PCBs found in 10 fish oil supplements

(NaturalNews) A California lawsuit is accusing several fish oil supplement manufacturers of selling fish oils that contain unsafe levels of polychlorinated biphenyl compounds, also known as PCBs. The state's Proposition 65 requires products that may contain toxic ingredients above safe levels to have warning labels for consumer safety.

Five supplement companies, CVS and Rite Aid drug stores, and Omega Protein, Inc., the world's largest producer of omega-3 fish oil, are all named in the suit, which the plaintiffs hope will bring light to fish oil contamination problems. They also hope to see more accurate labeling of fish oils that includes specifics about contaminants like PCBs; that way, consumers will be able to make better decisions about which kinds are safe to buy.

The PCB chemical family consists of 209 different chemical compounds, all of which were tested for in the lawsuit by a California lab. That same lab also tested each of the product samples for 12 of the most toxic PCB compounds. It then evaluated each sample in terms of daily exposure to PCBs overall, and daily exposure to PCBs in terms of toxicity.

The brands tested included Nature Made, Twinlab, Now Foods, Solgar and GNC. Each brand included various types of fish oil, including cod liver, shark liver and salmon. Those that tested the lowest for PCBs contained one-70th the amount of those with the highest levels, indicating a significant difference in contamination among various brands, and types, of fish oil.

According to David Roe, the man who filed the lawsuit in San Francisco's Superior Court, the oils that tested highest exceed California's daily limit for PCBs by a factor of ten in terms of cancer risk. On the same token, some of the oils tested very low, and are not of particular concern to consumers.

Both Nature Made and Twinlab issued immediate responses to the lawsuit in defense of their respective brands' safety. Erin Hlasney from the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), a supplement industry trade group, also came to the defense of fish oils in general, explaining that they have been used safely for decades.

But the plaintiffs contend that it is not enough to simply say that a product meets guidelines; consumers have a right to know how a product actually tests for contaminants once it arrives on store shelves. Many brands claim that their fish oils have been purified and treated to reduce or remove contaminants, but few actually explain to what extent these toxins have been removed.

For complete details about the case and to view the fish oil test results, please visit www.fishoilsafety.com.

Sources for this story include:

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_14501...

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/ConsumerN...

Top whole food multivitamin supplements

(NaturalNews) Multivitamin supplements can be a great way to get the extra vitamins and minerals that are lacking in everyday foods. Besides the fact that most prepared food is highly processed, cooked, pasteurized or otherwise depleted of its natural nutrient content, the overused soil in which most of our commercial food is grown is lacking in essential nutrients. Thus, multivitamin supplements help to fill the void in achieving proper nutritional levels.

Unfortunately, not all multivitamins are derived from natural sources like plants, fruits and vegetables. Many are synthetically-derived, laboratory simulations of real vitamins, including some common ones like vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and vitamin E (dl-tocopheryl acetate). These are the same types of "vitamins" used to enrich many processed foods, and they simply do not assimilate well into the body because they are not truly natural.

Whenever a vitamin is listed under "Supplement Facts" with its technical name, it is usually an isolated, synthetic vitamin unless otherwise specified. While not necessarily harmful in every case, these vitamin forms have the potential to be harmful at high levels and do not perform as well as those that are truly genuine.

Real vitamins are the living ones derived from whole foods and that are maintained in their natural states. These contain the necessary cofactors and enzymes which help the body to process and use them, and they provide the most benefit to the body.

There are several companies that produce high-quality, whole food multivitamin supplements that deserve mention. Natural News has no financial stake in any of these brands and I was not paid to endorse them. They are highlighted merely for our readers' benefit because they are among the best in their class.

Garden of Life Living Multi
When it comes to producing high quality superfoods and supplements, Garden of Life is the cream of the crop. Its diverse array of nutritional products is impressive, including its line of multivitamins called 'Living Multi'.

Available in a men's, women's and 'Optimal' formula, Garden of Life's Living Multi contains an impressive array of superfood ingredients. Over 80 different fruits, vegetables, sea vegetables, mushrooms, herbs, spices and extracts are included, many of which are organic.

