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green tea EXTRACT


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#1 opales

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Posted 19 May 2006 - 12:26 PM


A forwarded e-mail from Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database

. Green tea extract is now also linked to at least seven cases of liver
damage. It's too soon to know for sure if the green tea is the CAUSE of the
liver damage. The problem could relate to the particular extraction method
used, potential contaminants, or other unknown factors. Keep in mind that
this does NOT pertain to green tea BEVERAGES...only the concentrated green
tea extracts. For patients who want to take green tea, suggest that they
drink green tea beverages rather than take a green tea extract supplement.


I googled green tea and liver damage and obtained this (first hit):

Green tea polyphenols may cause liver damage in high doses
Research indicates consumption of compound in concentrated pill form can be unhealthy
Feb 22/06
http://www.news.utor...060222-2077.asp

Edited by opales, 19 May 2006 - 12:45 PM.


#2 Guest_da_sense_*

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Posted 19 May 2006 - 01:10 PM

I remember something like this mentioned about a year ago or so here on forums, as i remember conclusion is that no studies were done on humans and since no liver failure were recorded due to green tea extract it was safe to use...(conclusion of forum members not scientists)

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#3 opales

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Posted 19 May 2006 - 01:14 PM

since no liver failure were recorded due to green tea extract it was safe to use


Well now there are recorded liver damages. Note that I first received that e-mail of liver damages due to green tea extract and only *after that* I googled the article.

#4 FunkOdyssey

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Posted 19 May 2006 - 01:19 PM

So basically what you're saying Opales is that we should mega-dose on silymarin and NAC to protect our livers while we mega-dose on green tea extract? [lol]

#5 opales

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Posted 19 May 2006 - 01:24 PM

So basically what you're saying Opales is that we should mega-dose on silymarin and NAC to protect our livers while we mega-dose on green tea extract?  [lol]


Whatever works for you Funk, whatever works for you [lol]

#6 scottl

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Posted 19 May 2006 - 03:16 PM

So basically what you're saying Opales is that we should mega-dose on silymarin and NAC to protect our livers while we mega-dose on green tea extract?  [lol]


[lol]

#7 ajnast4r

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Posted 19 May 2006 - 03:40 PM

thats horribly vague...

at what doses? what % of polyphenols? broad spectrum extracts, or isolated catechins? what method of extraction? what precautionary measures were taken prior to extraction?


maybe you should gather a little more info before u post stuff like that

#8 FunkOdyssey

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Posted 19 May 2006 - 03:49 PM

maybe you should gather a little more info before u post stuff like that

He forwarded us an e-mail he received and posted a link to a news story covering a University of Toronto study published in the current issue of Free Radical Biology and Medicine. If you don't like the conclusions that the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database and University of Toronto researchers reached, you should take issue with them, not the messenger.

#9 doug123

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Posted 19 May 2006 - 04:14 PM

I would be more concerned about the green tea extract itself.

Consumerlab.com's independent testing of green tea and other "CANCER-PREVENTION SUPPLEMENTS" found 4/22 (~18%) were contaminated with lead or were otherwise unable to match their label claims.

#10 doug123

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Posted 19 May 2006 - 04:15 PM

Here's a screenie: http://www.consumerl...ne_selenium.asp

Attached Files



#11 FunkOdyssey

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Posted 19 May 2006 - 04:25 PM

Does anyone have a subscription to consumerlab? I'd really like to see those results.

#12 xanadu

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Posted 19 May 2006 - 06:59 PM

I don't see any evidence showing that green tea caused liver failure. Being "linked" can simply mean that they found some liver patients who also happened to use green tea extracts. That is a long long ways from showing a cause and effect relationship. Maybe they started taking the extracts after they noticed symptoms of illness? Besides that, even if there was a cause and effect relationship in some cases, did the person take 50 or 100 capsules of extract a day for months or years? Megadosing with many substances has resulted in liver damage. This sounds like more weakly based alarmist findings.

