Consumer Health Digest

{{altmed}}
:''Not to be confused with Dr. [[Stephen Barrett]]'s [http://www.quackwatch.org/00AboutQuackwatch/chd.html newsletter of the same name].''
'''Consumer Health Digest''' or '''ConsumerHealthDigest.com''' is a popular [[dietary supplement]] product review site. As of June 27, 2017, the site had an overall Alexa rank of 42,436 and a US Alexa rank of 10,978.<ref>[http://archive.ph/YSvDr consumerhealthdigest.com Traffic Statistics] ''Alexa'' (archived from 28 Jun 2017 02:52:29 UTC7).</ref> The site earns money from commissions on some of the products that they review,<ref>[http://archive.ph/4PKDf FTC Disclosures Statement] ''Consumer Health Digest'' (archived from 28 Jun 2017 02:55:18 UTC).</ref> so there is a monetary incentive for positive reviews.

==Staff==
The review staff includes experts from fields that could in principle be relevant (MD, pharmacy, dietician), it also includes several "experts" from [[woo]]-related fields, [[naturopathy]], [[osteopathy]], [[chiropractic]], [[Ayurveda]], [[nutritionist|nutrition]], and [[holistic health]]. As of 2017, the main expert staff included in the "medical", "makeup, beauty & skin care", "nutritionist", "holistic health & diet" sections were:<ref name=experts>[http://archive.ph/JliNz Meet the ConsumerHealthDigest.com Expert Panel: We have selected top doctors & professionals in their fields to help give you expert tips and advice.] ''Consumer Health Digest'' (archived from 28 Jun 2017 03:14:46 UTC).</ref>
{{collist|2|
*Dr. Ahmed Zayed Helmy, baccalaureate of Medicine and Surgery from University of Alexandria, [[Egypt]]{{efn|"Baccalaureate of Medicine and Surgery" is an archaic degree title that seems to be still used in Egypt and is apparently the equivalent of an MD.}}
*Dr. Vivian Bucay, dermatologist
*Dr. Adam Friedman, Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine from [[Bastyr University]]
*Dr. Robert S. Rosenberg, osteopath
*Dr. Tammie Lee Demler, pharmacist
*Dr. Rubina Tahir, chiropractor
*Dr. Atanas G Atanasov, Ph.D. in biochemistry
*Dr. Zvi Zuckerman, MD
*Dr. Karen Gless, marriage and family therapist
*Dr. Manasa Hebbar, Ayurvedic medicine
*Dr. Navid Taghvaei, Doctor of Audiology
*Meighan Sembrano, Mass Communication
*Manroop Ahitan, owner of CoLaz and Advanced Beauty Specialists
*Tiffany Boutwell, Certified Nutritional Consultant
*Syeda Kiran Zahra Hussain, nutritionist
*Shirley Plant, nutritionist
*Kristeen Cherney, nutritionist
*Nicole Fetterly, Registered Dietician
*Stephanie Dodier, graduate from Institute of Holistic Nutrition and C.H.E.K. Institute
*Sara Thompson, [[journalist]]
*Michael Gales, B.Sc. in Exercise science
*Peter Twist, exercise physiologist with a Masters in Coaching Science
*Jake Cohen, chef
*Amie Valpone
*Garrick Dee Tan, [[juicer]]
}} 
There is also a cast of dozens of even less qualified people included in the "authors expert panel" section.<ref name=experts/>

As of 2024, from the above panel, only Helmy remains, and there are only about one dozen witers.<ref>[https://archive.ph/wip/D4olp About Us] ''Consumer Health Digest'' (archived from 18 Dec 2024 16:42:51 UTC).</ref>

In 2018, the expert panel has been pared down to: Atanasov (above), Penny S. Brooks (registered dietician), Friedman (above), Mallory Haldeman (health & fitness coach), Tahir (above), Rosenberg (above), Carin Astrup (personal trainer), Rosa Mendes (professional wrestler), and Dennis Wolf (bodybuilder).<ref>[http://archive.ph/oIBuA People – Medical Doctors, Fitness Expert’s & More] ''Consumer Health Digest'' (archived from 4 Sep 2018 20:01:25 UTC).</ref>