Probiotic microorganisms and enzymes are used in Living Multi blends to make the whole food vitamins easier to assimilate, providing the body with maximum absorption. All in all, Living Multi is a highly superior whole food supplement that is reasonably priced and readily available at many vitamin and health food stores.

To learn more about Garden of Life, please visit www.gardenoflife.com.

New Chapter Organics Whole Food Multivitamins
New Chapter is a highly-respected, high-quality whole supplemental food company. All of their products are superior and you really cannot go wrong with any of them. As far as multivitamins go, New Chapter's men's and women's multivitamins are among the best available.

New Chapter's multivitamins come on three varieties: 'Every Man', 'Every Woman' and 'Perfect Prenatal'. Each one is uniquely cultured to deliver bio-transformed vitamins and minerals in their optimal form. Each multivitamin contains an array of certified organic foods and herbs that are specially designed for men, women and pregnant women. And because they are whole foods, they can be taken on an empty stomach.

The vitamins listed under "Supplement Facts" are specified as to their source, none of which are derived synthetically and all of which come from whole foods. New Chapter's vitamin blends are superb, earning them a worthy mention in this category.

To find out more about New Chapter, please visit www.newchapter.com.

MegaFood One Daily Multivitamins
MegaFood creates premium artisan whole food supplements in small batches at its New Hampshire facility. The neat thing about this company is that it sources all of its whole food ingredients from local farm partners. All the food ingredients are processed using a unique method that does not apply any heat to them, preserving all of their delicate enzymes and phytonutrients. Each ingredient is tested to make sure it is free of pesticides, herbicides, gluten, soy and dairy as well.

MegaFood produces six different customized multivitamins that contain a diverse array of superfoods, fruits, vegetables, roots, herbs and enzymes. The blends also feature a unique, non-candida yeast called S. cerevisiae that is said to be one of the most nutrient-rich foods found in nature.

The MegaFood company is impressive both for its products and ethic. It may be lesser-known than the others in this category, but the company deserves mention because its vitamins are exceptional.

To learn more about MegaFood, please visit www.megafood.com.

Gaia Herbs offers deep discounts through NaturalNews Store

(NaturalNews) Gaia Herbs has teamed up with NaturalNews to offer Gaia Herbs products at deep discounts through the NaturalNews Store. The Gaia Herbs product line now features an innovative "Meet Your Herbs" traceability matrix that allows consumers to check the origin, potency, lab testing results and other details about the herbs found in each product bottle. See full details in this article by the Health Ranger: http://www.naturalnews.com/028823_G...

The NaturalNews Store currently carries Gaia's Adrenal Health and Antioxidant Supreme formulas at 35% - 40% off retail price.

The special pricing is available here: http://store.naturalnews.com/index....

The Gaia Herbs Adrenal Formula

The Gaia Herbs Adrenal Health product is a concentrated herbal liquid inside vegetarian capsules. It's made with:

• Rhodiola root
• Holy Basil leaf
• Ashwagandha root
• Wild Oats Milky Seed
• Schisandra berry

A Gaia Herbs bottle of 120 veggie capsules (containing a liquid concentrate of the herbs) normally sells for $44.95.

Through a special arrangement with Gaia Herbs, we are able to offer a limited supply of these "Meet Your Herbs" Adrenal Health bottles (120 capsules per bottle) at just $29.24. That's a 35% savings over the retail price.

When you buy three bottles of Gaia Herbs Adrenal Health from the NaturalNews Store, the price per bottle drops to just $26.32 per bottle, or a savings of over 40% off the retail price.

Click here to take advantage of this exclusive NaturalNews discount on this very high potency Adrenal Health herbal formula.

Gaia Herbs Antioxidant Supreme

Gaia Herbs' Antioxidant Supreme herbal formula contains the following ingredients:

• Bilberry
• Hawthorn berry
• Ginkgo leaf
• Green Tea
• Rosemary
• Prickly Ash
• Astaxanthin

Antioxidant Supreme normally sells for $25 for a 60 capsule bottle. Through our NaturalNews Store, we're able to offer it directly to our readers for just $16.24 -- a 35% savings off the retail price.

When you purchase three Antioxidant Supreme bottles from the NaturalNews Store, the price drops to $14.62 per bottle, or over 40% off the retail price.

Click here to take advantage of this NaturalNews discount Antioxidant Supreme.

