Supplement scams.

Dietary supplements are as popular--and notorious--now as patent medicines were 100 years ago. Alleged panaceas in the form of vitamins, herbs, enzymes, extracts, and amino acids are offered for a weak immune system, digestive disorders, failing memory,lethargy, obesity, and almost every other imaginable malady. In 2006, Americans spent an estimated $22 billion on dietary supplements, according to Nutrition Business Journal.

Our article on page 9 exposes a few of the imaginative marketing gimmicks that supplement makers use to transfer your dollars into their pockets. Claims like "doctor-recommended" or "patented" sound good but mean nothing.

In fact, most supplements simply don't do what their makers imply. Companies seize on a few shreds of evidence that an herb, a nutrient, or whatever will treat or prevent a disease. Never mind that good studies on humans may not exist, that the research touted in ads was done on fungi or mice and proves little, or that other studies counter the company's claims.

It seems as if every few months, well-done studies cast doubt on highly publicized claims: vitamin C doesn't prevent colds, vitamin E doesn't prevent heart disease, beta-carotene doesn't prevent cancer, saw palmetto doesn't shrink enlarged prostates, soy pills don't relieve the symptoms of menopause, and ginkgo biloba doesn't improve memory.

Worse than ineffective pills are those that do harm. Ephedra was banned (after a lengthy court fight) because the weight-loss ingredient increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes. High doses of beta-carotene raise the risk of lung cancer in smokers. Selenium supplements may prevent cancer, but may also increase the risk of diabetes (see p. 8).

The Food and Drug Administration can stop a blatant lie, but supplement makers know how to craft subtle, implied claims that keep them out of court ... or jail. Even if the FDA had the authority and will to act, the shrunken agency simply can't do much. Its staff has dropped 20 percent in recent years.

Occasionally, a private lawsuit will temporarily slow down a company like the makers of Cellasene (a phony cellulite treatment) or Airborne (a phony cold preventative). And the Federal Trade Commission has stopped deceptive claims by some firms. But unscrupulous marketers know that the chances of being caught and penalized are virtually nil.

I'm not saying that all supplements are worthless or harmful. It's a good idea to take a multivitamin-and-mineral as an insurance policy. Many people need extra calcium and vitamin D. And anyone over 55 should take vitamin B-12 from pills or fortified foods.

Indeed, scams should be exposed precisely because some supplements are helpful. That would give truly beneficial pills and potions the credibility they deserve.

Congress needs to commission the National Academy of Sciences to review the safety and effectiveness of supplements other than vitamins and minerals (which have already been reviewed). Without an impartial assessment, consumers will continue to be at the mercy of an industry that, at its worst, can make used-car salesmen look good.

Michael F. Jacobson, Ph.D.

Executive Director

Center for Science in the Public Interest