Vitamins and dietary supplements aren’t strictly regulated, and many contain potentially harmful ingredients. Click through to see the ingredients that Consumer Reports recommends you avoid.
15 Dangerous Ingredients Lurking in Your Vitamins
Vitamins and dietary supplements aren’t strictly regulated, and many contain potentially harmful ingredients. Click through to see the ingredients that Consumer Reports recommends you avoid.
Also known as: Aconiti tuber, aconitum, angustifolium, monkshood, radix aconite and wolfsbane
Claimed benefits: Reduces inflammation, joint pain, gout
Risks: Nausea, vomiting, weakness, paralysis, breathing and heart problems, possibly death
Also known as: Creosote bush, greasewood, larrea divaricate, larrea tridentate and larreastat
Claimed benefits: Weight loss; improves inflammation; treats colds, infections, skin rashes and cancer
Risks: Kidney problems, liver damage, possibly death
Also known as: Coughwort, farfarae folium leaf, foalswort and tussilago farfara
Claimed benefits: Relieves cough, sore throat, laryngitis, bronchitis and asthma
Risks: Liver damage, possible carcinogen
Also known as: Blackwort, bruisewort, slippery root and symphytum officinale
Claimed benefits: Relieves cough, heavy menstrual periods, stomach problems, chest pain; treats cancer
Risks: Liver damage, cancer, possibly death
Also known as: Teucrium chamaedrys and viscidum
Claimed benefits: Weight loss; alleviates fever, arthritis, gout and stomach problems
Risks: Liver damage, hepatitis and possibly death
Also known as: Celandine, chelidonium majus and chelidonii herba
Claimed benefit: Alleviates stomachache
Risk: Liver damage
Also known as: Camellia sinensis
Claimed benefit: Weight loss
Risks: Dizziness, ringing in the ears, reduced absorption of iron; exacerbates anemia and glaucoma; elevates blood pressure and heart rate; liver damage; possibly death
Also known as: Ava pepper, kava kava and piper methysticum
Claimed benefits: Reduces anxiety; improves insomnia
Risks: Liver damage; exacerbates Parkinson’s and depression; impairs driving; possibly death
Also known as: Asthma weed, lobelia inflate, vomit wort and wild tobacco
Claimed benefits: Improves respiratory problems, aids smoking cessation
Risks: Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, tremors, rapid heartbeat, confusion, seizures, hypothermia, coma and possibly death
Also known as: Oxilofrine, p-hydroxyephedrine, oxyephedrine, 4-HMP
Claimed benefits: Weight loss, increases energy, improves athletic performance
Risks: Causes heart rate and rhythm abnormalities; cardiac arrest; especially dangerous when taken with other stimulants
Also known as: Hedeoma pulegioides and mentha pulegium
Claimed benefits: Improves breathing problems and digestive disorders
Risks: Liver and kidney failure, nerve damage, convulsions, possibly death
Also known as: Monascus purpureus
Claimed benefits: Lowers LDL (“bad”) cholesterol; prevents heart disease
Risks: Kidney and muscle problems; liver problems; hair loss; can increase risk of side effects from cholesterol-lowering statins
Also known as: Beard moss, tree moss and usnea
Claimed benefits: Weight loss and pain relief
Risk: Liver injury
Also known as: Johimbi, pausinystalia yohimbe, yohimbine and corynanthe johimbi
Claimed benefits: Treats low libido and erectile dysfunction, depression and obesity
Risks: Raises blood pressure; causes rapid heart rate, headaches, seizures, liver and kidney problems, heart problems, panic attacks; possibly death
Also known as: 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine
Claimed benefits: Improves attention, enhances athletic performance, weight loss
Risks: Seizures, heart arrhythmia, cardiac arrest, possibly death; especially dangerous when taken with other stimulants
1 / 16