Silver Spring, MD—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is cracking down on companies selling over-the-counter (OTC) HCG as weight-loss aids by making the product illegal, citing that fads and diets promising fast weight-loss often do so with unsupported claims and potentially unhealthy ways.
Washington, D.C.—The U.S. Department of Defense announced it will not take any chances with supplements containing DMAA, as it has decided to pull such products from stores on its bases, according to Army Times. This ban included GNC shops on bases worldwide, and will stay in effect until an investigation is completed.
Fukuoka, Japan—Researchers from Japan’s Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences at Kyushu University and Daiichi Sangyo Co., Ltd., have discovered a possible anti-cancer agent in brown seaweed.
The Conspiracy of Silence is not just limited to the political arena. At the 33rd session of the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU), which ended its week-long meeting on Friday, November 18, its new Chairwoman, Pia Noble, had a definite problem in allowing the International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs) such as the National Health Federation (NHF) to speak.
Boston, MA—A new study of a branded brain function supplement (FOCUSfactor from Factor Nutrition Labs) showed the possibility of improved memory, concentration and focus for subjects taking the supplement after six weeks.
Mission Viejo, CA—Aged garlic is well-known as a heart health aid; but now, a group of researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, has found that aged garlic and other ingredients benefit bone health, too.
Washington, D.C.—In a letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), U.S. Senator and Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) urged inquiry into whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is effectively implementing dietary supplement safety legislation passed in 2006.
Elmwood Park, NJ—After an investigation that began in 2009, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has come down hard on some defendants that made weight-loss claims for the herb, hoodia. FTC claims the group claimed its ingredient could treat obesity (an unsubstantiated health claim), suppress appetite, reduce caloric intake and more; the ingredient didn’t always contain authentic Hoodia gordonii.
Oslo, Norway—Studies have shown that the intake of recommended doses of folic acid (a naturally occurring B-vitamin) from the period before conception to early pregnancy can prevent neural tube birth defects. Now, Christine Roth, M.Sc., Clin.Psy.D., from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo has led a study (published October 12, 2011 by JAMA) that investigated whether maternal use of folic acid supplements was associated with a reduced risk of severe language delay in children at age three years.