#13 FunkOdyssey

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Posted 19 May 2006 - 07:35 PM

These two studies represent the body of evidence suggesting green tea is toxic to hepatocytes:

Food Chem Toxicol. 2005 Feb;43(2):307-14.  Related Articles, Links

    Toxicity of green tea extracts and their constituents in rat hepatocytes in primary culture.

    Schmidt M, Schmitz HJ, Baumgart A, Guedon D, Netsch MI, Kreuter MH, Schmidlin CB, Schrenk D.

    Food Chemistry and Environmental Toxicology, University of Kaiserslautern, Erwin-Schroedinger-Strasse 52, D-67663 Kaiserslautern, Germany.

    Recent reports on sporadic cases of liver disorders (acute hepatitis, icterus, hepatocellular necrosis) after ingestion of dietary supplements based on hydro-alcoholic extracts from green tea leaves led to restrictions of the marketing of such products in certain countries of the EU. Since green tea is considered to exert a number of beneficial health effects, and, therefore, green tea products are widely used as dietary supplements, we were interested in the possible mechanism of hepatotoxicity of green tea extracts and in the components involved in such effects. Seven hours after seeding on collagen, rat hepatocytes in primary culture were treated with various hydro-alcoholic green tea extracts (two different native 80% ethanolic dry extracts and an 80% ethanolic dry extract cleared from lipophilic compounds). Cells were washed, and reduction of resazurin, used as a viability parameter monitoring intact mitochondrial function, was determined. It was found that all seven green tea extracts examined enhanced resazurin reduction significantly at a concentration range of 100-500 microg/ml medium, while a significant decrease was observed at 1-3mg/ml medium. Decreased levels were concomitant with abundant necrosis as observed by microscopic inspection of the cultures and with increased leakage of lactate dehydrogenase activity from the cells. In a separate series of experiments, the green tea constituents (-)-epicatechin, (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate, caffeine and theanine were tested at concentrations reflecting their levels in a typical green tea extract. Synthetic (,)-epigallocatechin (200 microM) was used for comparison. Cytotoxicity was found with (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate only. The concomitant addition of 0.25 mM ascorbate/0.05 mM alpha-tocopherol had no influence on cytotoxicity. In conclusion, our results suggest that high concentrations of green tea extract can exert acute toxicity in rat liver cells. (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate seems to be a key constituent responsible for this effect. The relatively low bioavailability of catechins reported after oral exposure to green tea argues, however, against a causal role of these constituents in the reported liver disorders.

    PMID: 15621343 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Free Radic Biol Med. 2006 Feb 15;40(4):570-80. Epub 2005 Nov 9.  Related Articles, Links

    Cellular and in vivo hepatotoxicity caused by green tea phenolic acids and catechins.

    Galati G, Lin A, Sultan AM, O'Brien PJ.

    Department of Pharmacology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.

    Tea phenolic acids and catechins containing gallic acid moieties are most abundant in green tea, and various medical benefits have been proposed from their consumption. In the following, the cytotoxicities of these major tea phenolics toward isolated rat hepatocytes have been ranked and the mechanisms of cytotoxicity evaluated. The order of cytotoxic effectiveness found was epigallocatechin-3-gallate>propyl gallate>epicatechin-3-gallate>gallic acid, epigallocatechin>epicatechin. Using gallic acid as a model tea phenolic and comparing it with the tea catechins and gallic acid-derivative food supplements, the major cytotoxic mechanism found with hepatocytes was mitochondrial membrane potential collapse and ROS formation. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate was also the most effective at collapsing the mitochondrial membrane potential and inducing ROS formation. Liver injury was also observed in vivo when these tea phenolics were administered ip to mice, as plasma alanine aminotransferase levels were significantly increased. In contrast, GSH conjugation, methylation, metabolism by NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1, and formation of an iron complex were important in detoxifying the gallic acid. In addition, for the first time, the GSH conjugates of gallic acid and epigallocatechin-3-gallate have been identified using mass spectrometry. These results add insight into the cytotoxic and cytoprotective mechanisms of the simple tea phenolic acids and the more complex tea catechins.

