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The sale of unnecessary and sometimes dangerous food supplements is a multibillion dollar industry. How is the "health" food industry organized? How do its salespeople learn their trade? How many people are involved? How do they get away with what they are doing? VICTOR HERBERT , M.D., J.D. STEPHEN BARRETT , M.D. Vitamins and "Health" Foods: The Great American Hustle VICTORHERBERT, M.D., J.D. Professor of Medicine State University of New York Downstate Medical Center; Chief, Hematology and Nutrition Laboratory Bronx VA Medical Center and STEPHENBARRETT, M.D. Chairman, Board of Directors Lehigh Valley Committee Against Health Fraud, Inc. GEORGE F. STICKLEYCOMPANJ~ 210 W. WAS>INGTONSQUARE PHILADELPHIA, PA 19106 Vitamins and "Health"Foods: The Great American Hustle is a special publication of the Lehigh Valley Committee Against Health Fraud, Inc., an independent organization which was formed in 1969 to combat deception in the field of health. The purposes of the Committee are: 1. To investigate false, deceptive or exaggerated health claims. 2. To conduct a vigorous campaign of public education. 3. To assist appropriate government and consumer-oriented agencies. 4. To bring problems to the attention of lawmakers. The Lehigh Valley Committee Against Health Fraud is a member organization of the Consumer Federation of America. Since 1970, the Committee has been chartered under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as a not-for-profit corporation. Inquiries about Com­ mittee activities may be addressed to P.O. Box 1602, Allentown, PA 18105. Fifth Printing August 1985 Copyright © 1981, Lehigh Valley Committee Against Health Fraud, Inc. ISBN 0-89313-073-7 LCC # 81-83596 All Rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means-graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or information storage and retrieval systems-without permission from the publisher. Manufactured in the United States of America. Published by the George F.Stickley Company, 210 W. Washington Square, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Contents Foreword by Gabe Mirkin viii 1. The Truth About Nutrition 1 2. The Modern Food Quack 10 3. Friendly Salespeople 22 4. Promises Everywhere 32 5. "Passive" Greed? 48 6. Dubious Doctoring 53 7. The "Natural-Organic" Ripoff 73 8. Prominent Promoters 87 9. The Laetrile Story 108 10. The Unhealthy Alliance 116 11. Nutrition and the Media 139 12. The Weakness of the Law 148 13. Where to Get Help 159 A Final Comment 166 Appendix A. Toxic Substances Sold in Health Food Stores 167 Appendix B. Daily Food Guide 170 Appendix C. Recommended Reading 175 Index 181 V About the Authors Victor Herbert,M.D., J.D., is Chief of the Hematology and Nutrition Laboratory, Bronx VA Medical Center and Professor of Medicine at State University of New YorkDownstate Medical Center. He is board-certified in internal medicine and nutrition, has taught full-time at five major medical schools, and has been a visiting professor at most other medical schools in the United States and Canada. A member of many scientific societies, he has published over 500 articles and is the author of Nutri­ tion Cultism: Facts and Fictions. He received the 1972 McColl um Award of the American Society of Clinical Nutrition and the 1978 Middleton Award of the Veterans Administration in recognition of his outstanding research in nutrition. He has testified several times before Congress on health and nutrition subjects and has served as a medicolegal expert for the U.S. government and several state governments. He is a member of the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences and of its Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) Committee. He is a member of the Joint Subcommittee on Human Nutrition Research of the Executive Office of the President, and was for five years Chairman of the Committee on Life Sciences of the American Bar Association. Past­ President of the American Society for Clinical Nutrition, he is the only person in the world listed in both World Who's Who in Science and Who's Who in American Law. He is also listed in Science Citation Index as one of the scientists most cited by other scientists throughout the world. vi vii Stephen Barrett, M.D., a practicing psychiatrist and lecturer on con­ sumer health, is the nation's most vigorous opponent of health quackery. Since 1970, he has been Board Chairman of the Lehigh Valley Committee Against Health Fraud, Inc., a member organization of Consumer Federa­ tion of America. An expert in medical communications, he serves as medical consultant to WFMZ-TV, Allentown, Pa., and as Consumer Health Editor of Nautilus Magazine. He is editor of The Health Robbers (a comprehensive expose of quackery), co-editor of The Tooth Robbers: A Pro-Fluoridation