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David Beckham

David Beckham Celebrates 30th Birthday and Prepares to Become Film Star

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Discuss in forum Football star David Beckham celebrated his 30th birthday, inviting around 100 friends and family members to the glamorous party at Madrid’s trendy Buddha Bar on Monday. The British hunk all in black looked liked a flamenco star wearing a dinner suit cummerbund with an open neck shirt and casual trousers. Wife Victoria, who reportedly presented her husband a £15,000 watch, also kept the Spanish style with her lacy and ruched outfit.

The guests, which included Liz Hurley with boyfriend Arun Nayar, Elle MacPherson, Geri Halliwell, and David’s Real Madrid teammates Ronaldo, Luis Figo and Michael Owen, enjoyed a posh dinner and performances by a flamenco dancing troupe.

Beckham’s friends from Manchester United could not attend due Premiership match against Chelsea.

Britain’s favourite footballer is to star in the documentary-drama Real: The Movie, which follows the lives of five fictional Real fans in New York, Caracas, Japan, Madrid and a village in Senegal and features World Cup winners Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo as well as Spanish superstar Raul. However, Beckham will be the leading stra of the film, made by Real’s own TV company, as the poster, depicting the 30-year-old midfielder, was unveiled at the Cannes Film Festival.

“The film captures a team with one of the most spectacular line-ups in the world, ” a spokesman for the film was quoted by ITV.com.

“Real Madrid is one of the biggest brands in the world, not just in the arena of sports. We expect the film will be a big draw, especially in ‘football countries’ in Latin America, Europe, Asia and, increasingly, the US.”
(www.yahoo.com)

DAVID R. J. BECKHAM

DAVID R. J. BECKHAM
Beckham tries out [American] football
David Beckham has proved he is adapting to life across the Atlantic after trying his hand at the nation’s favourite sport – American football.

The former England captain paired up with New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush…to film a series of new video clips for adidas in Spain.

Beckham was taught to throw an American football, kick a field goal and then go for the world record, a 64-yard field goal, all under the watchful eye of Bush. Continue

BECKHAM’S SALARY
According to Forbes magazine Beckham earned about $27 million in the year ending June 2006. His income is made up of his salary at Real Madrid (Spain) and his celebrity endorsements with Adidas, Gillette, Police sunglasses and others.

Beckham recently signed a 5 year $250 million deal that will have him playing for LA Galaxy (USA).

BECKHAM AT MANCHESTER UNITED
Beckham signed for Manchester United as a trainee in July 1991 and he was instrumental in helping the club win the FA Youth Cup in May 1992, scoring in the second leg of the final against Crystal Palace.

His Premier League debut came at home to Leeds United on April 2, 1995. During the 1995/96 season Beckham became an established team member. More

BECKHAM AT REAL MADRID
After a falling out with Manager Alex Ferguson, David Beckham parted company with Manchester United. He was sold to Real Madrid for £25 million in the summer of 2003.

Beckham’s stay at Real Madrid is a journey of ups and downs. Real has seen many managers come and go and few trophies. This is his last season at Real.

(http://www.beckhamwatch.com/)

Accident & Auto Insurance Claims Procedures

Accident & Auto Insurance Claims Procedures
Esurance hopes you’re never involved in an auto accident, but if you are, there are several things you should do to make the auto insurance claims process go as smoothly as possible.
Following these tips will make the auto insurance claims process go more smoothly and help get you back on the road faster. (You may even want to print these tips and keep them in your glove compartment should you ever need them.)

Make sure everyone’s OK. If anyone’s injured, immediately call medical help to the scene. (If your injuries are minor, you may still want to have them checked out at a hospital or with your family doctor. Sometimes injuries that appear minor are really more serious.)

Try to remain calm.

Do not admit fault to anyone.

Seek police involvement. Police officers are trained to handle traffic accidents. They will also help determine who’s at fault.

Allow medical professionals and/or law enforcement officials to control the accident scene.

Discuss the accident only with the police and your auto insurance company. During the claims process, if another party to the accident or another auto insurance company contacts you, do not discuss the accident with them and do not agree to make a recorded statement. Simply refer any questions about the accident to your claims representative.

With the help of a police officer, gather information from everyone involved in the accident. Obtain names, addresses, phone numbers, and auto insurance information from all parties involved. Also, be sure to get contact information from any witnesses. It’s a good idea to store a pen and pad of paper in your vehicle. In the event of an accident, you can record the information your auto insurance company needs to complete your auto insurance claim more quickly.

