. Overall, considerable variability exists across manufacturers when it comes to quality.
Melatonin
Melatonin is a hormone that plays a significant role in the regulation of sleep and circadian rhythms. A JAMA article examined the possible hazards of melatonin, given how sales are increasing. The first concern was about the significant increase of use in children, as parents want a natural solution when their kids are not sleeping.
Probiotics
Dr Jacob Shore published an article in the Natural Medicine Journal describing the use of probiotics for depression. What this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study found is that participants who took probiotics had significantly improved symptoms of depression compared to placebo. It is important that the study used a multiple-strain probiotic.
Quality of probiotics
Probiotics are not inexpensive; prices can be $40 or more for quality probiotics. Probiotics can be purchased with prebiotics and/or postbiotics. Sometimes the microbes that are in the powder are not alive, requiring activation to become alive in your gut in order to do their work.
Fermented foods versus probiotics
Many patients turn to fermented foods such as miso, kombucha, and sauerkraut as alternatives to probiotics. However, concern is over consistency and strain of the probiotic within such foods. Supplement forms possess greater consistency in content and types of microbiota of interest.
Key Quotes
“So they couldn't even test for sensitivity for these key ingredients. I think that's a real big problem. And, you know, normally when something like this comes out in JAMA, a prestigious journal, it's picked up by all kinds of media outlets because the anti-dietary supplement people love this kind of stuff.” Karolyn Gazella
“When we start by addressing the gut, which is what most integrative practitioners do, we can relieve a ton of different symptoms and we can really have improved outcomes. So, I like these studies that involve the gut because I think that there's a lot there that needs to be addressed.”
Karolyn Gazella
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