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Kathy wrote:

Diet Supplement

Marketers Target Kids; Largely Untested Products Alarm Health Experts

By Guy

Gugliotta

Washington Post Staff Writer

Dietary supplement

companies have begun aggressively targeting children and parents as

consumers of their products, among them powerful chemicals designed to

help kids gain strength, lose weight or treat illnesses ranging from

colds and flu to depression and even attention deficit disorder. What powerful chemicals are they talking about?

As a result,

increasing numbers of children are swallowing supplements, often with

the knowledge, urging and even insistence of parents in search of

"natural" remedies or "healthy" alternatives for youngsters who eat too

many cupcakes or drink too much soda. One survey recently found that

almost 20 percent of parents were giving their children supplements. Parents have been giving their children supplements

since pharmaceutically controlled supplements have been around. They

have been giving their children herbs before that. My own mother gave

me vitamins when I was growing up. That is a supplement. Strange

survey. Interesting how all this information can be twisted and

manipulated to shed a negative light.

In Vancouver, Wash.,

Nutrition Now Inc., for example, created a cuddly rhinoceros cartoon

character to promote its line of dietary supplements for children,

including Rhino Pops containing the herb echinacea, a cold treatment.

"100% natural, Moms love the soothing support, kids love the

all-natural taste, vegetarian approved," reads the legend on the box.

From Saco, Maine,

Fresh Inc. ships to supermarket shelves nationwide "body

zoomer" fruit smoothies that carry cartoon pictures of children to

catch the eye. A 16-ounce bottle of "Oh, Happy Day" contains 100

milligrams of the herb St. 's wort "to lift the spirits." Many

adults in search of an alternative to antidepressants such as Prozac

take a 300-milligram tablet of St. 's wort three times a day.

Although some

products may be helpful, the surge in supplement use by children and

adolescents is causing rising alarm among pediatricians, children's

health advocates and federal and state medical officials. At the least,

many of the products may be useless. At the worst, some may be

dangerous, they say. Supplements are largely untested and unregulated.

The full short- and long-term impact of these substances on young

bodies is virtually unknown. And in some cases, there's evidence they

may be harmful. I don't see this as likely as

most pediatricians and whatnot all push supplements for children to

ensure they are getting enough.

"Physicians use

medications that have been tried and tested, with known side effects,"

said Rossanne Philen, chief of environmental hazard epidemiology at the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. "When children

are given herbal preparations, they are at the mercy of the adult who

is experimenting on them."

Experiementing is what the pharmaceutical/medical

estalishment does when they prescribe their tried and tested (with

known side effects) drugs do. Parents don't experiment. Children are

not at the mercy of their parents who love them. They are at the mercy

of people who write such false articles as this and the

pharmaceutical/medical establishment.

Companies offer

discounts and rebates in some states to high school coaches who supply

creatine, a powerful body-building nutrient, to their athletes. In

Fairfax County, coaches are forbidden to promote creatine, but that

doesn't stop it from being popular. I really

don't know about this but I would tend to think it is done illegally

and not on the up and up.

"I did a report on

creatine in journalism class when I was a freshman, and I did some

research on different Web sites," said Curry, 16, a running back

on the Chantilly High School football team who noted that he has told

his parents he is using creatine. "I started taking it last year, and

I'm taking it now." Curry said he has gained 31 pounds over two years.

"It's definitely been valuable."

Some products even

include the stimulant ephedra, which is still recommended for children

by some supplement salespeople for attention deficit disorder even

though it has been linked to serious illness and even death by the Food

and Drug Administration. Much of the industry warns youngsters under 18

away from it. We all know the truth of this one.

Because there's no

central source of information about adverse reactions to supplements,

it is difficult to get an accurate accounting of whether they are

causing widespread problems. But almost all supplements can produce

some unpleasant side effects, and their overall safety remains far from

clear. This is a push to get all supplements

under FDA control (the central source of information).