    PMID: 16458187 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]


The first study concludes that even concentrated green tea extract would not likely result in liver damage. In the second study, they only caused liver damage in vivo by injection, not orally. I begin to agree that liver toxicity worries might be needlessly alarmist.

Edited by FunkOdyssey, 19 May 2006 - 07:49 PM.


#14 Athanasios

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Posted 19 May 2006 - 08:17 PM

In the commentary of the study in the origianl post, it also talks about not knowing if enough can be absorbed after taken orally to cause the damage.

#15 syr_

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Posted 19 May 2006 - 11:01 PM

So basically what you're saying Opales is that we should mega-dose on silymarin and NAC to protect our livers while we mega-dose on green tea extract?  [lol]


Oh thats what i do anyway :)

And NAC helps with the heavy metals in the tea extracts too :)

#16 Pablo M

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Posted 19 May 2006 - 11:22 PM

I'm assuming that what caused the toxicity was the fact that the extract was injected. But it could also be that some constituent of green tea was concentrated that shouldn't have been. Ginkgolic acid in ginkgo comes to mind as an example. Withought the paper (and the paper might not even specify the exact amount of tea polyphenols used) there is no way to tell what the culprit is.

#17 zoolander

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Posted 20 May 2006 - 04:23 AM

and the flip side of the coin...

Short-term administration of (-)-epigallocatechin gallate reduces hepatic steatosis and protects against warm hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury in steatotic mice.

Fiorini RN, Donovan JL, Rodwell D, Evans Z, Cheng G, May HD, Milliken CE, Markowitz JS, Campbell C, Haines JK, Schmidt MG, Chavin KD.

Department of Surgery, Division of Transplant Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA.

Hepatic steatosis increases the extent of cellular injury incurred during ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. (-)-Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), the major flavonoid component of green tea (camellia sinensis) is a potent antioxidant that inhibits fatty acid synthase (FAS) in vitro. We investigated the effects of EGCG on hepatic steatosis and markers of cellular damage at baseline and after I/R injury in ob/ob mice. Animals were pretreated with 85 mg/kg EGCG via intraperitoneal (ip) injection for 2 days or oral consumption in the drinking water for 5 days before 15 minutes of warm ischemia and 24 hours of reperfusion. After EGCG administration, total baseline hepatic fat content decreased from baseline. Palmitic acid and linoleic acid levels also were reduced substantially in all ECGC-treated animals before I/R. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels decreased in all EGCG-treated animals compared with control animals after I/R. Histologic analysis demonstrated an average decrease of 65% necrosis after EGCG administration. EGCG administration also increased resting hepatic energy stores as determined by an increase in cellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) with a concomitant decrease in uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) before I/R. Finally, there was an increased level of glutathione (GSH) in the EGCG-treated mice compared with the vehicle-treated mice both at baseline and after I/R. In conclusion, taken together, this study demonstrates that treatment with ECGC by either oral or ip administration, significantly protects the liver after I/R, possibly by reducing hepatic fat content, increasing hepatic energy status, and functioning as an antioxidant.

PMID: 15719408 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]


Green tea polyphenol epigallocatechin-3-gallate protects HepG2 cells against CYP2E1-dependent toxicity.

Jimenez-Lopez JM, Cederbaum AI.

Department of Pharmacology and Biological Chemistry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029, USA.

