Article: Spike in Harm to Liver Is Tied to Dietary Aids

NY Times Article: Spike in Harm to Liver Is Tied to Dietary Aids

Americans spend an estimated $32 billion on dietary supplements every year, attracted by unproven claims that various pills and powders will help them lose weight, build muscle and fight off everything from colds to chronic illnesses. about half of Americans use dietary supplements, and most of them take more than one product at a time.

Dietary supplements account for nearly 20 percent of drug-related liver injuries that turn up in hospitals, up from 7 percent a decade ago, according to an analysis by a national network of liver specialists.

“It’s really the Wild West,” said Dr. Herbert L. Bonkovsky, the director of the liver, digestive and metabolic disorders laboratory at Carolinas HealthCare System in Charlotte, N.C. “When people buy these dietary supplements, it’s anybody’s guess as to what they’re getting.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/22/us/spike-in-harm-to-liver-is-tied-to-dietary-aids.html

RX for everything plus un-regulated supplements... were shoving everything we are told down our throats! :D poor liver. Atleast UC has made me stop alcohol completely... so liver is getting a break there :D

One RX that I know of for sure that is very hard on the liver is one used for ringworm...tested or not, our choices boil down to crap meds. about the only difference between supplements and RX is that with RX they generally know what harm it will cause, and to me that doesn't make it much better because in the long run, they likely all have some health risk.

This is catch-22. Similar things can be observed with many drugs and supplements are not under FDA's guidelines, I wonder why. FDA is not impartial body as it is but bringing it under some regulating authority brings responsibility and you don't flood market with shady stuff. We do not have to 'wake up' to calamity only but its wiser to take proactive actions.
Green Tea extract, what the heck is that supposed to mean? Something I would never buy, because I don't know what does it contain really. Same thing worries me when I buy herbal supplements too, hence although I hate Mountain Rose Herb's outrageous shipping charges, I still buy from them.

Honestly, that is one reason why I really liked Swedish healthcare system. There are not lot options in the pharmacy, but whatever options you have are the best and you pay premium price for that. For e.g. there are two prenatal multivitamins formulations in the pharmacy. Its worth it. It was deregulated in late 2010, so I don't know how it looks like now.