There's a reason why every product at your local GNC or Vitamin Shoppe is labeled with, "These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to treat, cure, diagnose or prevent any disease." Yet Americans spent more than $23 billion on vitamin, herb and other supplements in 2007. As I noted a few months back, you might as well flush your money down the toilet:Ten years ago the government set out to test herbal and other alternative health remedies to find the ones that work. After spending $2.5 billion, the disappointing answer seems to be that almost none of them do.
Echinacea for colds. Ginkgo biloba for memory. Glucosamine and chondroitin for arthritis. Black cohosh for menopausal hot flashes. Saw palmetto for prostate problems. Shark cartilage for cancer. All proved no better than dummy pills in big studies funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. The lone exception: ginger capsules may help chemotherapy nausea.
There is one other exception that I'm aware of: Fish oil (omega-3 fatty acids). Although the link between omega-3 fatty acids and cardiovascular disease risk reduction are still being studied, research has shown that omega-3 fatty acids may decrease risk of arrhythmias (which can lead to sudden cardiac death), decrease triglyceride levels, and decrease growth rate of atherosclerotic plaques. The best way achieve these benefits is by eating fatty fish (salmon, mackeral, sardines, albacore tuna, and herring), but considering that overfishing may leave us without fish in a few decades and concerns of mercury contamination, fish oil tablets may be an acceptable alternative.
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