Are you one of the more than half of the U.S. adult population that routinely take a dietary supplement? If so, you might be interested in learning about the “dirty dozen” list of  supplement ingredients linked by clinical research  or case reports to serious adverse events, such as cancer, coma, heart problems, liver and kidney damage, or death.

The September 2010 issue  of Consumer Reports has compiled this report with the help of  the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, an independent research group.  Effectiveness of the supplements and the extent to which the ingredients are readily available were also evaluated.

Nancy Metcalf, senior program editor, Consumer Reports, states:  “The FDA has repeatedly found hazardous ingredients, including synthetic prescription drugs, in supplements.”  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned us as early as 1993 about eight of these “dirty dozen”  supplements.  Manufacturers do not have to prove the effectiveness or safety of their ingredients,  resulting in inadequate quality control, and inspection, and  supplements often contaminated with heavy metals, pesticides, even hidden drugs or steroids.

The “dirty dozen” include aconite, bitter orange, chaparral, collidial silver, coltsfoot, cofrey, country mallow, germanium, greater celandine, kava, lobelia, and yohimbe.

A major supplier of raw supplement ingredients is China.  According to Consumer Reports,  the FDA has yet to inspect a single supplement factory there.

So how do we go about choosing supplements that are safe and effective for our family?  When I made that decision 17 years ago,  I did my research and chose a company that offered the following criteria:

• It guarantees the unconditional safety of its products.
• The company’s scientists find the finest natural ingredients from around the world, conducting over 350 tests on new botanical ingredients for heavy metals pesticides, and hundreds of other contaminants.
• Over 80,000 quality tests are conducted annually to guarantee purity, free of preservatives, artificial sweeteners, colors, flavors, or any other artificial ingredient  – all done to guarantee the safety and quality of the products using state-of-the-art facilities.
• This company uses patented processing methods to ensure the absorption and proper utilization of nutrients in the body, following the Good Manufacturing Practices, a set of quality control standards that are stricter than those that currently apply to the manufacture of supplements.
• More than 90 published studies and abstracts in peer-reviewed scientific journals support their products’ efficacy, with each product containing precise, effective amounts of active ingredients for optimum health benefits every time.
• They stand behind each and every product, with a 100% money-back guarantee.

When I read this article it made me very sad to learn about all of the less than desirable ingredients in a lot of the supplements presently on the market.   This is a bustling $26.7 billion market and consumers are paying a price, sometimes a very serious one, for consuming those supplements.

I will always believe that prevention is the solution but along with that comes our responsibility to educate ourselves about what we consume, whether it be food or in supplement form.