If you have a camera with you, take photos to document vehicle damage, the intersection where the accident occurred, skid marks, and any other features of the accident scene. For this reason, we recommend you carry a disposable camera in your glove compartment, should you ever need it. Some new cell phone models have built-in digital cameras that can help document accidents.

Report the incident immediately. Esurance policyholders can report minor accidents online or by calling Esurance’s 24/7 service center.

As soon as possible, write down your own detailed recollection of the accident.
(www.yahoo.com)

Cell Phone

Nokia N95 Cell Phone
It’s GPS. It’s a photo studio. It’s a mobile disco. It’s the world wide web. It’s anything you want it to be. Explore the internet with 3.5G ease. Navigate the world with interactive maps and purchasable local city guides. Download your favorite music tracks. And capture it all with 5 megapixel clarity and Carl Zeiss optics. Experience the true power of multimedia computing with the Nokia N95 multimedia computer. (www.yahoo.com)

Nokia N95 Cell Phone

Nokia N95 Cell Phone
Here’s your chance to tell everyone exactly what you thought and why. Write a review and clue us in to what’s good and what’s

fashion in the week

Renée Zellwegger in a “Key to the Cure” Juicy Couture T-shirt
by Lisa Marsh

The fashion industry says farewell to Liz Claiborne, Renée Zellweger becomes a charitable “model,” and Topshop launches another designer collaboration.

The business of fashion can be ugly as is the case with the lawsuit Elie Tahari filed against Andrew Rosen, his former partner in Theory. Tahari charged that Rosen underpaid Tahari when buying out his share of the company and then brought on partners who took the company public on the Tokyo Stock Exchange making more than $500 million. The legal scales tipped in the favor of Rosen this week in New York State Supreme Court, though Tahari was granted a claim that he is owed royalties on Theory clothes sold in Asia. …

It’s a sad week for that first wave of career women from the ‘70s and ‘80s, as the woman who first outfitted them in great suits and sportswear, Liz Claiborne Ortenberg, passed away this week after a long battle with cancer. Claiborne started her namesake company in 1976, and when she retired in 1989 to do philanthropic work, the company made over $100 million in profits annually. Her company has gone on to be a powerhouse player in the brand game, owning Juicy Couture, Ellen Tracy and Narciso Rodriguez. (Click to see photo.) …

Topshop’s newest designer collaboration, with Christian Joy made its debut this week. Joy is known for the wacky stage costumes worn by Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. (Click to see photos.) … Sales at late designer Gianfranco Ferré’s boutiques have risen 87 percent since his death almost two weeks ago, Reuters reports. … Adding to her line of bath and body products called Dessert, Jessica Simpson will develop a fragrance with Parlux Fragrances to be launched next summer. …

Alice Temperley struck gold for Moët & Chandon last year by designing a special limited edition tiara/headband that was sold on the company’s champagne magnum bottles. And she’s at it again, this time creating a limited-edition weekend bag/magnum carrying case. Made of linen, silver foil and black leather trim, only 50 of these special totes will be available starting in September. (Click to see photo.) …

Renée Zellweger has been chosen as the model ambassador for Saks Fifth Avenue and the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s Key to a Cure campaign, which kicks off in October. To raise funds for this project, Juicy Couture has designed a limited edition T-shirt sporting the phrase “Viva la Cure.” (Click to see photo.) …

It’s the season to announce award winners… The Accessories Council’s ACE Awards will honor Valentino as the Brand of the Year, Tory Burch as the Accessory Brand Launch and Scoop as Specialty Retailer of the Year. The awards will be given out in October. … The Fashion Group International’s Night of Stars will honor Jean Paul Gaultier with its Superstar Award. This event also takes place in October. …

The Paris Couture shows start July 2 and promise to be action-packed. Christian Dior is showing at the Orangerie at Versailles. Christian Lacroix, celebrating his 20th year, is hosting a party at Georges atop the Pompidou museum and of course, there’s the 45th anniversary extravaganza of Valentino in Rome, which includes his couture show, a ball, a retrospective exhibition and a fragrance launch. We can’t wait. Check back next week here at ELLE.com for more coverage of the fall 2007 couture shows.
(www.elle.com)

The week in fashion

Ralph Lauren, July 6, 2007

Jessica Alba at Dior haute couture fall/winter 2008
by Lisa Marsh

Couture kicks-off in Paris, Dior throws a celeb-studded gala in Versailles, and Ralph Lauren acquires a coveted fashion week spot.

