GNC sued due to ingredients in supplements

Back in Feburary, an investigation by the New York State attorney general’s office, tested store-brand herbal supplements at GNC, Target, Wal-Mart, and Walgreens. They tested 24 products and all but five contained unknown ingredients or a form of which was not related to the product. 

“Contamination, substitution and falsely labeling herbal products constitute deceptive business practices and, more importantly, present considerable health risks for consumers,” said the letters.


Currently, this week, Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum has filed a lawsuit against GNC due to substances called picamilon and BMPEA. Both of which are illegal in the US. Picamilon is a prescription drug which has been used to treat neurological conditions. And BMPEA has been banned for athletes, it's a amphetamine-like stimulant.

"It is scary to know that certain products sold by GNC contain an ingredient that is not even labeled -- let alone approved in the United States," Rosenblum said. "When Oregonians buy a dietary supplement, they deserve to know that the ingredients in the products are safe and comply with the law."

Apparently, Vitamin Shoppe, back in April, had to pull supplements off of shelves due to BMPEA as well.

Scary stuff! And just another example, an outbreak of hepatitis struck at least 72 people in 2013. This was across 16 states! And it was all due to a contaminated supplement. One woman died. Three others had to have liver transplants!

There are no guidelines, no regulations for the supplement industry. It's all up to the manufacturer. So who do you trust for your supplements?

If you are looking for products that are high quality, pharmaceutical grade, and follow FDA regulations (even though they are not required) check out ID Life. They have Vitamins, Pre and Post workout supplements, Weight loss supplements, Energy, Meal replacement drink, and even a Kid's line. Or you can read my ID Life review here.

Be Safe! Research what you are buying, read the ingredient labels.

ID Life Review

There are numerous ID Life reviews out there, this review is my take on ID Life and why I decided to start taking their nutrition program and supplements.

Just to put things in perspective, I was skeptical about ID Life. A good friend that I've known since 1997 started taking their nutrition product and about how great he felt (you can read his testimonial here). I held off for about 2 months before purchasing ID Life Nutrition. I spent a considerable amount of time researching their products to make sure it wasn't a scam. I also finished up my existing supply of supplements and vitamins.

Previous Supplements

I'm not a novice to the vitamin and supplement industry. Previously I was taking Cellucor C4 Extreme (pre-workout), Osteo Bi-Flex Triple Strength, Optimum Nutrition Glutamine Powder (post-workout), Hardcore Micellar Casein, Shakeology, Nutrex Hawaiian Spirulina, Spring Valley Standardized Extract Ginkgo Biloba, Optimum Nutrition Opti-Men Vitamin, Ubervita W700 Thermogenic, Nature Made Chewable Vitamin C, Caltrate 600 + d3, Jarrow Formulas Methylcobalamin (B12), Now Foods Vitmain D-3 1000 IU Chewables, Melatonin (bed time), Coromega Omega 3, Optimum Nutrition ZMA, vizual EDGE Chewable* (still take this).

Quite a bit there! Fairly comprehensive, probably 85% of what I was taking. I've since replaced everything with products from ID Life except for my zeaxanthin suppliment (vizual EDGE Chewable) due to my low score on my MPOD eye test. 

So, why the switch? 

You only get one body, one life. You do not want to be taking something that is going to be harmful or even not beneficial. Their nutrition program is backed by double-blind studies (over 7,500). Some of what I was taking previously was "iffy". Studies completed by the respective supplement company, not from well-known published sources. Some of what I was taking is high quality, but I wasn't confident that everything was beneficial. That's what I switched to ID Life. Nothing is artificial or synthetic. Everything is personalized around you and your lifestyle. 

ID Life = Individually Designed Life

You work hard for your money.
You deserve to know that what you take will benefit your body and not harm you.

Switching to ID Life also saved me A LOT of time from having to research products, trying to get everything auto-shipped from multiple suppliers, and replace products as they are discontinued or the formula changed. 

Why ID Life Nutrition

 

Paul Sullivan from IDLife Corporate on Vimeo.

