Dominion Group International: Review on Japan’s Supplement Products

Some dietary supplement products from Japan has been tested by ConsumerLab. Among the nine brands of alpha lipoic acid supplements, one contained none of the ingredients while another contained only 81%.

ConsumerLab, a provider of consumer information and independent evaluations of products, found most of them to meet the claims as they contain the alpha lipoic acid. The private company that tested the supplements is a based in New York. The supplement brands were manufactured and purchased from Japan. Based on their examination, there is one brand that contains none of the ingredients but has been printed on the ingredients list.

What is alpha lipoic acid?

In Japan, the alpha lipoic acid was approved as a food ingredient. It was promoted for its ability to help in weight loss and provide anti-ageing effects. Its popularity surged when a popular Japanese television program endorsed the food ingredient.

The effects of the ingredient have not been well demonstrated. A lot of people bought the products claiming that it contains the alpha lipoic acid. There were studies that it helps in lowering blood sugar. It is also used as a way to treat neuropathies in people with diabetes.

The Japanese consumers were compelled to try the dietary supplements. However, they tend to purchase the products before doing their own research. Due to its popularity, the consumers are at risk of getting ripped-off. There are many fraud products available in the market that are harmful to use. The food and drug administration gives a warning to people about buying dietary supplements from unregistered or unrecognised sellers.

People who intend to take a supplement should check the quality of a specific product. Before trying out dietary supplements or other types of non-prescribed drug, they should understand the side effects and drug interactions.

Tested products

There are different variations of dietary supplements made in Japan which contains CoQ10, Ginseng, Ginkgo Biloba, Multivitamins, and Probiotics. All the nine branded products were selected by ConsumerLab and tested it for their levels of alpha lipoic acid. It was also tested for potential contamination with heavy metals such as cadmium, arsenic lead, and mercury. The testing that was made was based on the methods recommended in the Japanese Pharmacopoeia.

Among the various products that went under testing, the approved ones cost about 47.50 yen to as much as 311 yen, depending on the suggested retail price of 100 mg serving. The highest priced supplement has failed the testing which has a price of 370 yen for 100 mg of CoQ10. According to the examination, it only delivers 81 mg of the said ingredient.

Under the ConsumerLab’s test and review, they have found that the amounts of alpha lipoic acid in two products did not state how much it contained the ingredient.