Thank goodness all is quiet on the American fashion front so we can turn our attention to Paris and the haute couture shows. Once thought of as a dying tradition, these fantastical productions have been reinvigorated by designers like John Galliano, Giorgio Armani, and Karl Lagerfeld, packing this past week with shows and soirées like never before. …

Christian Dior’s kick-off evening for couture at Versailles on Monday also served as celebrations for the house’s 60th anniversary and designer John Galliano’s 10th anniversary. From the location to supermodels Helena Christensen, Linda Evangelista, Karen Mulder, Amber Valletta, Naomi Campbell, and Gisele Bündchen working the catwalk, this was a supremely special evening. Kate Moss was even supposed to walk the runway but backed out at the last minute because of troubles in her love life, WGSN reports. And the front rows were to die for with Charlize Theron, Dita Von Teese, Jessica Alba (who is in town for Eva Longoria and Tony Parker’s wedding this weekend), Olivier Martinez, Ellen Pompeo, Kate Hudson, Georgina Chapman and Harvey Weinstein, Monica Bellucci, and more looking on. (Click here to see photos.) For more couture coverage, visit the runway section of ELLE.com.

Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas and Vanessa Paradis made the front row cut at Chanel Tuesday. Sadly, Paradis’ paramour Johnny Depp was nowhere to be seen. (Click here to see photos.) … Courtney Love certainly has rehabbed her image. The singer/actress was front row at Givenchy Tuesday. (Click here to see photo.) … Christian Lacroix celebrated his 20 years as a designer on Tuesday evening. … Actresses Camilla Belle and Anne Hathaway were the guests of honor at an Emporio Armani dinner on Tuesday evening. (Click here to see photos.) … Roger Vivier celebrated its couture shoes at a dinner Tuesday evening where designer Inès de la Fressange tried to talk Catherine Deneuve into designing her own handbag for the label, WWD reports. …

Armani poster-girl Cate Blanchett was front and center at the Armani Privé showing on Wednesday evening, while Anne Hathaway arrived unfashionably late aka after the show had started. Wonder if she’ll be asked back? … The big to-do on Wednesday was Karl Lagerfeld and Claudia Schiffer’s soirée introducing the Dom Perignon 1993 vintage as well as the new ad campaign Lagerfeld shot Schiffer for. Jude Law, Ralph Fiennes, Paz Vega, Maria Bello, Pedro Almodovar, Angela Lindvall, Lars Nilsson, Olivier Theyskens, and Giambattista Valli raised a glass in celebration. (Click here to see photos.) …

And the fashion flock is gearing up for the blow-out finale to this season’s couture shows to take place not in Paris, but in Rome if you can believe it. Valentino’s three-day 45th anniversary extravaganza kicks-off on Friday, and we can’t wait to see who turns up there. …

Meanwhile, back in New York, film buffs should dash directly to the Ann Taylor Loft flagship in Times Square. Costumes from the upcoming film Hairspray, worn by John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Queen Latifah, and Brittany Snow will be in display through the end of the month. …

Speaking of anniversaries, Ralph Lauren has taken the coveted Saturday night spot at New York’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in September. Celebrating his 40th year in business, fashion-watchers predict the show will lead directly to a Polo-tastic celebration.
(http://www.elle.com/TheWeekInFashion/11393/ralph-lauren-july-6-2007.html)

Dangerous supplements: Still at large

Dangerous supplements:
Still at large

If you can buy it at a clean, well-lighted store, if it’s “all natural,” it’s not going to do you serious harm, right? That’s what many Americans assume about dietary supplements. But while most supplements are probably fairly benign, Consumer Reports has identified a dozen that according to government warnings, adverse-event reports, and top experts are too dangerous to be on the market. Yet they are. We easily purchased all 12 in February 2004 in a few days of shopping online and in retail stores.

These unsafe supplements include Aristolochia, an herb conclusively linked to kidney failure and cancer in China, Europe, Japan, and the U.S.; yohimbe, a sexual stimulant linked to heart and respiratory problems; bitter orange, whose ingredients have effects similar to those of the banned weight-loss stimulant ephedra; and chaparral, comfrey, germander, and kava, all known or likely causes of liver failure. (For a complete list of the “dirty dozen,” see 12 supplements to avoid.)

U.S. consumers shelled out some $76 million in 2002 for just three of these supplements: androstenedione, kava, and yohimbe, the only ones for which sales figures were available, according to the Nutrition Business Journal, which tracks the supplement industry.

CR Quick Take

A CR investigation found that many dangerous supplements can easily be purchased in stores and online. Many of these supplements have been banned in other countries. Why can’t the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ban these products now?