==Review structure==
A typical product review is titled, "X Review: How Safe and Effective is This Product?" With that in mind, one should expect that the review of X will actually critically review the X's safety and efficacy. Alas, there is no effort to search the medical literature on the product's ingredients. A review typically consists of the following sections: expert rating (up to 5 stars), product details or overview, specific ingredients, advantages, disadvantages, summary (or bottom line), and a links to reviews of similar products. Some herbs are also reviewed independently of commercial products. Every page contains a [[Quack Miranda Warning]] at the bottom.{{efn|Their variant of the Quack Miranda Warning is "The information provided on this site is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. Please consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition."<ref name=yohimbe/>}}
*'''Rating''': The rating is a bit deceiving since the actual range of ratings seems to be between 2.1 and 4.8 stars, and there is no indication as to how such precise ratings are arrived at.
*'''Advantages''': This section can have an [[appeal to nature]] ("The ingredients are natural herbal extracts or naturally-occurring substances"), [[chemophobia]] ("It doesn’t contain harsh chemicals"), and vague testimonials ("Some people who have tried it claim it works")<ref name=yohimbe/><ref name=yohimbe>[http://archive.ph/r6rR6 Yohimbe Power Max 2000 Review: How Safe and Effective is This Product?] ''Consumer Health Digest'' (archived from 28 Jun 2017 04:21:43 UTC).</ref> Appeals to nature can even appear in the same product review that seemingly questions its logical validity. For example, the review for Erectinol lists under the pros section, "Ingredients are natural", but lists under the cons section, "Contains [[Yohimbe]] which can results{{sic}} in brutal side effects".<ref>[http://archive.ph/2zBAz Erectinol Review: How Safe and Effective is This Product?] ''Consumer Health Digest'' (archived from 6 Jul 2017 04:07:00 UTC).</ref>
*'''Disadvantages''': This section does sometimes give medical warnings, but does not give an indication as to what the medical information is based on. In at least one case the warnings do not even include everything that is on the product label: Consumer Health Digest states, "Yohimbe is known for causing several side effects like rapid or irregular heartbeat, stomach upset, tremor, sleep problems, anxiety and kidney failure"<ref name=yohimbe/> but there is nothing about yohimbe being a {{wpl|monoamine oxidase inhibitor||,}} which is on the label and is a rather serious issue for people taking certain pharmaceuticals, illegal drugs and herbal medicines.<ref>[http://archive.ph/Tl7XL Action Labs Yohimbe Power Max 2000 &mdash; 100 Capsules] Amazon.com (archived from 28 Jun 2017 04:37:07 UTC).</ref><ref>[http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-759-yohimbe.aspx?activeingredientid=759& Yohimbe: Uses, Side Effects, Interactions and Warnings…] WebMD</ref>

==Really awful reviews==
Not only does Consumer Health Digest not do much in the way of searching the scientific literature, but once a problem product appears, the website neither removes nor updates the review. These reviews are additionally poorly written by being unnecessarily wordy.

===Aristolochia===
{{main|Aristolochia}}
The toxicity of ''Aristolochia'' was first discovered around 2000,<ref>[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10841870 Urothelial carcinoma associated with the use of a Chinese herb (''Aristolochia fangchi'')] by J. L. Nortier et al. ''N. Engl. J. Med.'' 2000 Jun 8;342(23):1686-92.</ref> and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) concluded that ''Aristolochia'' was a human carcinogen by 2002.<ref>[https://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Monographs/vol82/mono82.pdf ''Some Traditional Herbal Medicines, Some Mycotoxins, Naphthalene and Styrene.''] IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans, Volume 82 (2002) World Health Organization, International Agency for Research on Cancer.</ref> By 2012, IARC concluded that the aristolochic acid that is naturally-occurring in ''Aristolochia'' is also a human carcinogen.<ref>[https://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Monographs/vol100A/mono100A-23.pdf Review of Human Carcinogens] IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans, Volume 100A (2012) World Health Organization, International Agency for Research on Cancer.</ref>

Consumer Health Digest has been around since 2004,<ref>[http://archive.ph/6AstU Whois Record for ConsumerHealthDigest.com] (archived from 30 Jun 2017 06:22:21 UTC).</ref> but despite this, they issued a rather mealy-mouthed review of ''Aristolochia'' that was still available as of 2017.<ref name=aristolochic>[http://archive.ph/YGngl Aristolochic Acid: Benefits, Side Effects, Dosage and Interactions] ''Consumer Health Digest'' (archived from 30 Jun 2017 06:25:12 UTC).</ref> The review concluded:<ref name=aristolochic/>
{{cquote|Aristolochic Acid does seem to have two dual sides to it. Therefore, while it does appear, it does have very visible benefits, there is another side that says to apply caution using this acid. It doesn’t matter if it is in an herbal medicine or another form. So, with this said, do consult your healthcare professional for more information on this element before attempting to use it personally for health reasons or whatever else.}}