NaturalNews has also published a video interview with the founder and CEO of Gaia Herbs who explains their new "Meet Your Herbs" program. You can watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xjpt...

Enjoy these discounts on these potent herbal products, and thank you for your support of the NaturalNews Store.

Vitacost extends exclusive 10% discount to NaturalNews readers through Feb. 21

(NaturalNews) It's good news time once again for NaturalNews readers: Vitacost.com, which was recently voted the #1 online retailer of health products by NaturalNews readers, is offering 10% discount on all its NSI-branded products. This discount is only good for a few days: It expires at midnight, February 21, 2010.

The offer is good on all NSI branded products atwww.Vitacost.com

Use discount code NNRC10 to take advantage of this incredible discount!

Why Vitacost?

Vitacost is more than just the top internet retailer of health products in the USA, it's also a company with a top-notch in-house manufacturing facility. I've actually toured Vitacost. I've seen the manufacturing operations first-hand, and I've met with the people running the show there.

This is a company that offers first-rate products at extremely competitive prices. They accomplish this because they manufacture and sell their products directly to consumers, bypassing any need for retailer markups or brick-and-mortar retail stores. This translates into huge cost savings for you, the consumer.

The NSI brand offers over 700 health and nutritional products to choose from, too. From probiotics to superfood antioxidants like astaxanthin, NSI covers a wide variety of health-related products that can support and enhance your health. See a complete list of the NSI branded products at:http://www.vitacost.com/NSI

Here's a list of some of my personal favorites: (Note - the descriptions below each product listing are my own opinions and not officials descriptions from Vitacost.com. NaturalNews has no financial relationship with Vitacost.)

NSI Vitamin D3 - Great for supporting healthy vitamin D levels during the winter
http://www.vitacost.com/NSI-Vitamin...

NSI Vitamin D drops - Liquid source for those who don't like capsules
http://www.vitacost.com/NSI-Vitamin...

NSI Turmeric Extract - Excellent source of turmeric
http://www.vitacost.com/NSI-Turmeri...

NSI Resveratrol + Grape Seed + Red Wine Extracts - Outstanding support for heart health and longevity!
http://www.vitacost.com/NSI-Resvera...

NSI Red Yeast Rice + CoQ10 - Amazing supplement for supporting healthy cholesterol levels.
http://www.vitacost.com/NSI-Red-Yea...

NSI Natural Astaxanthin with Hawaiian BioAstin - This is an amazing antioxidant I've recommended for years. The NSI brand contains soy lecithin. Choose the BioAstin brand if you want a soy-free formula.
http://www.vitacost.com/NSI-Natural...

NSI Pine Bark Extract - Amazing antioxidant. I've used this for years.
http://www.vitacost.com/NSI-Pine-Ba...

NSI AHCC Immune Booster - A super powerful formula. I've recommended it to family and friends.
http://www.vitacost.com/NSI-AHCC-Im...

NSI Bone Booster Complex - A fantastic collection of nutrients for supporting bone health and proper bone density.
http://www.vitacost.com/NSI-Bone-Bo...

NSI DIM Complex with BroccoSinolate - An excellent source of phytonutrients from broccoli.
http://www.vitacost.com/NSI-DIM-Com...

NSI Cherry Fruit Extract - Cherries contain nutrients that have been scientifically shown to reduce pain and swelling.
http://www.vitacost.com/NSI-Cherry-...

NSI SKO Superior Krill Oil - For those wanting a source of premium krill oil, this is an excellent choice with a much better price.
http://www.vitacost.com/NSI-SKO-tra...

NSI Organic Mushroom Ultra-10 Complex - A collection of 10 medicinal mushrooms offering an assortment of supportive health benefits.
http://www.vitacost.com/NSI-Organic...

NSI Bioenergy Ribose Pure D-Ribose - A remarkable supplement for a normal, healthy heart.
http://www.vitacost.com/NSI-Bioener...

NSI Pure Tea Tree Oil - 4 oz. of pure oil with many topical uses.
http://www.vitacost.com/NSI-100-Pur...

NSI High ORAC Oregano - Powerful digestive aid. I use it when traveling.
http://www.vitacost.com/NSI-Origano...