We found that regulatory barriers created by Congress, supplement-industry pressure, and a lack of resources at the FDA have resulted in major risks for consumers.

• These widely available dietary supplements (see 12 supplements to avoid) may cause cancer, severe kidney or liver damage, heart problems, or even death. They should be avoided by consumers.

• These supplements are sold under a profusion of names, making it difficult for consumers to know what they’re purchasing.

• Most also appear in combination products marketed for a broad array of uses, such as aphrodisiacs, athletic-performance boosters, and treatments for anxiety, arthritis, menstrual problems, ulcers, and weight loss.

The potentially dangerous effects of most of these products have been known for more than a decade, and at least five of them are banned in Asia, Europe, or Canada. Yet until very recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had not managed to remove a single dietary supplement from the market for safety reasons.

After seven years of trying, the agency announced a ban on the weight-loss aid ephedra in December 2003. And in March 2004 it warned 23 companies to stop marketing the body-building supplement androstenedione (andro).

Despite these actions against high-profile supplements, whose dangers were so well known that even industry trade groups had stopped defending them, the agency continues to be hamstrung by the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA, pronounced de-shay). While drug manufacturers are required to prove that their products are safe before being marketed, DSHEA makes the FDA prove that supplements on the market are unsafe and denies the agency all but the sketchiest information about the safety record of most of them.

“The standards for demonstrating a supplement is hazardous are so high that it can take the FDA years to build a case,” said Bruce Silverglade, legal director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington, D.C., consumer-advocacy group.

At the same time, the FDA’s supplement division is understaffed and underfunded, with about 60 people and a budget of only $10 million to police a $19.4 billion-a-year industry. To regulate drugs, annual sales of which are 12 times the amount of supplement sales, the FDA has almost 43 times as much money and almost 48 times as many people.

“The law has never been fully funded,” said William Hubbard, FDA associate commissioner for policy and planning. “There’s never been the resources to do all the things the law would command us to do.”

The agency has learned that it must tread carefully when regulating supplements. The first time it tried to regulate the dangerous stimulant ephedra, in 1997, overwhelming opposition from Congress and industry forced it to back down.

As a result, the FDA is sometimes left practicing what Silverglade calls “regulation by press release”–issuing warnings about dangerous supplements and hoping that consumers and health practitioners
read them.

There are signs of hope. The FDA has said that if the ban on ephedra holds up against likely legal challenges, it plans to go after other harmful supplements. Legislation has been introduced to strengthen the FDA’s authority under DSHEA and give the agency more money to enforce the act.

But the supplement marketplace still holds hidden hazards for consumers, especially among products that aren’t in the headlines. “Consumers are provided with more information about the composition and nutritional value of a loaf of bread than about the ingredients and potential hazards of botanical medicines,” said Arthur Grollman, M.D., professor of pharmacological sciences at the State University of New York, Stony Brook, and a critic of DSHEA.

A question of safety

Supplement-industry advocates say the ephedra ban demonstrates that DSHEA gives the FDA enough power to protect consumers from unsafe products. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong except that FDA has only recently begun vigorous and active enforcement of the law,” said Annette Dickinson, Ph.D., president of the Council for Responsible Nutrition, a major trade association for the supplement industry.

But critics of DSHEA think the ban illustrates the extremes to which the FDA must go to outlaw a hazardous product.

When the agency initially tried to rein in ephedra use in 1997, after receiving hundreds of reports of adverse events, it sought not an outright ban but dosage restrictions and sterner warning labels. The industry mounted a furious counter-attack, including the creation of a public-relations group called the Ephedra Education Council and a scientific review from a private consulting firm, commissioned by Dickinson’s trade group, that concluded ephedra was safe. After the U.S. General Accounting Office said the FDA “did not establish a causal link” between taking ephedra and deaths or injuries, the agency was forced to drop its proposal.

Gretchen Fitzgerald, age 21, Fort Collins, Colo.

PROBLEM She took Xenadrine EFX “thermogenic” diet pills to boost her energy while studying for final exams, believing they were safe because they were labeled ephedra-free. After three weeks of taking the product she had a seizure. The neurologist consulted told her the bitter orange in the Xenadrine was the probable cause. Xenadrine’s manufacturer did not return our phone calls. Since going off the Xenadrine, Fitzgerald has had no further problems.