In 2018, the above conclusion was revised to a [[word salad]] with a slightly better salad dressing:<ref>[http://archive.ph/A9Pl2 Aristolochic Acid: Benefits, Side Effects, Dosage and Interactions] ''Consumer Health Digest'' (archived from 4 Sep 2018 05:39:31 UTC).</ref>
{{cquote|Albeit Aristolochic Acids has some benefits, however, this does not overshadow its toxicity. It is an inevitable fact that the Aristolochic Acids has carcinogenic properties. It causes cancer and kidney problems. It would be vital not to ingest or intake Aristolochic Acid under any circumstances. People should be cautious about the ingredients used in a product and make sure that the product label has no mention of Aristolochic Acid.}}
What a proper review should have concluded with would be something to the effect of "Do not take products containing ''Aristolochia'' or any of its various synonyms (or any of the herbs with which it is a known substituent) under any circumstances. It causes [[cancer]] and kidney disease." Simply warning people not to take aristolochic acid is not helpful because this chemical ''never'' appears on ingredient labels and because ''Aristolochia'' has been found to be a substituent in herbal medicine, not appearing on on the ingredient label in any obvious way.<ref>[https://www.kidney-international.org/article/S0085-2538(15)53279-1/fulltext Aristolochic acid nephropathy: A worldwide problem] by Debelle et al. ''Kidney International'' (2008) 74, 158–169; doi:10.1038/ki.2008.129.</ref>

===Ephedra===
{{main|Ephedrine}}
As of 2017, Consumer Health Digest still had positive reviews for ephedra-containing products (e.g., "Hellfire EPH 150"<ref>[http://archive.ph/BY09f Hellfire EPH 150 Review: How Safe and Effective is this Product?] ''Consumer Health Digest'' (archived from 30 Jun 2017 06:51:09 UTC).</ref> and "Lipodrene With Ephedra"<ref name=lipodrene>[http://archive.ph/zAX3v Lipodrene With Ephedra Review: How Safe And Effective Is This Product?] ''Consumer Health Digest'' (archived from 30 Jun 2017 06:52:38 UTC).</ref>) even though the US [[FDA]] banned such products in 2004 over safety concerns due to cases of heart attack, stroke and death.<ref>[http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20040412/fdas-ephedra-ban-takes-effect FDA's Ephedra Ban Takes Effect: Sale of Dietary Supplements Containing Ephedra Now Illegal] (April 12, 2004) ''WebMD''.</ref> The 2017 Lipodrene With Ephedra review concluded the following, with all the cruftiness associated with horrible writing:<ref name=lipodrene/>
{{cquote|Even though lipodrene may help you lose weight there are other risks involved with the consumption of this pill that you must seriously take into consideration before going for it. It is strongly recommended to consult a doctor to discuss about it before trying this pill.}}

A 2018 revision of the conclusion stated the following:<ref name=ephedra2018>[http://archive.ph/lqBMl Lipodrene With Ephedra Review: How Safe And Effective Is This Product?] Hellfire EPH 150 Review: How Safe and Effective is this Product?] ''Consumer Health Digest'' (archived from 30 Jun 2017 06:52:38 UTC).</ref>
{{cquote|The product contains Lipodrene which might help you lose* weight. However, this supplement contains Ephedra, an ingredient which has been slammed by serious side effects which could cause deaths. Thus, the products containing Ephedra were completely banned by the FDA. We, therefore, suggest our readers consult their physicians before using this supplement in order to avoid any serious health issues.}}
Both the 2017 and 2018 reviews gave the product 3.1 out of 5.0 stars despite the 2018 review acknowledging that the product contains a banned substance!<ref name=lipodrene/><ref name=ephedra2018/>