The reason for this

is that dietary supplements, as defined by the 1994 Dietary Supplement

Health and Education Act, may be sold without pre-market clearance by

the FDA or a detailed scientific evaluation of their safety and

effectiveness. Also, unlike prescription drugs, the FDA must prove a

supplement is dangerous before removing it from the market. As a

result, thousands of products are sold over the counter to anyone who

wants them--including children--with far less scrutiny than

prescription drugs. By children, I am guessing

that they are referring to teens as most younger children would never

buy supplements anyway, their parents would.

Mark Blumenthal,

executive director of the American Botanical Council, an herb advocacy

group, acknowledged that no one has done a "formal risk-benefit review"

of dietary supplements, including those designed specifically for

children. But he noted that many herbal remedies have been used for

hundreds or even thousands of years and are well known outside the

United States.

"With only a few

exceptions, most of these herbs are some of the best-researched in the

world," Blumenthal said. "In Europe, where they are sold in pharmacies,

they have a stellar record of safety." This is a

great plug to get all herbs sold in pharmacies in the US as well. The

ABC is very pro pharmaceutical and allopathic.

Unreported Toll

Unlike

pharmaceutical firms, supplement companies are not required by law to

report serious product problems to the government. Agencies rely on

sporadic voluntary reports that frequently come from inexpert sources.

The American

Association of Poison Control Centers, which collects data from 65

locations in all but a few states, in 1998 listed 704 reports of bad

experiences with dietary supplements involving youngsters ages 6 to 18.

And those were?

The association's

list of supplements does not include ephedra, used primarily by adults

to boost energy or lose weight and the subject of a virulent

controversy between the herbal industry and the federal and state

agencies seeking to regulate it.

In a report earlier

this year, the FDA documented 134 cases linking serious

illness--including insomnia, nervousness, seizure, hypertension, stroke

and death--to ephedra during a 33-month period ending in March 1999.

Ten of the reports involved children younger than 18. Let's not discuss the aspartame laden sodas that a

certain baseball player was guzzling while also taking ephedra and

let's not really mention what killed him. No, it was not the ephedra.

In one case, a

15-year-old girl was hospitalized with severe chest pain after taking

six ephedra tablets and drinking a pair of "double-shot (coffee)

lattes," the FDA report said. The labeled dosage was two tablets, three

times daily to lose weight, but the 125-pound victim decided to take

all six pills at once. Well, I can understand

this one. I agree that ephedra should not be sold to minors who only

learn from their parents and peers anyway. If it weren't for the

wonderful governmental office of Drug Enforcement there probably would

not be any drug abuse.

The FDA has also

documented cases of adverse effects from other supplements. Echinacea

and ginseng produce minor and infrequent problems. The same is true of

St. 's wort. Everything carries risks. Even

water.

A substance known as

DMAE, included in products marketed as alternatives to Ritalin for the

treatment of attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit

hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), can cause side effects similar to

Ritalin's: insomnia, hives, headache, drowsiness and involuntary muscle

movement. When one is going to apply bandaids to

a situation instead of eliminating the cause there are going to be side

effects.

Creatine, taken to

enhance the body's ability to deliver energy to muscles, also causes

muscles to accumulate water, which can lead to weight gain, cramping,

muscle strains, dehydration, diarrhea and gastrointestinal pain. The

University of Tennessee recently banned creatine after 14 of its

football players had cramping episodes during one game.

Many of creatine's

bad effects can be avoided by cautious use, but this is not a talent

generally ascribed to the young. "High school kids don't have a clue

about how to take it," said sports nutritionist Ruth Carey, a

registered dietitian in Portland, Ore. "I don't find a whole lot of

awareness on the part of parents, either. They don't realize it's an

unstudied drug." Any supplements bad effects can

be avoided by cautious use.

At the same time,

there has been little research on creatine's long-term effects, and

virtually none regarding its effects on young bodies.

Finally, studies

have shown that the potency of many herbal supplements--including St.

