Supplements & Vitamins, features and articles | Educational Science

Feb 20, 2018

A Salmonella Outbreak in… Kratom? How This Germ Could Get into Supplements

Health officials are again warning Americans not to consume kratom, but this time it's not the effects of the supplement that are concerning, but instead, that the substance could be contaminated with Salmonella. Today (Feb. 20), the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced a new outbreak of Salmonella...

Feb 26, 2018

Why You Can't Skip Magnesium If You're Taking Vitamin D

If you find yourself wondering, Am I getting enough vitamin D? you should also ask yourself another question: Am I getting enough magnesium? In a new review article, researchers stress the importance of getting enough of this mineral, which aids in the metabolism, or activation, of vitamin D so it...

Apr 19, 2018

Why More Vitamin D May Not Always Be a Good Thing

More may not always be better when it comes to vitamin D. A new study from Denmark finds that high levels of vitamin D in the blood are linked with an increased risk of some cancers — but a decreased risk of others. Specifically, the researchers found that high vitamin...

Jun 11, 2018

What is Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid)?

Vitamin B5, also called pantothenic acid and pantothenate, is vital to living a healthy life. Like all B complex vitamins, B5 helps the body convert food into energy. B5 is naturally found in many food sources. Pantothenic, in fact, means from everywhere, because the vitamin is available in so many...

Jul 19, 2018

No, Caffeine Doesn't Help You Lose Weight

Some diet supplements that contain caffeine claim that the compound helps reduce appetite. Other research has suggested that caffeine could speed up metabolism. It looks like those claims don't live up to the hype: According to a new study published today (July 19) in the Journal of the Academy of...

Sep 6, 2018

Why Probiotics May Not Always Help, And Could Actually Do Harm

Plenty of people take probiotics in food or supplements in the hope of boosting their digestive health. But a new, small study suggests that some people may not benefit as much as others from these so-called good bacteria. The study found that, when people consumed standard probiotic bacterial strains, some...

Oct 12, 2018

The FDA Found Hundreds of Supplement Brands Tainted with Rx Drugs. Most Weren't Recalled.

Dietary supplements aren't regulated like pharmaceutical drugs, so that means they shouldn't contain pharmaceutical drugs. Yet over the last decade, more than 750 supplement brands have been found to be tainted with drugs — sometimes containing two or more hidden drug ingredients, a new study finds. What's more, although the...

Oct 22, 2018

Weight-Loss Supplements Contain Dangerous Stimulants Years After Being Prohibited

Some sports and weight-loss supplements still contain experimental stimulant drugs that were prohibited years ago by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), according to a new study. The study, published today (Oct. 22) in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, analyzed 12 brands of sports and weight-loss supplements, looking for...

Dec 12, 2018

A Woman Fell Asleep During Cupping Therapy. She Woke Up with Bizarre Blisters.

When you think of cupping therapy, large circular bruises might come to mind. Indeed, the bruises are often a side effect of the alternative-medicine technique, which involves attaching circular cups to the skin using suction. Generally, cupping therapy is fairly safe, but for a woman in California, the experience left...

May 21, 2019

CBD and CBD Oil: What Is It and Does It Really Work?

The popularity of medical marijuana is soaring, and among the numerous products consumers are seeking are CBD, or cannabis oils. A wealth of marketing material, blogs and anecdotes claim that CBD oils can cure whatever ails you, even cancer. But the limited research doesn't suggest that cannabis oil should take...

Jun 21, 2019

Supplements for Brain Health Don't Work, According to Neurologist

Americans and others around the world have turned increasingly to dietary supplements in order to maintain or preserve their brain health. A recent study found that a quarter of adults over 50 take a supplement for brain-related health. But that same study, done by experts convened by the AARP, suggests...

Nov 25, 2019

Some 'Brain-Boosting' Supplements Contain High Levels of Unapproved Drug

Some supplements marketed to improve memory and boost brain power contain extremely high levels of an unapproved drug, according to a new study. Researchers unearthed an unapproved drug called piracetam lurking in several brain-enhancement supplements, also known as nootropics. Although approved as a prescription drug in Europe, piracetam is not...

Mar 23, 2021

WWII-era stimulant drug discovered in weight loss supplements

An experimental stimulant drug from the World War II era is showing up in weight loss and sports supplements sold today, according to a new study. The stimulant, known as phenpromethamine, was last sold as a nasal inhaler called Vonedrine in the 1940s and 1950s, but it has since been...

Nov 5, 2021

Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin): Sources, benefits and dosage

Vitamin B2, also known as riboflavin, is one of the eight B-complex vitamins. Like other B vitamins, it plays a role in energy production in the body, but also has many other important uses. Vitamin B2 is a water-soluble vitamin that is flushed out of the body daily, so it...

Jan 25, 2022

Crystal healing: Stone-cold facts about gemstone treatments

Crystal healing is an alternative medical technique in which crystals and other stones are used to cure ailments and protect against disease. Proponents of this technique believe that crystals act as conduits for healing — enabling positive, healing energy to flow into the body as negative, disease-causing energy flows out....