This is not new news to us at Biohackr Health. “Supplements” are a largely unregulated industry, not FDA regulated. It is well documented many supplements do not have in them what they state. That is why we at Biohackr Health source our own supplements which are NSF (third party) certified. This means you are getting what you think you are getting. We spend a lot of time on the quality of our products, so you know you can trust what we recommend. (Always try to get USP or NSF certified supplements- these are third party verification that your supplement contains what it states it does and in the right amount. Where that is not available, we do supplements that have high quality control, like our German sourced creatine that is 99% pure).
A 2022 study published in the Liver Transplantation Journal showed that drug induced acute liver failure due to herbals and supplements had increased 8x since 1995. “Eight Fold Increase in Dietary Supplement Related Liver Failure Leading to Transplant Waitlisting over the Last Quarter Century in the US.” Transplants! You cannot live without your liver. We have seen in medical practice patients in liver failure that they did not know about from protein supplements, “Brazilian wellness supplements,” higher doses of Vitamin D. It is part of why testing is important while evaluating your health journey. Screens for liver function can alert you early before permanent damage is done.
We are not saying all supplements are bad- on the contrary, there are some supplements which we are enormous supporters of. But you should not blindly take supplements- you need to know 1. are you deficient? 2. how much? and 3. you need to get high quality supplements. Many prior studies show supplements are “mislabeled.” Researchers from U Michigan found when they analyzed the chemistry of supplements, they found a 50% mismatch between stated ingredients on the label and what they actually contained. Other studies have found contaminants including toxic heavy metals.
There was a NY Times article HERBALS back in 2013 talking about a BMC published article where they tested 44 supplements from 12 different companies. They found of 44 herbal supplements tested, 1/3 showed outright substitution, meaning there was no trace of the plant advertised on the bottle — only another plant in its place. And many had non listed ingredients in them like rice, wheat, and soybean (common fillers). The fact that liver failure is rising due to supplements was eye opening to read about. What were the take home messages of these published medical articles?
Many liver failure patients are due to the usual issues- acetaminophen toxicity, antimicrobials, mushrooms, antiepileptics. But what they saw was a great rise in liver issues from herbals and supplements.
- Herbals and supplements cause 20% of liver toxicity
- Six botanicals are linked to liver damage: turmeric, green tea, ashwagandha, Garcinia cambogia, red yeast rice, black cohosh.
- More is not better. Some vitamins are fat soluble, so they are stored in the body. Beware of “megadosing.”
- Herbals and supplements are medications. Treat them as such. Do you need it? How deficient are you? After starting it, 3 months later you should retest- what are your levels now? is there any issue in your liver function tests?
- Are you taking multiple herbals and supplements? If it is a “hair and nail” medication or a “multivitamin”, you may be double dosing on some ingredients.
How can Biohackr Health help?
- TESTING. You see that featured front and center on our website for a reason. You should not blindly biohack. Test. See what you are deficient in. Retest. Make sure your other body systems- liver, kidneys- are dealing well with your intervention.
- NSF CERTIFIED SUPPLEMENTS. Know what you are getting- the vitamin or mineral, the dosage, and the quality.