's wort, ginseng and ephedra--often does not match the potency

advertised on the bottle. A survey of 20 ephedra products conducted by

the University of Arkansas in May found that the potency of half of

them was either much greater or much less than what was indicated by

the dosage listed on the bottle. Now this does

happen to be true to an extent. But consider the manufacturer of this

product (say St. 's Wort) has one million labels printed up. This

is enough for one million bottles. Now he gets his shipment in ( From

California) and it is only enough to do 500,090 bottles. So he gets

another shipment in but it is from another region (say, Costa Rica).

The growing conditions and soil are very different in Costa Rica as

opposed to California. Do you think the manufacturer is going to go and

get more labels printed up? Not likely. A really good manufacturer

would ascertain the quality of the herb or supplement and label

accordingly but that is not the case, even the pharmaceutical companies

are guilty of this.

"Support for this

type of thing [supplements] is simply not there. We don't know proven

effectiveness. We don't know contaminants, or the concentration

bottle-for-bottle," said S. Baker, chairman of the American

Academy of Pediatrics' committee on nutrition. "It's pretty serious.

It's like taking a vial of water and not knowing whether it comes

through a filter or from the sewer--and then drinking it." When dealing with herbs you will never know unless you

do a lot of QC. Then there is no guarantee. Even in the same field

there will be differences depending on who is using what on the field

next to which side of the field the herbs are grown on.

Aggressive

Marketing

Despite these

misgivings, supplement companies are actively marketing a range of

products for children using a variety of techniques. They have been since I was a child.

Some strategies are

obvious. Considerable science has shown that creatine increases power

in short bursts in sports that require it, such as weight lifting,

football and sprints. The pharmaceutical

companies have shown that amphetamines will do the same thing.

MLO Products Co. of

Fairfield, Calif., has forged a relationship with football powerhouse

Mater Dei High School of Santa Ana, Calif. "How Would You Like to

Increase Lean Weight By 11 lbs. In 3 Months?" read a promotion on MLO's

Web site. "The Mater Dei High School football team has been

consistently ranked among the top 10 teams in the country." I don't agree with this. Children should be kept out

of crap like this and High Schools should not be endorsing the use of

supplements for this type of action.

The company

originally provided creatine to Mater Dei in order to use its athletes

in a study and then publish the results, said Snyder, a sales

manager. "We've just continued sponsoring Mater Dei," Snyder said. "We

just want to be associated with a high-quality football program."

In Irvine, Calif.,

Met-Rx Engineered Nutrition has gone a step further. It has 200 high

school "Mentor" programs in "almost every state," according to

marketing directing Charlie . Met-Rx supplies creatine and other

supplements to athletes at 60 percent of the retail cost and sends 10

percent of the purchase price to the school's athletic programs.

Coaches and parents

must approve each athlete's participation, thus opening "a

communications link" about nutrition, said. "Here's a way for

them to get information [on supplements], save some money and create

some new revenues for strengthening athletic departments." Is this any different than what the pharmaceutical

companies do?

Other marketing

strategies simply developed from consumer demand. At Gaia Herbs, based

in Brevard, N.C., herbalist Bove designed a set of 20 products for

children to respond to "physicians all over the states...calling me

about giving kids herbs."

Gaia's list, one of

the country's most extensive, includes products ranging from "Skin

Cream for Baby Bottoms" to " Supreme for Children," an herbal

treatment recommended in company literature for ADD and "impulsiveness."

, also known

as lemon balm, is a medicinal tea herb and mild tranquilizer used as a

sleep aid or to calm an upset stomach. Gaia's literature suggests

combining Supreme with a second supplement containing St.

's wort for "hyperactivity, mood swings and tantrums."

Concern about ADD

and ADHD, combined with parental misgivings about Ritalin, the most

popular pharmaceutical treatment for these conditions, has spawned a

brisk competition among companies searching for alternatives.

"Attention Focus,"

made by Nature's Way of Springville, Utah, uses essential fatty acids

to encourage "proper transmission of brain and nerve signals," the

label says. Herbs Etc., a Santa Fe, N.M., company, sells a melissa

product called "Kid-A-Lin."

The s Valley,

Calif., company Source Naturals hit pay dirt in 1999 with "Focus

Child," developed by Cathleen Rapp to find "something to appeal to

people who don't want to use Ritalin."

