117 manufacturers and distributors…

That’s how many were caught distributing dietary supplements and tainted products falsely marketed as dietary supplements.

Chances are you’re taking one of these garbage dietary supplements that are flooding the market these days. Many of these are loaded with synthetic fillers, artificial flavors, and in some cases illegal additives.

Unless you know what to look for, it’s virtually impossible to know that the supplement you’re taking may actually be damaging your health.

Fortunately for you, I’ve gathered 5 simple, yet critical factors to look for when choosing a vitamin or supplement that virtually guarantee the “safeness” and consumability.

As part of a massive sweep, the Department of Justice (DOJ) is indicting a number of supplement manufacturers that it says are breaking the rules and damaging the industry for all the honest players selling accurately-labeled, therapeutic grade supplements.

One of the biggest names to go down is USPlabs, a Texas-based producer of weight-loss and sports supplements that reports indicate was illegally marketing and selling spiked supplements.

Among the targeted products are OxyElite Pro and a popular muscle-building supplement known as “Jack3d,” both of which the DOJ says contained illegal, synthetic stimulants rather than the “plant extracts” indicated on the label.

Around 117 people and entities were caught in the sweep over the past year, stated Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer, who recently gave a press conference about the enforcement actions.

The findings of the sweep uncovered “alarming practices” within the supplement industry, according to Mizer, who told reporters that the Feds are actively seeking to take down all the bad apples.

“This joint agency effort is a testament to our commitment to protecting consumers from potentially unsafe dietary supplements and products falsely marketed as dietary supplements,” stated Howard Sklamberg, deputy commissioner for global regulatory operations and policy at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“The criminal charges against USPlabs should serve as notice to industry that if products are a threat to public health, the FDA will exercise its full authority under the law to protect Americans and bring justice.”

The indictment also alleges that the defendants sold some of their products without determining whether they would be safe to use. To the contrary, as the indictment notes, the defendants knew of studies that linked the products to liver toxicity.

In November 2013, the FDA warned consumers not to use certain USPlabs products that were found to contain a new dietary ingredient that had not been shown to be safe for use by consumers.

The ingredient, aegeline, is a synthetic version of an alkaloid (a chemical compound) that exists, in natural form, in a tree that grows in parts of Asia.

In addition, the products had adverse events linked to acute liver failure or non-viral hepatitis so severe that several patients needed liver transplants, and one resulted in death.

So if you’re taking any supplements by USPlabs or if they contain “aegeline” stop taking them immediately!

A closer look was taken at a few popular supplement products on the market today, and even just their stated ingredients raise serious concerns as far as their safety goes.

A product known as “Elimidrol,” by Sunrise Nutraceuticals, contains questionable ingredients in the form of “Natural & Artificial Flavors;” sucralose (the generic name for Splenda); and RD&C Red #40, a petroleum-derived food coloring.

What about Centrum’s “Centrum Men” multivitamin, which contains a laundry list of synthetic vitamin compounds and other potentially toxic additives such as:

• Modified Corn Starch and Corn Starch, both of which are likely derived from genetically-modified (GM) corn.

• BHT (Butylated hydroxytoluene), an immunotoxic preservative chemical that’s been shown to trigger allergies and in some cases cancer.

• Hydrogenated palm oil, a trans-fatty acid that the FDA now admits is a factor in the development of cardiovascular disease.

• Magnesium stearate, a “flow agent” found in all sorts of supplements that suppresses immunity and promotes the formation of formaldehyde, a carcinogenic poison used in the pest control industry.

• Polyethylene glycol, a synthetic resin compound linked to organ toxicity.

• Yellow 6 lake, a petroleum-based coloring agent linked to organ toxicity and hyperactivity in children.

I mean this is the stuff a large portion of the American population is consuming on a daily basis, if you are taking this yourself please choose a better alternative.

As of right now, Centrum, which is owned by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, isn’t part of the DOJ supplement sweep. But based on the ingredients found in its multivitamin products, it definitely seems like it should be!

There’s no reason why any multivitamin needs to contain plastics, trans fats, food coloring and GMOs (other than to cut cost).

Let’s face it…

It’s essential to know and understand, that the manufacturers and distributors of supplements are using hazardous ingredients.

Simply put, if you’re not aware or only evaluating a supplement based on cost you may be putting your health at risk.

Period.

And how do you find supplements that don’t contain hazardous ingredients?

I’m glad you asked, because it just so happens that you can find out exatly how in our FREE Complete Guide to Supplementation.

In this free guide, you will learn the 5 standards that every supplement should pass to be considered “safe,” why certain supplements are necessary to maintain good health, common ingredients that are toxic and should be avoided, as well as supplement recommendations that you can use and have peace of mind.

Can you really afford to ignore the crackdown by the DOJ? Or do you think it might be wise for you to know how to evaluate a supplement and ensure you’re only putting safe ingredients in your body?

Get instant access right here for free.

To healthy living,

Phillip Brent

Sources for this article include:

naturalnews.com

FDA.gov