Handbook, and co-author of the college textbook Consumer Health-A Guide to Intelligent Decisions, all published in 1980. He has been a member of the Committee on Quackery of the Pennsylvania Medical Society and the Committee on Health Fraud of the Pennsylvania Health Council. He is a scientific advisor to the American Council on Science and Health and a scientific consultant to the Com­ mittee for Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP). Foreword Do you get angry when someone tries to hustle you? Would it bother you if someone promis~d you something and took your money, but gave you nothing in return? Do you think you have ever been hustled without realizing it? What goes through your mind when you see an ad which suggests that a pill can help you lose weight permanently without dieting or exercis­ ing? If it doesn't strike you as phony, you don't know the facts. There is no such pill. How about a magazine article which claims that a single drug can make you a better athlete, help you live longer, cure heart disease, diabetes, cancer, gallbladder pain and a host of other ailments? If you think such a drug exists, you had better read this book. Do you take vitamin pills? Has it occurred to you to question whether you really need them? You should. Most of the more than 70 million Americans who take them are merely nourishing their toilets and mak­ ing vitamin manufacturers rich. But the issue is not simply one of wasted money. Each decision you make about your health must be based upon an underlying judgment about whom to trust for advice. If you cannot tell the difference between an expert and a hustler, you are likely to be misled. One of the factors that makes America great is our freedom of speech. To maintain this freedom, we must also run a risk. False prophets can get up on pedestals and tell you almost anything they please. Such prophets abound in the field of nutrition. One reason they succeed is that too many people who know better are afraid to become involved in controversy. viii ix The people who wrote this book are involved. Dr. Herbert has done more to attack nutrition frauds than any other person in America. He has testified before legislatures and courts. He spent his own money seek­ ing justice. He is one of the most knowledgeable and respected nutrition experts in the country-one to whom other experts turn frequently for advice. Dr. Barrett has investigated and written about quackery in more and different fields than any other living American. He has written about health, medical care, drugs, nutrition, the environment and the workplace. This is one book you should not ignore. It is one of the most amazing investigative reports in the history of journalism. It is likely to save you money. It might even save your life! GABE MIRKIN, M.D. Dr. Mirkin, a practicing physician who specializes in allergy, immunology, dermatology and sportsmedicine, is Assistant Professor of Sportsmedicine at the University of Maryland. An expert on fitness and nutrition, he is co-author of The Sportsmedicine Book and writes regularly for the New YorkTimes Syndicate and several sports magazines. He is also Daily Fitness Broadcaster for the CBS Radio Network. Introduction One of the lessons of Watergate is that questionable operations involv­ ing large sums of money are likely to create a "paper trail" of incriminat­ ing evidence. The "health" food industry-which has been selling its bill of goods for many years-is no exception. This book is based upon 10 years of investigation. Like the Watergate story, it was inspired by a few "defectors" who provided documents that were never intended for public view. Our survey of trade publications, combined with material in our files and a modest amount of undercover investigation, then brought the whole seamy picture into focus. The sale of unnecessary and sometimes dangerous food supplements is a multibillion dollar industry. This book endeavors to answer four questions: How is the "health" food industry organized? How do its salespeople learn their trade? How many people are involved? Most important, how do they get away with what t,hey are doing? X Chapter1 The Truth About Nutrition Most people who take vitamins don't need them. Could you be one of these people? Are you afraid there is not enough nourish­ ment in the food you buy? Do you think that vitamin pills can give you extra energy? That extra vitamins should be taken in times of stress? That vitamin C can prevent colds? Or that large doses of other nutrients can prevent or cure many other ailments? Are you afraid that there are "too many chemicals" in our food? Do you think that foods labeled "natural" or "organic" are safer or more nutritious? If you have any of these fears or beliefs, you have plenty of company.

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