Chronic ethanol consumption causes oxidative damage in the liver, and induction of cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) is one pathway involved in oxidative stress produced by ethanol. The hepatic accumulation of iron and polyunsaturated fatty acids significantly contributes to ethanol hepatotoxicity in the intragastric infusion model of ethanol treatment. The objective of this study was to analyze the effect of the green tea flavanol epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), which has been shown to prevent alcohol-induced liver damage, on CYP2E1-mediated toxicity in HepG2 cells overexpressing CYP2E1 (E47 cells). Treatment of E47 cells with arachidonic acid plus iron (AA + Fe) was previously reported to produce synergistic toxicity in E47 cells by a mechanism dependent on CYP2E1 activity and involving oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation. EGCG protected E47 cells against toxicity and loss of viability induced by AA+Fe; EGCG had no effect on CYP2E1 activity. Prevention of this toxicity was associated with a reduction in oxidative damage as reflected by decreased generation of reactive oxygen species, a decrease in lipid peroxidation, and maintenance of intracellular glutathione in cells challenged by AA+Fe in the presence of EGCG. AA+Fe treatment caused a decline in the mitochondrial membrane potential, which was also blocked by EGCG. In conclusion, EGCG exerts a protective action on CYP2E1-dependent oxidative stress and toxicity that may contribute to preventing alcohol-induced liver injury, and may be useful in preventing toxicity by various hepatotoxins activated by CYP2E1 to reactive intermediates.

PMID: 15036355 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]


In a study quoted by FunOdessey "Toxicity of green tea extracts and their constituents in rat hepatocytes in primary culture." it states that they used a hydroalcoholic extrac. Could it be the alcohol that caused the liver toxicity?

#18 Guest_da_sense_*

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Posted 20 May 2006 - 08:26 AM

I've been taking 2 x 400mg green tea extract (80% polyphenols, 50% egcg) for past 2 years and my liver values are fine, so till liver values get high i'll stick to my green tea :)

#19 scud

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Posted 20 May 2006 - 06:20 PM

:) I think that as long as you drink your green tea with mass quantities of Nutrasweet in it, the aspartame should counteract any toxins in the tea...................right Opales?

#20 doug123

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Posted 21 May 2006 - 07:04 PM

Click here to see what green tea extract nootropikshop.com will be shipping by about next Friday...

#21 hallucinogen

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Posted 23 May 2006 - 05:20 AM

CraP!!!!!!!! And I got 1kg+ Of Green Tea Extract sitting around, Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo!:)

Here is the PAPER! Use it Wisely!@!!!!!!!!!!!!!@@@
Posted Image

#22 zoolander

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Posted 23 May 2006 - 05:53 AM

lets have a look at studies done with .......HUMANS. Humans like us.

Some suggestions

1. Chew on the leaves to minimize the risk of oral cancer

Delivery of tea polyphenols to the oral cavity by green tea leaves and black tea extract.

Lee MJ, Lambert JD, Prabhu S, Meng X, Lu H, Maliakal P, Ho CT, Yang CS.

Department of Chemical Biology, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA.

Catechins and theaflavins, polyphenolic compounds derived from tea (Camellia sinensis, fam. Theaceae), have been reported to have a wide range of biological activities including prevention of tooth decay and oral cancer. The present study was undertaken to determine the usefulness of green tea leaves and black tea extract for the delivery of catechins and theaflavins to the oral cavity. After holding either green tea leaves (2 g) or brewed black tea (2 g of black tea leaves in 100 ml) in the mouth for 2-5 min and thoroughly rinsing the mouth, high concentrations of catechins (C(max) = 131.0-2.2 micro M) and theaflavins (C(max) = 1.8-0.6 micro M) were observed in saliva in the 1st hour. Whereas there was significant interindividual variation in the peak levels of catechins and theaflavins, the overall kinetic profile was similar, with t(1/2) = 25-44 min and 49-76 min for catechins and theaflavins, respectively (average coefficient of variation in t(1/2) was 23.4%). In addition to the parent catechin and theaflavin peaks, five unidentified peaks were also observed in saliva after black tea treatment. Hydrolysis of theaflavin gallates, apparently by salivary esterases, was observed in vitro and in vivo. These results indicate that tea leaves can be used as a convenient, slow-release source of catechins and theaflavins and provide information for the possible use of tea in the prevention of oral cancer and dental caries.

