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The July 2010 issue of Consumer Reports (CR) magazine investigates protein drinks with not very flattering findings:

… [O]ur investigation, including tests at an outside laboratory of 15 protein drinks, a review of government documents, and interviews with health and fitness experts and consumers, found most people already get enough protein, and there are far better and cheaper ways to add more if it’s needed. Some protein drinks can even pose health risks, including exposure to potentially harmful heavy metals, if consumed frequently. All drinks in our tests had at least one sample containing one or more of the following contaminants: arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury. Those metals can have toxic effects on several organs in the body.

It’ll take some time to fully dissect the findings.  Obviously, nobody needs to ingest unsafe levels of heavy metals.  But 12 of the 15 did not contain unacceptable levels of any heavy metals in a full three (3) servings daily.  Of the 3 that did show unacceptable levels, again, it was only at 3 servings daily, not one or 2.  Only one product had levels of arsenic above the proposed USP limit.  Further, the USP limits are based on a person weighing only 110 pounds — considerably less than many if not most protein shake drinkers. Read the rest of this entry »

Some law-makers in Washington have been asking, how did “hidden steroids” get into bodybuilding supplements when the amended steroid law of 2004 was supposed to have solved the problem?  Supplement industry critic Senator Arlen Specter [D-PA] chaired a Senate subcommittee hearing last September (http://judiciary.senate.gov/hearings/hearing.cfm?id=4081) to get some answers from DEA and FDA brass. The Senator appeared committed to solving the problem by reportedly working on a bill tentatively entitled the “Designer Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 2010.”   Read the rest of this entry »

The Senate Special Committee on Aging has scheduled a hearing entitled, “Dietary Supplements: What Seniors Need to Know.” The hearing, scheduled for 2 pm on Wednesday, May 26, 2010, will include testimony from the General Accountability Office concerning its investigation into “marketing practices” for herbal supplements.  Although the focus may be on the potential interactions between herbal products and prescription drugs, speculation is that questions about ”New Dietary Ingredients” may also be a highlight. Go to http://aging.senate.gov/ on the day and time of the hearing to view the live webcast.

After offering the Dietary Supplement Safety Act of 2010, S. 3002, last month to more closely regulate and restrict the supplement industry, Arizona Senator John McCain reportedly has withdrawn his support for the bill and will now work with Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah on a revised legislative initiative.  McCain’s bill was applauded by anti-doping agencies but was perceived as excessively and unnecessarily onerous on industry.  Hatch had expressed “serious concerns” about the bill in a March 4 letter to Sen. McCain.  A timeline for the new bill is not set.