Numerous store brand supplements are not what their labels claim to be, an ongoing investigation of popular herbal supplements subjected to DNA testing has found, New York state's top law enforcement official said today.
GNC, Target, Walmart and Walgreen Co sold supplements that either couldn't be verified to contain the labeled substance or that contained ingredients not listed on the label, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's office said.
The supplements, including echinacea, ginseng, St John's wort, garlic, ginkgo biloba and saw palmetto, were contaminated with substances including rice, beans, pine, citrus, asparagus, primrose, wheat, houseplant and wild carrot. In many cases, unlisted contaminants were the only plant material found in the product samples.
Overall, 21 per cent of the test results from store brand herbal supplements contained DNA from the plants listed on the labels. The retailer with the poorest showing was Walmart, where 4 percent of the products tested showed DNA from the plants listed on the labels.
"This investigation makes one thing abundantly clear: The old adage 'buyer beware' may be especially true for consumers of herbal supplements," Schneiderman said.
Walmart spokesman Brian Nick said the company is immediately reaching out to suppliers and will take appropriate action. Walgreen and GNC pledged to cooperate with the attorney general. Target didn't initially respond to a request for comment.
"We stand by the quality, purity and potency of all ingredients listed on the labels of our private label products," said GNC spokeswoman Laura Brophy.
The US Food and Drug Administration requires companies to verify their products are safe and properly labeled. But supplements aren't subjected to the rigorous evaluation process used for drugs.
If a manufacturer fails to identify all the ingredients on an herbal product's label, a consumer with allergies or who is taking medication for an unrelated illness could risk serious health issues every time a contaminated herbal supplement is ingested.
A DNA study conducted by the University of Guelph in 2013 also found contamination and substitution in herbal products in most of the products tested. One product labeled as St. John's wort, often used to treat depression, contained Senna alexandrina, a plant with laxative properties. One ginkgo product was contaminated with black walnut, which could endanger people with nut allergies.
A 2013 study from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research estimated there are about 65,000 dietary supplements on the market consumed by more than 150 million Americans.
