There are times when we decide not to make certain products, even if there is a consumer demand for them.
Nutrition science evolves rapidly. It can be difficult for even the most informed vitamin user to know what is just a fad versus what has evidence to support health and wellness. We will always encourage you first to consult your health care professional and to make health decisions based on research findings over time, as opposed to a single, attention-getting headline. The bottom line is anything claiming to be a miracle cure or a “quick fix” should be viewed with skepticism.
That is why Nature Made only makes products that have a scientific basis for their safety and consumer benefit. That means there are some popular products we won’t make until scientifically supported ingredients are available.
Ephedra is a stimulant that became very popular as an energy and weight-loss product in the 1990s. We assessed the scientific facts and found that ephedra did not meet Nature Made’s standards specifically in terms of safety. For that reason, Nature Made never made an Ephedra product. In 2004, the FDA declared that ephedra posed “unacceptable health risks” and banned the sale of ephedra as a supplement.
Resveratrol is a plant-based compound commonly found in red and purple grapes, and is popularly associated with anti-aging and athletic performance. In animal studies, extremely high dosage levels (e.g. 400mg per kilogram of body weight in a study of mice) showed scientifically relevant benefits. The equivalent dosage in an average human (of 154 pounds) is 28,000mg per day; for comparison, a bottle of wine contains approximately 1mg of resveratrol. Results from the National Toxicology Program's studies with resveratrol are ongoing and will provide further information concerning safety for potential use by consumers in the future. Resveratrol may prove to be an interesting ingredient and we will continue to monitor developments, but it does not have sufficient scientific basis to become a Nature Made product at this time.
Potassium iodide (symbol KI) is found in many multi-vitamins in low doses for recognized health benefits. It is also used in high doses to medically treat people exposed to radioactive iodine in the instance of a nuclear emergency. The effective dose for radiation exposure in adults is 130 mg, which is extremely high. This high level should only be taken under medical supervision. Knowing these scientific and medical facts, Nature Made does not offer a potassium iodide product that some consumers may mistakenly believe has efficacy for radiation risks. More information is available from the Center for Disease Control: http://www.bt.cdc.gov/radiation/ki.asp.
In these last two cases, consumers should be particularly wary of the dosage strength. Specifically, the measurement notation “mg” or “milligram” is 1000 times the strength of “mcg” or “microgram.” Thus, in the Potassium Iodide example, a product that offers 200mcg is approximately 650 times smaller than the medically indicated dosage for radiation risk reduction.