Focus Child's key

ingredient, dimethylaminoethanol bitartrate or DMAE, was developed by

Riker Laboratories in the 1950s and sold by prescription for nearly 30

years as "Deaner," a treatment for children's learning disabilities.

But in 1983, the FDA forced DMAE's removal from the market after

determining that it wasn't effective.

Nevertheless, there

are several DMAE child supplements today, including chewable tablets

and fruit and chocolate bars. Natural Organics of Long Island, N.Y.,

makes a DMAE product called "Pedi-Active A.D.D."--an "advanced diet

delivery" system, according to the legend on the label.

At least one

company, the Utah-based Enrich International, has promoted ephedra in

the past as a substitute for Ritalin to treat ADD and ADHD among young

children, and at least some of the company's affiliated salespeople

still recommend it. Let's face it. The

supplement industry is following in the foot steps of the

pharmaceutical industry. Everyone is trying to cash in on dis-ease. I

don't use supplements. I quit using them for a reason. One, they are

manufactured. Most of them are synthetic. If they are herbal most of

them are of dubious quality and/or are standardized. This destroys the

effectiveness of any herbal preparation. It is no longer natural. This

is pharma's way. I make my own preparations for my own use and my

family's. I also tend to think that any condition or dis-ease can be

handled through diet, cleansing and fasting. Supplements are not

natural for the most part. Yes, there are some, I am sure but mostly

they are concocted in a laboratory out of synthetic chemicals.

And Lou ,

who buys Enrich products and resells them as an independent Enrich

distributor based in Granbury, Tex., continues to recommend ephedra six

years after she prescribed it for her grandson, Woody, then 10 and

suffering from ADHD. "He used it for three months and never had to use

it again," she said. "It makes such a difference."

Ephedra is a close

cousin of methamphetamine, and in the past enjoyed a certain status

among many young people as "legal speed" because of the kick it could

give, especially when combined with other stimulants, such as caffeine.

Yes, it is a close cousing of meth but is

natural and not synthetic like meth.

Most large ephedra

companies stopped promoting ephedra as a source of a natural high and

in recent years have put labels on their products warning against the

use of ephedra for any reason by anyone under 18.

But the companies'

position remains ambiguous. The industry opposes a proposed New York

ordinance to prohibit ephedra sales to youngsters under 18, believing

"it would be more effective as a labeling issue," said Wes Siegner,

counsel to the ephedra committee of the American Herbal Products

Association. "You don't want to cause trouble for salesclerks."

And despite the

warning labels, ephedra still enjoys considerable popularity among

teenagers trying to lose weight.

Ephedra's checkered

reputation makes some retailers nervous. "I won't sell the tablets to

kids," said Damien Gray, branch manager for a General Nutrition Centers

store a few blocks from Suitland High School in Prince 's County.

"They'll take one, and it won't have any effect, so they'll take more.

Who knows what's going to happen?" But the brightly colored

energy-boosting ephedra drinks, many of which also carry warning

labels, are a different story. "At least I know how much they're

getting," he said. Shoot, nobody should be

selling Ephedra or any kind of drugs or herbs to children anyhow.

Herbal cosmetics, skin care products yes. Supplements should only be

sold to adults anyway. This is just good common sense.

Eager Consumers

Once a promotional

strategy is in place, many companies are finding instant success with

an eager public. The San Diego-based Nutrition Business Journal, which

tracks the industry, reported 1999 sales of $120 million in herbal and

nutritional supplements for children. In 1999, a study conducted by

National Public Radio, the Kaiser Foundation and the Kennedy School of

Government found that 18 percent of parents were giving their children

dietary supplements that were not vitamins or minerals.

"A lot of parents

are finding that natural herbal remedies are working very effectively

on their kids, and it's taking a lot of pressure off of running to the

doctor every time you get a runny nose," said Amy Zanger, manager of

the Crossroads Health Hut in Glendale, Ariz., near Phoenix. "People are

taking charge of their own health, and the pendulum is swinging

natural."