Those are just some of my favorites. You can shop at www.Vitacost.com for many more.

Remember, this exclusive 10% discount applies only to the NSI brand of products at Vitacost.

Use coupon code NNRC10

This exclusive discount expires at midnight, February 21, 2010.

After you place your order - Beware of "Cash Back" offer

After ordering from Vitacost.com, you will see a page that says "Exclusive Thank-You Reward - Claim $20 Cash Back Now - PLUS $10 cash back every month!"

In my opinion, this is a gimmicky offer that you may wish to avoid because unless you read the fine print, you could unintentionally get signed up for the "SavingsAce" program which will cost you $19.95 per month, charged to your credit card.

Over the last few years, NaturalNews has received numerous complaints from readers who felt they were duped into this post-sale program. Although the fine print explains what this "offer" really is, many people don't read the fine print and they mistakenly think it's still part of the Vitacost purchase process. So they fill out the form to claim their "cash back" and then they're surprised to see these $19.95 charges appearing on their credit card each month.

We've never received any complaints about Vitacost except for those concerning this cash back offer. Vitacost did recently change this offer from a one-click button to a whole new form where you must now fill out your entire credit card information in order to sign up for it. This change has already reduced some of the complaints because it makes it less likely for people to accidentally sign up for the service.

Nevertheless, the presentation of this cash back special offer could be seen as somewhat misleading: It says, in big bold letters "$120 cash back a year" but doesn't say anything about the fact that this "benefit" will cost you roughly $240 a year until you get to the fine print. I don't know about you, but I'm not interested in paying somebody $240 a year just to get $120 back.

So my advice is to avoid this post-sale cash back offer called "SavingsAce." It is the only thing about Vitacost that has ever generated complaints from our readers.

But remember this: Vitacost is an outstanding company. They offer high quality products at very reasonable prices. They were voted the #1 internet retailer of health products by NaturalNews readers! This cash back offer is completely optional -- you can just skip it and you'll never have to worry about it.

That's what I do: I take advantage of the 10% discount to order products from Vitacost, too (I'm a regular customer), and I just make sure to skip the "cash back" offer that appears following the checkout process.

Enjoy this exclusive Vitacost discount! It's only good through midnight, February 21, 2010.

CSPI calling for outright censorship of "structure and function" claims for nutritional supplements

(NaturalNews) The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has put together a 158-page report for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that contains detailed information about food manufacturers that it says are making false or misleading health claims about their products. The powerful lobbying group is urging a restructuring of the regulatory system that would likely damage the nutritional supplement industry and eliminate freedom of health speech.

On the surface, the CSPI report primarily targets "Big Food" manufacturers like Kellogg's and Nestle which have been making embellished, deceptive health claims about products that are essentially junk foods with miniscule amounts of vitamins and minerals thrown in. But rather than address the need for the FDA to crack down on these illegitimate claims, CSPI is seeking to abolish the freedom to make health claims altogether.

The CSPI tactic is a popular one, identifying a legitimate problem while suggesting an illegitimate solution. While on the surface regulatory "reform" seems to have consumers' best interests in mind, the kind of reform suggested by CSPI would actually eradicate free speech by muzzling all legitimate health claims made for natural products.

DSHEA and the freedom to make health claims
As it stands under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994, health product manufacturers can legally make legitimate health claims about their products. The Act provides for structure/function claims, which are not reviewed and authorized by the FDA, and qualified health claims, which are typically supported by conclusive scientific evidence.

Both types of claims are regulated by the FDA using an "innocent until proven guilty" approach which allows product manufacturers to include information at their discretion. The FDA can challenge questionable claims if it perceives them to be false but it must provide conclusive evidence before requiring it to be removed. If the FDA is unable to prove that a statement is false, manufacturers are permitted to print the information as long as the mandatory dietary supplement disclaimer is included on the container explaining that the FDA has not evaluated the claims.

Supplement manufacturers legally use both types of claims to educate consumers about the health benefits of their products. However CSPI and other groups seem to believe that such a system should be disbanded. Many organizations mistakenly believe and perpetuate the false idea that dietary supplements are wholly unregulated and that the entire sector is a free-for-all. While there are some bad players, including Kellogg's and Nestle, the majority of companies within the industry are making truthful, valid claims about their products.

