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Tonight's homework is to work on researching and drawing conclusions about a supplement's health claim. You should look up your supplement and its claim using Google Scholar (scholar.google.com), find relevant articles (ex. about trials in humans, not in vitro or in animals), and evaluate the evidence that they contain, in order to draw conclusions about the claims. Remember to continue preparing for Friday's quiz on chronic disease and diet.

You may need to define some vocabulary in order to make sense of the information in the journal articles. For example, controlled study, blind study, double-blind study, randomized, matched cohort, and placebo are among some of the terms you may come across.

Your product (as of now), will include the following:

Supplement health claim: A diet containing regular doses of Whelton Extract will promote brain growth and improved memory.

Conclusion: There is little to no evidence that Whelton Extract has benefits on memory or contributes to growth of cognitive ability.

Evidence: Costa et al. (2014) investigated two groups of adult patients to determine the effects of regular doses of Whelton Extract. They found that adults given 500 mg of Whelton Extract daily for 60 days did not show improved cognitive ability scores on the Wonderlic exam compared to a group of matched adults given a placebo. The experiment was a double-blind set up meaning that neither the patients nor the researchers knew which patients were receiving Whelton Extract or the placebo.

ONE MAJOR DIFFERENCE IS THAT YOUR WORK REQUIRES EVIDENCE FROM AT LEAST TWO ARTICLES.

Unit 3 Mini-Project - Investigating and Evaluating Health Claims

Introduction

Herbals and botanicals have been used medicinally for thousands of years. Once thought of as ‘traditional medicine’ used by native or ancient cultures, herbal medicine has emerged as a popular complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), or supplement to modern medicine. The herbal market is growing steadily at about 20% each year, and it is estimated that in the United States alone the sale of botanical dietary supplements exceeded $5.3 billion in 2011. Herbal and botanical supplements are the leading type of CAM for both adults and those under the age of 18. Despite the natural origin of many herbals and botanicals, these substances are considered dietary supplements and should be taken with caution, as their use may result in negative side-effects.

Dietary supplements include vitamins, minerals, herbs, amino acids, enzymes, and other substances that may be ‘supplemented’, or added to the diet, in order to complete dietary needs or to make up for a nutrition deficiency. These substances are not intended to replace a healthy diet. Dietary supplements may be found in many forms including pills, capsules, powders, drinks, or energy bars.

Herbal and botanical supplements are plants used for oral medicinal purposes, and include the flower, leaf, root, and seed of the plant. Herbs and botanicals are sold as dietary supplements, which are regulated differently than pharmaceutical drugs and are sold under the terms: ‘herbals’, ‘herbal products’, ‘herbal medicines’, and ‘herbal remedies.’ Supplements are not required to go through the same stringent testing as over the counter (OTC) and prescribed medicine, and are not regulated as closely by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Procedure

Your task is to choose and investigate three of the herbal supplements identified on the next page and the health claims associated with them. Is there sufficient evidence to support the claims that the manufacturers of these supplements make and advertise to potential customers?

In order to determine the veracity of these claims, you need to look for:

·         Evidence from trustworthy sources

·         Evidence from scientific journal articles

o   For each claim, you need to find at least two scientific articles and discuss:

§  What the researchers were testing

§  How they were conducting their study

§  Their findings

Popular Herbal Supplements and Their Purported Benefits

Echinacea (Echinacea angustifolia)	• Reduce duration of colds • Boost immune system • Heal wounds
Evening primrose oil (Oenothera biennis)	• Reduce menopausal symptoms (hot flashes) • Reduce breast pain • Treat eczema • Treat ADHD • Treat rheumatoid arthritis • Treat osteoporosis
Feverfew thin (Tanacetum parthenium)	• Reduce migraines, headaches • Treat arthritis
Garlic (Allium sativum)	• Reduce the risk of heart disease • Lower high blood cholesterol • Lower high blood pressure • Prevent cancer • Treat athlete’s foot
Ginger (Zingiber officinale)	• Prevent motion sickness • Reduce morning sickness • Reduce nausea • Used as digestive aid • Treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, join, and muscle pain
Ginkgo biloba (Ginkgo biloba)	• Improve age-related memory impairment and dementia • Improve visual field in glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy • Lowering blood pressure, reducing hypertension
Ginseng (Panax ginseng)	• Improve cognitive function • Enhance athletic performance • Improve mood • Lower blood glucose
Green tea extract (Camellia sinensis)	• Reduces risk for cancer • Reduces risk for heart disease • Controls blood pressure
St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum)	Orally: • Treat depression • Improve premenstrual syndrome • Treat obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) • Treat seasonal affective disorder (SAD) Topically: • Used for wounds (inflammation), muscle aches, first-degree burns
Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens)	• Treat benign prostatic hyperplasia • Improve overall prostate health • Enhance sexual vigor