Supplement-containing

"body zoomers" are "one of our top selling categories," said Fresh

public relations manager Kim Mayone, who acknowledged that

"Oh, Happy Day" contains "a mood-enhancing herb," but not enough for it

"to be a medicine."

In less than a year,

Source Nutritionals' "Focus Child" became a top-10 bestseller for a

company that sells more than 400 items. For health food store manager

Zanger, it was a godsend. "We're not into drugging our kids," said

Zanger, worried because her son, 8, couldn't concentrate in school. "So

we decided to go natural." They chose Focus Child.

"I just got his

progress report card, and I almost cried; it was so much better," she

added. Zanger also gives Focus Child to her 2 1/2-year-old son "before

we go out to eat or to the movies" to keep him quiet. "It seems to be

fine for him." Now I don't agree with drugging a

child, even with herbal preparations, to keep them quiet so you can

enjoy your movie. Especially a 2 1/2 year old ball of energy.

Creatine, because it

works, because it's legal and because it does not appear to have any

unmanageable side effects, is in a class by itself as the most popular

sports nutrient on the planet, with sales of $400 million worldwide.

In a 1999 Blue

Cross-Blue Shield Association survey, 27 percent of children ages 12 to

18 said they knew someone who used performance-enhancing substances,

and more than half of those knew someone who used creatine. A survey by

New York's Mount Sinai Hospital Sports Medicine Center found that

children of both sexes as young as 12 were using creatine and that

usage rose to 44 percent among high school seniors.

"I took it for a

month to get stronger for the football season. My bench press increased

30 pounds, and my curls and squats increased 50 pounds," said Tommy

Mc, a 190-pound senior offensive guard at Jesuit High School in

Portland, Ore. "All of a sudden, everything shot up very quickly. I

made all-league."

But sometimes,

marketing strategies go awry. In 1998, the ESPN sports network

apologized for running a General Nutrition Centers ad for creatine

during the Little League World Series.

In May, Boston's

Efamol Nutraceuticals Inc. ran afoul of the Federal Trade Commission

and agreed to stop advertising its products Efalex and Efalex Focus as

cures for the effects of ADD and ADHD in the absence of scientific

proof. J & R Research Inc. of Massena, Iowa, entered into a similar

agreement for its product Pycnogenol.

Efamol was using

fatty acids as key supplement components, promoting them with a slogan

that said "Long Term Side Effects May Include: Hugging your Mom."

J & R Research's Pycnogenol is a substance dismissed in most

scientific research as showing little evidence of either safety or

effectiveness.

And sometimes the

bloom simply starts to fade. In recent years, there have been signs

that creatine is losing favor among those who used to be its strongest

promoters--some coaches are starting to question its use. "Hell, it's

not illegal, and if you want your son on it, that's your business,"

said Dick , head football coach at ndale High School in

Fairfax County. "But I don't promote it. I tell them, 'It's a drug.

Don't be frustrated with what God gave you.' "

Last year, the Texas

legislature easily passed a law prohibiting public school employees

from selling or promoting "performance-enhancing products" on school

time after Ann Torrez complained that coaches at Hays High School

outside Austin were offering to sell creatine to her son Lyndsey, then

15, to help him bulk up for the season.

"Where are they

[coaches] going to be 15 or 20 years from now if this should turn out

to have damaging effects?" Torrez asked at a Texas House of

Representatives committee hearing. "Are they going to be there to pick

up the pieces from our children? I don't think so."

That's the sentiment

of land health consultant Mann, the former team

nutritionist for the Washington Capitals. "It's going to be years

before we know what we've been doing to ourselves," Mann said. "We're

not a toxic waste dump, and I don't know why people think they can put

things in their body and not have bad events. You wouldn't treat your

car that way."

On the Market

Dietary supplements

may be sold without detailed scientific evidence of their safety and

effectiveness. Thus, short- and long-term risks and benefits have not

always been assessed for supplements designed specifically for

children. Here are some common supplements.

NAME

USES

SAFETY

EFFECTIVENESS

St. 's

Wort

To treat

depression and associated symptoms, including fatigue, appetite loss,

insomnia, anxiety and nervous unrest.