===Betelnut===
Himalaya ProstaCare is a "prostate health supplement" that includes [[betelnut]] as an ingredient.<ref name=betel>[http://archive.ph/BhJWt ProstaCare Review: How Safe and Effective is This Product?] ''Consumer Health Digest'' (archived from 2 Jul 2017 03:07:09 UTC).</ref> Betelnut is a human carcinogen that can cause cancers of the mouth, liver, cervical, stomach, prostate, lung, and sweat gland.<ref>"[http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2003/priarc/en/ IARC Monographs Programme finds betel-quid and areca-nut chewing carcinogenic to humans]."  World Health Organization.  2003 August 7.</ref> Bizarrely, the Consumer Health Digest review states the opposite, "This nut is usually used to treat higher risk of prostate diseases, cancers in liver and esophagus."<ref name=betel/> The review's section on side effects and warnings is vague and confusing:<ref name=betel/>
{{cquote|Some of the ingredients can cause side effects on the user. But most of it have{{sic}} no known side effects. But this does not mean that it is all-safe. Seek the advice of a health professional about using this supplement. Keep away from children and direct sunlight. This product is specifically formulated for men and not suitable for pregnant or nursing women. Color variations on the product are natural.}}

===Liver toxins===
In 2016, the [[FDA]] took action against three herbal supplement products for hepatotoxicity: Lipokinetix, OxyELITE Pro, and Hydroxycut.<ref name=avigan>[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4813193/ Scientific and Regulatory Perspectives in Herbal and Dietary Supplement Associated Hepatotoxicity in the United States] by Mark I. Avigan et al. ''Int. J. Mol. Sci.'' 2016 Mar; 17(3): 331. doi:10.3390/ijms17030331.</ref> Of the three products, Consumer Health Digest has reviews of two of them, OxyElite Pro<ref name=oxyelite>[http://archive.ph/mbJYA OxyElite Pro Review: How Safe and Effective is This Product?] ''Consumer Health Digest'' (archived from 2 Jul 2017 03:36:35 UTC).</ref> and Hydroxycut.<ref name=hydroxycut>[http://archive.ph/Fgnfq Muscletech Hydroxycut Sx-7 Review: How Safe And Effective Is This Product?] ''Consumer Health Digest'' (archived from 2 Jul 2017 03:37:58 UTC).</ref>

In the case of OxyELITE Pro, hepatoxicity was possibly due to the ingredient aegeline,<ref name=avigan/> a chemical extracted from the fruit of the ''Aegle marmelos'' tree.<ref>{{wpa|Aegle marmelos#Aegeline and nonviral hepatitis|Aegeline and nonviral hepatitis}}</ref> In the case of Hydroxycut, it is suspected that [[green tea]] extract caused the hepatotoxicity.<ref name=avigan/><ref>[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25975988 Hepatotoxicity of green tea: an update] by G. Mazzanti et al. (2015) ''Arch. Toxicol.'' 89(8):1175-91. doi: 10.1007/s00204-015-1521-x.</ref> In some cases, consumers of these products required a liver transplant.<ref name=avigan/>

In the case of OxyElite Pro, the Consumer Health Digest review warns against taking it if one has a liver disorder but does not state that the product can itself cause a liver disorder (hepatotoxicity).<ref name=oxyelite/> Though the formulation that the review gave did not include aegeline,<ref name=oxyelite/> it is not possible to tell whether the review came before or after the aegeline formulated version of OxyElite Pro since Consumer Health Digest are not dated and are not archived by the [[Internet Archive]]. In the case of Hydroxycut Sx-7, the Consumer Health Digest review does not give any warning about liver toxicity.<ref name=hydroxycut/> A 2018 revision of the review now mentions hepatotoxicity, but not the FDA action against these products.<ref name=hydroxycut2018>[http://archive.ph/BCr9g OxyElite Pro Review: How Safe and Effective is This Product?] ''Consumer Health Digest'' (archived from 4 Sep 2018 06:30:30 UTC).</ref> The product remarkably has the same rating for both versions of the review (3.5 out of 5.0).<ref name=hydroxycut/><ref name=hydroxycut2018/>

==External links==
*[https://www.consumerhealthdigest.com/ Consumer Health Digest] &mdash; ''caveat emptor''
*[https://examine.com/ Examine.com] &mdash; a site that actually does do "independent, unbiased, and objective" reviews of dietary supplements and is easier to read.

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}
[[Category:Alternative medicine promoters]]
[[Category:Chemophobes]]
[[Category:Food supplement woo]]
[[Category:Food woo promoters]]
[[Category:Websites]]

Categories: Alternative medicine promoters, Chemophobes, Food supplement woo, Food woo promoters, Websites