06.01.09
ConsumerLab.com, White Plains, NY, found quality issues with 40% of green tea and selenium products tested in its Product Review of Supplements for Cancer Prevention. Quality problems were found with two out of five green tea supplements; the same was true of the selenium products reviewed. All lycopene supplements passed the review. One green tea supplement was contaminated with lead and contained less than its claimed amount of catechins. A daily dose of another green tea supplement provided 78.3 mg of caffeine, although it claimed to contain less than 45 mg. Among selenium supplements, one failed to fully break apart in solution within the 30-minute USP requirement. Another selenium product claimed to include one gram of fiber per pill—an impossibility considering that each pill weighed less than 0.2 grams.