The free assessment, as mentioned in the video above, takes into consideration your allergies, dietary habits, lifestyle habits, stress levels, hereditary issues, medical conditions, prescriptions, and goals. That information is processed through a database and makes recommendations based on your answers. You can update the assessment as your diet and lifestyle change. It fills your nutritional gaps. This has never been done before in the health and wellness space!

The Science 

 

The science behind their system is from 5200 journals that are reviewed per month. New studies are looked at every week!

ID Life is putting together these programs based on scientific research for your specific needs. They are all in class A facilities and follow FDA regulations. This is important. For example; I spent a significant amount of time researching Spirulina to find a quality source before I switched to ID Life. Having vitamins made in facilities or countries that do not follow FDA guidelines can introduce containments into your supplements. There were several reports of people having issues with inferior quality Spirulina products. Also, a poor quality product will often appear a different color from one month to the next!

The assessment draws upon scientific data from over 7,500 clinical studies and peer-reviewed medical journal articles to create a personalized and targeted nutritional recommendation for each individual. This offers over 1.3 million possible combinations.

The vitamins are derived from pharmaceutical grade nutrients and feature an exclusive "AM and PM pack" approach to ensure that the right nutrients are delivered when the body needs them most, called chronobiology. The ingredients, ingredient levels, the time of the day given are all incredibly important.

They also have over 2,600 drugs listed in their database (that are dispensed by hospitals and pharmacies). This helps protect individuals from known drug interactions, ones that they may not even be aware of!. For example; they have an algorithm that will prevent taking glucosamine (which is recommended if you have joint issues) and Warfarin. Another example; I get vertigo from time-to-time and ginkgo biloba is recommended. However, I was taking allergy medications (stopped after being on IDNutrition for 4 months!) and the assessment would not allow me to take ginkgo biloba as there is a drug interaction between my allergy medications and that supplement.

On a side note, the science behind ID Life has changed my perspective on nutrition, so I have started researching and studying how nutrition impacts our bodies. You can read more on your DNA, genes, and nutrition here.

The Products 

 

ID Life has many products outside of their nutrition program. For more information, click on the links below or read my reviews.

• Skincare
• Kids (Click here for an in-depth IDLife Kids Nutrition Review)
• Snack bars
• Energyshot
• Sleep (Read my review on ID Life's SLEEP here)
• Shake (Depending on time, I'll either have this for breakfast or I replace my lunch)
• Appetite Chews (I found the chews stop my hunger for about 2 hours)
• Energy Chews
• Energy Drink (I take as needed when tired at work. I have the container version.)
• Hydrate
• Pre Workout (I take this every morning before my workout. Berry is the best!)
• Post Workout (The Strawberry Kiwi has a very strong Kiwi flavor, same for Pre. )
• Lean (This helps with my sugar cravings, I take this before dinner mostly)

Summary

 

There are real set backs in life, real problems. What you do today at 30, 40, 50 years of age will impact your health greatly when you are 60, 70, 80. You need to find real solutions. Also, keep in mind, one size does not fit all... especially when it comes to your nutrition needs! Your multi-vitamin is a good first step, but your health is critical. Find something that is customized for YOU. When you feel great, look great, life just works better.

Take control of your health and your future.

>> Click here to take your free assessment. <<

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails.  Explore, Dream, Discover."
–Mark Twain

Last Updated: Nov. 2015

What are free radicals or oxidants?

Cell Oxidation

To understand free radicals (oxidants) you'll need a basic understanding of how your genetic expression is changed through methyl tags (I cover the basics on epigenetics in a previous post). In simplistic terms, in DNA methylation, proteins attach tags to your DNA in specific places. These tags are known as methyl groups. DNA methylation can supress your genes (turn them off). There is another part to this called histone acetylation, which basically, comes down to activating genes (turning them on).

Free Radicals (or oxidants) can come from our environment or be created in our bodies. Some environmental sources for free radials are: sunlight, fried food, poor diet, pollution, cigarette smoke, drugs, illness, stress. Smoking, diet, disease can change the chemical responses in your body and thereby lead changes to your epigenome. Your body can produce free radicals as well, such as burning fat. That fat molecule can be converted into energy which also creates free electrons.