Advocates worked very hard to pass DSHEA in 1994, the single most important piece of legislation in protecting freedom of health speech in the U.S. So why the push to eliminate it by the very groups and agencies that claim to support the public interest?

Food control by a few
It is important to understand that the players who stand to lose the most from increased restrictions and regulations are small- to medium-sized nutritional supplement companies, the true pioneers in the natural health world, not the large multi-national corporations operating supplement divisions. Small manufacturers make up the majority of the supplement industry.

In 2007, the FDA initiated its "current Good Manufacturing Practices" (cGMP) guidelines in accordance with DSHEA provisions that tasked the agency with ensuring that dietary supplements are manufactured safely and accurately. As worthy as it sounds, the FDA ended up designing cGMP with large manufacturers in mind, placing an immense new burden on small manufacturers.

The one-size-fits-all requirements for daily operations and record keeping are expensive and laborious, making it virtually impossible for small manufacturers to comply. The rules also mimic pharmaceutical requirements, many of which are pointless and unnecessary for supplements.

Hundreds of supplement manufacturers will likely be put out of business once the three year phase-in of cGMP is complete in June of 2010. The final installment on this date will force companies with fewer than 20 employees, which represent a large portion of the industry, into compliance. This final group is said to be hit the hardest by mandatory compliance.

Many dietary supplement trade groups are on board with the FDA's agenda, including the Natural Products Association (NPA) and the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN). The CRN membership roll is filled with multi-national giants such as Archer Daniels Midland, Bayer, Cargill, and Dow Chemical Company, as well as pharmaceutical companies like GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, and Pfizer.

Copying the EU to bring about a world standard
According to Dr. Robert Verkerk, the executive and scientific director of the Alliance for Natural Health, the two primary sources of attack against natural health freedom are European Union (EU) regulations and Codex Alimentarius.

The EU's Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation (NHCR) is arguably the most restrictive health law yet to be passed anywhere in the world. Established in 2006, NHCR allows health claims to be made only if they have been preliminarily approved by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). In opposition to the U.S. model where a health claim is supposed to be considered valid unless proven false, the EU now operates under the Napoleonic law structure where a health claim is false and restricted until declared valid by an unelected body of bureaucrats.

Under the NHCR restrictions, no unauthorized health claims can be made in either print or speech. This means that doctors are not allowed to recommend foods or supplements to their patients, nor can they offer any other type of health advice unless it has been rubber-stamped by the EFSA. Even if scientific studies prove that a nutrient or food is effective at treating a certain disease, a doctor is prohibited from speaking about it unless it is formally approved.

The consequences of such a draconion restriction on free speech is the decimation of the natural products industry, including everything from trade shows and educational seminars to naturopathic practices and health food stores. The restrictions on the free flow of health information also has the potential to eliminate over time all knowledge amongst the population about natural health, other than what is approved by the overlords.

Codex Alimentarius, the world food code
All of this ties into Codex Alimentarius, the world food code designed to integrate and harmonize the world's food guidelines for the purpose of power and control. While Codex has not yet been fully implemented worldwide, the pieces are slowly being assembled as to eliminate all national sovereignty and bring all nations into unified, international compliance with its dictates.

In the United States, provisions in the NAFTA and CAFTA treaties helped to facilitate the harmonizing of U.S. law between North and South America, a precursor to late compliance with Codex. Similar to the NHCR in the EU, Codex will operate under the Napoleonic law system, permitting only what has been approved to be lawful.

Codex's Vitamin and Mineral Guidelines are also being designed to dictate which vitamins will be permitted for use and in what doses. According to researchers, vitamin doses will be assessed using toxicity risk assessment, the method used in pharmaceuticals to determine the dose at which a drug becomes identifiably toxic. When applied to vitamins, this method will ensure that permitted doses remain below therapeutic levels, rendering them useless.

The CSPI recommendations are merely a stepping stone toward a much larger goal of global control over food, for which supplements are only a part. If successful, it could become illegal to even buy and sell unadulterated foods and supplements, let alone speak freely about their health benefits.

Sources for this story include: http://www.anhcampaign.org/news/anh... http://www.newswithviews.com/Richar... http://www.thenhf.com/press_release...