Back in April (I can’t believe so much time has gone by!), I wrote about consumers’ confusion wrought by media’s coverage of health issues, particularly on the use of supplementation. Well, I’m just back from the Natural Product Association's (NPA) annual meeting, conference and trade show, where I listened to a presentation about “Navigating Sensational Reports and Conflicting Claims” by Neil E. Levin, CCN, DANLA. It was chock full of science, showcasing a variety of studies on Vitamin E; Vitamin D3 and D2; soy safety including efficacy of biotech soy versus conventional soy; supplement versus food effectiveness and safety; GMO’s; and organic versus conventionally grown ingredients. I must admit that I didn’t understand a lot of the scientific jargon, but I got the point and learned some very interesting facts as a supplement consumer.
But first, about the NPA: Founded in 1936, the Natural Products Association is the largest and oldest non-profit organization dedicated to the natural products industry. It represents more than 10,000 retailers, manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors of natural products, including foods, dietary supplements, and health/beauty aids. It’s been through a metamorphosis over the years, most recently changing their name from Natural Nutritional Foods Association to NPA. In our industry, the NPA is an important education and lobby organization, with an office now located in Washington DC.
Any pharmacist who is interested in transitioning into a wellness center with a more integrative medicine approach would do well by investigating and joining the NPA. They have a number of resources for members and, more importantly, provide support for quality manufacturing standards (such as their TruLabel GMP program) and credible research that helps protects us from too much government and pharmaceutical industry intrusion, supports quality assurance and consumer choice.
Neil is a member of the Scientific Council of the national Clinical Nutrition Certification Board and a 2008 recipient of the NPA’s Industry Champion Award, one of several the NPA gives out annually to recognize scientists, business people and activists in our industry. He’s also a formulator at Now Foods in Bloomingdale, Illinois, a highly reputable, quality manufacturer of a line of 1,600 affordably priced nutritional supplements in multiple categories. Neil has been writing a blog called Honest Nutrition, since 2006 from an informed science point of view, which I encourage readers to visit. You will appreciate his annotated, referenced commentary in articles on over 460 topics. Check out the Labels list on the left hand column for a quick view of the subjects.
Neil didn’t get the time to finish his presentation; after all, there were 102 slides in his presentation. But in the time allotted, I took away these key messages:
Most negative reports on nutritional supplements come from meta-analysis, in which the statisticians may not have the thorough understanding of the science behind the substances and more importantly, a thorough understanding of the original research. Consumers don’t understand the difference between meta-analysis, gold standard, double blind placebo research in independent university settings and manufacturer sponsored proprietary studies. When the media print it, it becomes the gospel driven by word of mouth, poor follow-up on subsequent studies, and ubiquitous internet links. Better informed researchers invariably look at the same data and come to different conclusions, but by then the press flurry is over and consumers are never exposed to published studies that refute original conclusions.
Secondly, if we look at the trail of publishers and the influence of the pharmaceutical companies on the media, specifically on scientific and peer review journals, it’s clear that drug advertising influences scientific journals to publish fewer and mostly negative articles on nutritional supplements. We’ve wondered about this for years, especially during the rise of direct-to-consumer advertising during the last two decades. But to have a published article out of the University of Florida and School of Medicine at Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is tangible confirmation, not just rumor and speculation.
I also learned that antioxidants are synergistic. As a consumer, that fact was an eye-opener that helps me continue my own personal education about the value of nutritional supplementation, especially in an aging baby-boomer body. I wonder how many of your patients know this fact.
I asked Neil what independent pharmacists can do if they want to go beyond their traditional sources of information and reach into the integrative medicine world to get credible science about nutritional supplements. His short answer is to join professional, science-based organizations that focus on supplements including the American Herbal Association, the American Botanical Council, and the NPA among others, and get beyond the media by accessing information online. Neil has a short list of these sources, government, university and non-governmental organizations, on the left column of his blog.
So how can we counter the national media bias? One solution is for independent pharmacies to create relationships with their local newspapers and feed the reporters articles with the full facts. Your credentials go a long way in understanding the research and, more importantly, providing newspaper publishers and readers the full truth and not just the partial truth we often get today.
Until the next time, visit our website, or email me.
Linda O’Hara
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