Probably safe

when for used short-term medicinal purposes. Can cause insomnia,

restlessness, anxiety, irritability, fatigue, dry mouth, dizziness,

headache and mania in depressed patients.

Probably

effective in treating mild to moderate depression, and possibly

effective when used for physical symptoms associated with mild

depression or to treat anxiety.

Creatine

To increase

exercise performance and muscle mass in athletes and older adults. Also

used to treat heart failure.

Possibly safe

when used appropriately, but there is insufficient infor-mation on

safety of long-term use. Can cause nausea and diarrhea. Athletes report

muscle cramping.

Possibly

effective when used to enhance muscle performance during brief, high-

intensity exercise. Likely ineffective when used for increasing

endurance.

Echinacea

For treating

or preventing colds and other upper respiratory infections. Also as an

antiseptic, antiviral and immune stimulant, dilator of blood vessels

and treatment for urinary infections.

Likely safe

when daily use is limited. There is concern that long-term use might

depress immunity. Can cause allergic reactions, including acute asthma

and hives.

Possibly

effective as therapy for influenza-like infections, or for shortening

the duration of colds and as supportive treatment for respiratory

infections.

DMAE or

Dimethylaminoethanol

For treating

attention deficit disorder, enhancing memory and mood, boosting

cognitive function, increasing physical energy and improving athletic

performance.

Possibly safe

when used appropriately. Can cause constipation, hives, headache,

drowsiness, insomnia, confusion, depression, elevated blood pressure

and mania.

Possibly

effective in combination with other supplements in improving exercise

performance. Clinical studies of use in treating attention deficit

disorder have been inconclusive.

Gingko

Biloba

To treat

cerebral conditions and to increase alertness. Also used to improve

cognitive function and sleep in depressed patients.

Likely safe

when used appropriately, unsafe when used intravenously. May cause

gastrointestinal pain. Large doses may cause restlessness, diarrhea,

nausea and vomiting.

Possibly

effective when used to stabilize or improve cognitive function in

patients with cerebral conditions, or when used to treat dizziness and

headache.

Ephedra

(also known as

ma huang)

For asthma,

bronchitis and allergic disorders, and as a stimulant and appetite

suppressant. Used for weight loss in combination with other herbal

products.

Possibly safe

when used short-term. Likely unsafe in high doses or long-term. Can

cause dependence. Adverse reactions include anxiety, insomnia, high

blood pressure and heart failure.

Effective in

short-term treatment of diseases of the respiratory tract. Likely

ineffective when taken as a single agent for weight loss. Insufficient

reliable information about other uses.

Valerian

(also known as

ma huang)

As a sedative

and for mood disorders such as depression, infantile convulsions,

epilepsy and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Possibly

unsafe when used long-term or in high doses. Can cause headache,

excitability, uneasiness, cardiac disturbance and insomnia and,

occasionally, morning drowsiness.

Possibly

effective when used for improving sleep quality and for improving mood

and concentration.

(lemon balm)

As a

digestive, mild tranquilizer and for stimulating appetite.

Traditionally used to promote sweating and to treat nervous problems,

insomnia, cramps, headache and toothache.

Possibly safe

when used on a short-term basis -- no more than 14 days.

Hypersensitivity reactions have been reported.

Possibly

effective when used for nervous sleeping disorders and gastrointestinal

pain or as topical treatment of cold sores.

Source: Natural

Medicines Comprehensive Database

More information

about supplements is available at the following World Wide Web sites:

Nutritionalsupplements.com, NutritionNewsFocus.com, Vicus.com, Vitacost

All herbal supplements and

supplements in general are safe if used appropriately. If you are going

to abuse them you are going to have to pay a price for your lack of

wisdom. Same with pharmaceuticals toxins, cigarettes, alcohol, water,

etc.

vanokat.wholefoodfarmacy.com/

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plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men living together in

society, they create for themselves in the course of time a legal

system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it."

Fredric Bastiat, "The Law", 1846

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