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Product Review: Supplements for Cancer Prevention (Green Tea, Lycopene, and Selenium) |
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Initial Posting: 4/19/06 Updated 10/30/08
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CANCER-PREVENTION SUPPLEMENTS TESTED; SOME LOW IN INGREDIENT OR CONTAMINATED WITH LEAD
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Alphabetical list of brands for the 23 products tested.
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Bluebonnet |
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Jarrow Formulas |
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Nature's Bounty |
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Canadian Sun |
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KAL |
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Pharmanex |
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Country Life |
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Life Extension |
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Puritan's Pride |
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Food Science of Vermont |
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Metabolic Maintenance |
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Schiff |
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Futurebiotics |
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Nature Made |
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Vitamin World |
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GNC |
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Nature's Answer |
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Herbal Select |
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Make sure the supplement you take passed our test and is right for you! Isn't your health worth it?
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Certain foods and nutrients are associated with a reduced risk of cancer. Many of these are anti-oxidants, scavenging free radicals that can otherwise damage cells. Supplements containing three popular ingredients — green tea, lycopene or selenium — were purchased and tested. [See separate reports on this site for other ingredients used for cancer prevention: folate, garlic, isoflavones, vitamin C, vitamin D, and vitamin E.]
But problems were detected in three green tea products: Two were contaminated with lead and another contained only 71% of its claimed level of EGCG, a key compound in green tea. One selenium supplement contained only 38% of its ingredient.
Brands covered in the review include those from Bluebonnet, Canadian Sun, Country Life, GNC, Food Science of Vermont, Futurebiotics, Herbal Select, Jarrow, KAL, Life Extension, Metabolic Maintenance, Nature Made, Nature's Answer, Nature's Bounty, Pharmanex, Puritan's Pride, Schiff, Vitamin World, and Whole Foods.
You must subscribe to get the full test results for 23 products and ConsumerLab recommendations. In this comprehensive report, you'll discover:
- Which products failed or passed our tests and why.
- The clinical evidence for each ingredient.
- Dosing information.
- Potential side effects and cautions
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Summary for non-subscribers:
Sample Test Results of Approved Products:
Listed alphabetically below are examples of products that passed. These "Approved" products met their label claim and ConsumerLab.com's standards. To get the full report covering 23 supplements made from green tea, lycopene and selenium, along with our recommendations, you must SUBSCRIBE or LOG IN now.
EXAMPLES OF RESULTS OF CONSUMERLAB.COM TESTING OF GREEN TEA SUPPLEMENTS
(See Weight Loss Review for additional Green Tea products)
Click on  beneath a product name to find a vendor that sells it.
To find retailers that sell some of the listed products click here.
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Product Name
Amount of Green Tea Per Unit, Suggested Daily Serving
Click on "Ingredients" for Full List
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Manu-
facturer or Distri-
butor
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Claimed Amount of EGCG, Poly-
phenols, Catechins† in Daily Serving:
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— TEST RESULTS —
(See How Products Were Evaluated) |
Approval
Status |
Contained Labeled Amount of Ingredi-
ent(s)
If Not Claimed, Amount of EGCG Found in Daily Serving
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Purity from Lead |
Broke Apart
Pro-
perly
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Caffeine (mg in Daily Serving)
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Nature's Bounty® Green Tea Extract (315 mg extract per capsule, 4 per day)*
Ingredients
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Mfd. by Nature's Bounty, Inc. |
190 mg polyphenols |
APPROVED
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Found 68.8 mg EGCG
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N/A
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108 mg
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Pharmanex® Tegreen® 97 (250 mg per capsule, 1-4 per day)*
Ingredients
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Dist. by Nu Skin Enterprises |
95 - 380mg EGCG
242.5 - 970 mg polyphenols |
APPROVED
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NA
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0.75-3.0 mg
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Puritan's Pride® Green Tea Extract 315 mg (315 mg per capsule, 4 per day)*
Ingredients
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Mfd. by Puritan's Pride, Inc. |
90 mg Polyphenols |
APPROVED
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Found 57.6 mg EGCG
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NA
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77 mg
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*Tested through CL's Voluntary Certification Program prior to, at time of, or after initial posting of this Product Review.
†Minimum amounts of catechins expected for green tea is 10% (wt/wt). Extracts may have more depending on concentration. See ConsumerTips™ for more information about catechins and dose. |
EXAMPLES OF RESULTS OF CONSUMERLAB.COM TESTING OF SELENIUM SUPPLEMENTS
Click on beneath a product name to find a vendor that sells it.
To find retailers that sell some of the listed products click here.
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| Product Name
Amount of Selenium Per Unit, Suggested Daily Serving
Click on "Ingredients" for Full List
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Manufac-turer/Distri-butor
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Labeled Amount of Selenium in Daily Serving
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APPROVAL STATUS
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Contained Labeled Amount of Key Ingredi-
ent(s)
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Purity from Lead
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Broke Apart Properly
(NA = Not applicable) |
Nature's Bounty® Natural Selenium 200 mcg (200 mcg per tablet, 1 per day)*
Ingredients
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Mfd. by Nature's Bounty, Inc. |
200 mcg |
APPROVED |
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Puritan's Pride® Natural Selenium 50 mcg (50 mcg per tablet, 1-2 per day)*
Ingredients
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Dist. by Puritan's Pride, Inc. |
50 - 100 mcg |
APPROVED |
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Puritan's Pride® Natural Selenium 100 mcg (100 mcg per tablet, 4 per day)*
Ingredients
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Dist. by Puritan's Pride, Inc. |
400 mcg |
APPROVED |
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*Tested through CL's Voluntary Certification Program prior to, at time of, or after initial posting of this Product Review.
** Product identical in formulation and manufacture to a product that has passed testing but sold under a different brand. For more information see CL's Multi-Label Testing Program. |
Manufacturers may change ingredients and label information at any time. So be sure to check labels carefully when evaluating the products you use or buy. If a product's ingredients differ from what is listed above, it may not be the same as what was tested. CL cannot assure that results for other samples will be the same as those listed above because because there may be a lack of consistency both within and across lots.
The information contained in this report is based on the compilation and review of information from product labeling and analytic testing. CL applies what it believes to be the most appropriate testing methods and standards. The information in this report does not reflect the opinion or recommendation of CL, its officers or employees. CL cannot assure the accuracy of information provided to it by third parties. Liability to any person for any loss or damage caused by errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in this report is hereby disclaimed. |
| Copyright ConsumerLab.com, LLC, 2006. All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced, excerpted, linked to, or cited in any fashion without the express written permission of ConsumerLab.com LLC. |
For information on test methods and criteria see How Products Were Evaluated.
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