"A free radical is a molecule with an unpaired electron. The molecule is reactive and seeks another electron to pair. Free radicals are involved in the mechanisms of damage associated with disease development"- wikipedia

So that free radical that is floating around doesn't have anything to attach to... That's where antioxidants come into play. They'll attach to that free radical and neutralize them. Otherwise, it could try to attach to other molecules, like DNA. These free radicals can be damaging and cause faulty methylation.This can form cancer cells, cause DNA mutations, and all sorts of bad mojo.


What does this mean for the cells in your body?

 “About a trillion molecules of oxygen go through each cell every day, inflicting about 100,000 free radicals hits or wounds on your cells genes or DNA, estimate geneticist, Bruce Aimes, of the University of California at Berkley.’’

According to Dr. Aimes, by the time we are old, each cell will have "a few million oxygen lesions"! For example, cancer, can be caused by changed in the epigenome.

"Cancers are caused by changes in the genome, the epigenome, or both. Changes in the epigenome can switch on or off genes involved in cell growth or the immune response. These changes can lead to uncontrolled growth, a hallmark of cancer, or to a failure of the immune system to destroy tumors." - Genome.gov

How can I prevent free radials?

Antioxidants can neutralize free radicals. These antioxidants can come from us (our bodies can create them) or from external; nutritional foods like vegetables, and supplements like vitamin C and spirulina. Spirulina has been found to have high concentrations of antioxidants. The issue is quality control, so make sure you have a high quality product.

"Quality control in the growth and process of Spirulina to avoid contamination is mandatory to guarantee the safety of Spirulina products." - cbi.nlm.nih.gov

The need for antioxidants in our daily life is becoming more critical with increased exposure to free radicals.

Before you jump on the bandwagon for antioxidants and overdose on Vitamin A, C or E, be aware that antioxidants can be harmful if not taken in moderation. Getting what you need, or knowing the amount needed, is something that is being debated by the health industry. There is a lack of evidence on how much they help (at least in human studies), but more research and studies are coming out frequently.

What can you do?

• First steps, check your diet. Diets rich in vegetables (antioxidants) have been shown to be 'good for you'. But, are you getting enough? If you are on a restrictive diet (Atkins or Low-Carb) you may not be getting the proper nutrition. Or for medical reasons, such as Gastroparesis (inability to empty your stomach), thereby limiting foods you can eat. This could possibly lead to getting a nutritional deficiency.

• Next, limit toxic environmental factors (such as exposure to smoking, stress, pollution, sunlight, etc). Stress is a huge one... work, family, lack of sleep, relationships, finding time to do just about anything.. you need to balance your life. It's not easy.
• Exercise daily. Note that exercising can increase free radicals! However, regular exercise can also protect against free radical damage by enhancing your antioxidant defense system. But, if you only exercise excessively once or twice a week... it can generate more free radicals. So for you "weekend-warriors", it may be doing more harm than good due to the increased oxygen utilization. 30 minutes a day keeps the fee radicals at bay (I just made that up).
• Limit over supplementation. Figure out what your body needs based on your lifestyle habits, allergies, dietary habits, medical conditions, prescriptions, and goals. You can do so through the free assessment link located at the bottom of this page.

Summary/TLDR!

Free Radicals can lead to epigenome changes that can lead to human disease, such as cancer. How do you prevent them? Eat right (fruits and veggies), limit toxins (smoking, pollution, fried food, STRESS), daily exercise regime, supplement if you can't eat right, and limit over supplementation (figure out what you need using the health assessment below). You are unique; your environment, diet, DNA, everything. Your nutrition should be too.

>> Click here to take your free assessment. <<

References:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20633020
https://www.genome.gov/27532724
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_radical
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antioxidant
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3249911/
https://nccih.nih.gov/health/antioxidants/introduction.htm
http://www.rice.edu/~jenky/sports/antiox.html
http://thenationonlineng.net/anti-aging-tips-for-buhari-in-change-era-3/

Supplements with Insanity or P90x

I have posted the supplements that I am currently taking with Insanity and P90x.

Read more here.