Publication Types:

    * Clinical Trial


PMID: 14744744 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]


2. Here is something a little bit cutting edge. Drink it! [:o]

The effect of green tea in oxidative stress.

Coimbra S, Castro E, Rocha-Pereira P, Rebelo I, Rocha S, Santos-Silva A.

Faculdade Farmacia, Servico Bioquimica, Universidade Porto, Portugal.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Green tea, an infusion prepared with the leaves of Camellia sinensis is particularly rich in flavonoids, which are strong antioxidants. Tea drinking, by providing antioxidants, may become valuable in several oxidative stress conditions. Our aim was to evaluate the effect of green tea drinking on some factors reflecting the development of oxidative stress in plasma and in erythrocytes. METHODS: The study was performed in 34 Portuguese subjects. We evaluated the total antioxidant status (TAS), the lipid peroxidation products-malonyldialdehyde (MDA) and malonyldialdehyde+4-hydroxy-2(E)-nonenal (MDA+4-HNE)-and the oxidative changes in erythrocyte membrane, namely membrane bound haemoglobin (MBH) and the band 3 profile. Analytical evaluations were performed after 3 weeks drinking 1l of water daily, and after 4 weeks drinking 1l of green tea daily. Tea was prepared daily at the same conditions of temperature, time of infusion and concentration. RESULTS: After green tea drinking, we found a significant reduction in serum levels of MDA and MDA+4-HNE and in the oxidative stress within the erythrocyte, as suggested by a significantly lower value of MBH and by changes in band 3 profile towards a normal mean profile, namely an increase in the band 3 monomer. A rise in the antioxidant capacity was also observed. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest for green tea drinking a beneficial effect, by reducing the development or the enhancement of oxidative stress and, therefore, protecting the individual for oxidative stress diseases. Moreover, we propose further studies about the value of band 3 profile and of MBH in providing a cumulative measurement of the effect of green tea drinking upon the oxidative stress in cells. Moreover, further studies are also needed, to clarify the effect of green tea consumption, the value of regular green tea consumption and the way it should be prepared to reach a healthy effect.

PMID: 16698148 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]



There is so much research suggesting positive benefits from green tea. I would not jump to any conclusions just yet about it being hepatotoxic.

#23 opales

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Posted 23 May 2006 - 02:02 PM

Zoolander, while I understand the need for balance risks against harm, this topic was really was not about green tea in general but about the *potentially hepatotoxic properties of *supplemental exctracts**. My bringing the subject up was based on the assumption that there are potential positive properties to green tea, after all, that's why people take it. The rational argument for you to bring up the other properties of green tea would have been to illustrate the net positive expected value of ingesting the substance despite potential harm. However, I feel this was not your purpose but instead to somehow point out that there are positive properties because I was giving a (deliberately?) misleading and one sided picture of green tea. I can assure you this is not the case, correct me I somehow misrepresented or misunderstood your position. You do have to understand that some subjects are just too extensive to be covered in a single thread or that that subject has been already covered, thus there is nothing biased or misleading in examining only one restricted part of a phenomenon.

I honestly think there is some underestimating our members with the fuss about thread titles and all. If people want to get balanced view on something, surely they will want to actually read the threads to some extent and even more, if one thread is not extensive enough, we have a search function they can utilize.

Note BTW, that the cases of liver damage were with humans (as there seems to be some misunderstadings about this), the rat studies were not brought up in the original e-mail. Why I am a little concerned about even individual cases is the fact I often highlight, ie. dietary supplements do not have any sort of systematic and regulated "Phase IV"-like follows ups as is the case with prescription drugs, also, patients and physicians ALIKE often view dieatry supplements as harmless (these points were originally brought up by MR). Thus underreporting of harmful events is very likely, at least compared to prescription drugs. Of course there is no way of quantifying this.

Anyway, if one insists on using extracts, I think regular liver check-ups might be reasonable (I think they should be done anyway), at least until there is more clarity on what caused the damage.

#24 Guest_da_sense_*

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Posted 23 May 2006 - 02:47 PM

Considering the number of people using green tea extract (probably millions in western world) as supplement, i think there would be many liver failures due to it by now and it would have been reported. Of course regular blood check is recommended for everyone

#25 Shepard

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Posted 23 May 2006 - 02:53 PM

Considering the number of people using green tea extract (probably millions in western world) as supplement, i think there would be many liver failures due to it by now and it would have been reported. Of course regular blood check is recommended for everyone


If a lot of things were truly as bad as some people make them out to be, the human species and many others would have been extinct long before now.

#26 scud

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Posted 23 May 2006 - 04:11 PM

In regard to Opales point.....I wonder if constantly mega-dosing many different supplements whatever they are, puts a strain on ones liver? Does anyone cycle on and off supplements?

#27 doug123

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Posted 23 May 2006 - 06:42 PM

Posted Image

That COA does not have a company of manufacture on it. Companies can write whatever they please on a COA -- and will -- how would they sell it otherwise? The supplement market is unregulated, so no one is forced to prove that the information on a COA is accurate before selling it for human consumption. Do you think the products manufactured by Bluebonnet, Canadian Sun, Country Life, GNC, Food Science of Vermont, Futurebiotics, Herbal Select, Jarrow, KAL, Life Extension, Metabolic Maintenance, Nature's Answer, Nature's Bounty, Pharmanex, Puritan's Pride, Schiff, Vitamin World, and Whole Foods, etc. would actually bottle a product with measurable levels of lead or 71% purity?

Well, obviously someone sent the company in question a COA that claimed it had a certain purity, but it in fact did not. It would be silly to assume that these problems only appear in MAJOR supplement companies due to lack of quality control and trusting a COA from a supplier from an unindustrialized nation. I'm not saying anything about the green tea you have on hand, except that it appears to be a Chinese imported dietary supplement, and you might want to consider the implications.

http://www.consumerl...ne_selenium.asp

[quote name='consumerlabs.com']Certain foods and nutrients are associated with a reduced risk of cancer. Many of these are anti-oxidants, scavenging free radicals that can otherwise damage cells. Supplements containing three popular ingredients — green tea, lycopene or selenium — were purchased and tested. [See separate reports on this site for other ingredients used for cancer prevention: folate, garlic, isoflavones, vitamin C, vitamin D, and vitamin E.]

But problems were detected in three green tea products: Two were contaminated with lead and another contained only 71% of its claimed level of EGCG, a key compound in green tea. One selenium supplement contained only 38% of its ingredient.

Brands covered in the review include those from Bluebonnet, Canadian Sun, Country Life, GNC, Food Science of Vermont, Futurebiotics, Herbal Select, Jarrow, KAL, Life Extension, Metabolic Maintenance, Nature's Answer, Nature's Bounty, Pharmanex, Puritan's Pride, Schiff, Vitamin World, and Whole Foods. [/quote]

What do you think the COAs for these products read? Toxic levels of lead? 71% of its claimed level of EGCG?

A study of ginseng products found tremendous variability, with as little as 12% and as much as 328% of the active ingredient in the bottle, compared to the information on the label (Am J Clin Nutr. 2001. 73. 1101-1106).*

A study of 59 Echinacea products from retail stores analyzed by thin layer chromotography showed that 6 contained no measurable Echinacea and only 9 of the 21 preparations labelled as standardized extracts actually contained in the sample the content listed on the label. Overall, the assay results were consistent with the labelled content in only 31 of the59 preparations (Arch Intern Med. 2003. 163. 699-704).*

When the FDA announced in 2003 a proposed rule to establish good manufacturing practices for supplements, the FDA cited data that 5 of 18 soy and/or red clover supplements contained only 50-80% of the quantity of isoflavones stated on the label, and 8 of 25 probiotic products contained less than 1% of the live bacteria claimed on the label.*

A 2002 Bastyr University study of 20 probiotic supplements found that 16 contained bacteria not listed on the label, 6 contained organisms that can make people sick, and 4 contained no live organisms.
PC-SPES was removed from the market in 2002 after it was determined that it was adulterated with the prescription blood thinner, warfarin.*

*source: http://www.acsu.buff...etyefficacy.htm

Peace.

[quote name='http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~shlevy/dietsuppqualitysafetyefficacy.htm']Consumer Reports (May 2004) and the “Dirty Dozen” unsafe herbs still readily available

· “CONSUMER REPORTS has identified a dozen (supplements) that … are too dangerous to be on the market.  Yet they are.”  Introductory paragraph in red ink.

· Factors contributing to unsafe supplements on the market.

· “ ‘The standards for demonstrating a supplement is hazardous are so high that it can take the FDA years to build a case,’ said Bruce Silverglade, legal director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington D.C., consumer advocacy group”(pg. 12).

· “The FDA’s supplement division is understaffed and underfunded, with about 60 people and a budget of only 10 million “dollars)…” (pp. 12-13).

·  “…Overwhelming opposition from Congress and industry forced it to back down” when the FDA first tried to regulate ephedra in 1997 (pg. 13).

· The public assumes a greater degree of government regulation than exists – in a 2002 Harris Poll of 1010 adults, 59% of respondents believed that supplements must be approved by a government agency before they can be sold to the public, 68% thought the government requires warning labels on supplements with regard to potential dangers, and 55% thought that supplement manufacturers could not make safety claims without solid scientific support.
[/quote]

Edited by nootropikamil, 23 May 2006 - 07:07 PM.


#28 xanadu

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Posted 23 May 2006 - 08:24 PM

hallucinogen, I would not be too worried about it. We don't know if there was any cause and effect relationship between the green tea extract use and the liver problems. There may be none. And we don't know what amounts the people were using, they may have used megadoses. I think mega-dosing should be avoided no matter what you are using. Even vit C can have some bad side effects if mega dosed. As has been pointed out, even water can kill you if you drink too much. Green tea has been used for centuries without problem. The sky is not falling.

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#29 raptor

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Posted 27 May 2006 - 09:44 PM

"Green Tea Extract Banned In France And Spain
Shane Starling
JULY 2003
Europe
Health authorities in France and Spain have suspended the sale of French supplements manufacturer Arkopharma's Exolise green tea extract
diet aid after reports of 13 individual adverse reactions since 1999.
While noting that the reactions were extremely rare (one in 100,000—less than strawberry or nut allergies) and the effects were not severe,
except one case requiring hepatic transplantation, the French and Spanish authorities went ahead with the ban. Arkopharma also agreed to
withdraw Exolise from other countries where it is available.
In a statement, the French agency noted the decision relates only to "a speciality whose mode of preparation is particular (extracted strong
hydro-alcoholic from sheets of green tea). It does not apply to the other drugs made up of green tea (extracted weak hydro-alcoholic, aqueous
extract and powder of sheet)
authorized in France. It does not call in question the traditional use of green tea in phytotherapy or in food."
An Arkopharma spokesperson said the company would be modifying the extraction process and expected the product to be back on sale by
autumn.
Swiss-based Emil Flachsmann, which used to supply the green tea extract for Exolise until 2001 when Arkopharma developed its own
ingredient, has withdrawn its green tea extract voluntarily, while vowing to fight the decision.
"It is probably a bit of a hyper reaction by the health authorities," said business development officer Stephan Vautravers. "The evidence is not
very conclusive as the status of the patients is not very clear. They were taking other medicines at the same time."

He added, "We don't consider that our extract is dangerous—we have used a common extraction process in this ingredient. But we have
decided to comply with the French health authorities' concerns over this until the situation is resolved."
Flachsmann is conducting research into the adverse reactions and will present its case to the French authorities before the end of the year."

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