The industry continued to vigorously market and defend ephedra. Metabolife International, a leading ephedra manufacturer, did not let the FDA know that it had received 14,684 complaints of adverse events associated with its ephedra product, Metabolife 356, in the previous five years, including 18 heart attacks, 26 strokes, 43 seizures, and 5 deaths. It took the pressure of congressional and Justice Department investigations to get the company to turn over the complaints in 2002. Then Steve Bechler, a pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles, died unexpectedly in 2003 while taking another ephedra supplement, Xenadrine RFA-1. With sales suffering from the bad publicity, manufacturers began to replace ephedra with other stimulants such as bitter orange, which mimics ephedra in chemical composition and function.

“All of a sudden Congress dropped objections to an ephedra ban andstarted demanding the FDA act,” said Silverglade.

To amass the necessary scientific evidence that it hoped would satisfy the demanding standard set by DSHEA, the FDA took aggressive action: It commissioned an outside review from the RAND Corporation, analyzed adverse-event reports, and pored over every available shred of scientific evidence.

“We’ve gone the whole nine yards to collect and evaluate all the possible evidence,” Mark McClellan, commissioner of the FDA, said in announcing the ban. “We will be doing our best to defend this in court, and if that’s not sufficient, it may be time to re-examine the act.”

Drugs vs. supplements

In an October 2002 nationwide Harris Poll of 1,010 adults, 59 percent of respondents said they believed that supplements must be approved by a government agency before they can be sold to the public. Sixty-eight percent said the government requires warning labels on supplements’ potential side effects or dangers. Fifty-five percent said supplement manufacturers can’t make safety claims without solid scientific support.

They were wrong. None of those protections exist for supplements–only for prescription and over-the-counter medicines. Here are the major differences in the safety regulations:

Testing for hazards. Before approval, drugs must be proved effective, with an acceptable safety profile, by means of lab research and rigorous human clinical trials involving a minimum of several thousand people, many millions of dollars, and several years.

In contrast, supplement manufacturers can introduce new products without any testing for safety and efficacy. The maker’s only obligation is to send the FDA a copy of the language on the label (see Supplement labels).

“Products regulated by DSHEA were presumed to be safe because of their long history of use, often in other countries,” said Jane E. Henney, M.D., commissioner of the FDA from 1998 to 2001. “As their use dramatically increased in this country after the passage of DSHEA, the presumption of safety may have been misplaced, particularly for products other than traditional vitamins and minerals. Some, like ephedra, act like drugs and thus have similar risks.”

Beverly Hames, age 59, Beaverton, Ore.

PROBLEM Hames went to an acupuncturist in 1992 seeking a “safe, natural” treatment for an aching back. She got a selection of Chinese herbal products, at least five of which were later found to contain aristolochic acid. By mid-1994, she had symptoms of kidney failure, and in 1996 she underwent a kidney transplant. She must take anti-rejection drugs (below) for life. The herbs’ distributor said his Chinese suppliers had substituted Aristolochia for another herb without his knowledge.

The only exceptions to this “presumption of safety” are supplement ingredients that weren’t being sold in the U.S. when DSHEA took effect. Makers of such “new dietary ingredients” must show the FDA evidence of the products’ safety before marketing them. The FDA invoked that rarely used provision in its action against androstenedione. After years of allowing andro to be marketed without restriction, the agency declared that it was “not aware” that the supplement was used before DSHEA, so it couldn’t be sold without evidence of safety.

Disclosing the risks. Drug labels and package inserts must mention all possible adverse effects and interactions. But supplement makers don’t have to put safety warnings on the labels, even for products with known serious hazards.

We bought a product called Relaxit whose label had no warning about the kava it contained, even though the American Herbal Products Association, an industry trade group, recommends a detailed, though voluntary warning label about potential liver toxicity on all kava products.

Ensuring product quality. Drugs must conform to “good manufacturing practices” that guarantee that their contents are pure and in the quantities stated on the label. While DSHEA gave the FDA authority to impose similar standards on supplements, it took until 2003 for the agency to propose regulations–as yet not final–to implement that part of the law.

Contaminants, too, regularly turn up in supplements. In 1998 Richard Ko, Ph.D., of the California Department of Health Services reported that 32 percent of the Asian patent medicines he tested contained pharmaceuticals or heavy metals that weren’t on the label. In 2002, the FDA oversaw a voluntary manufacturer recall of a “prostate health” supplement called PC SPES that, according to tests by the California department, contained a powerful prescription blood thinner, warfarin.

Reporting the problems. By law, drug companies are required to tell the FDA about any reports of product-related adverse events that they receive from any source. Almost every year, drugs are removed from the market based on safety risks that first surfaced in those reports.

In contrast, supplement makers don’t have to report adverse events. Indeed, in the five years after DSHEA took effect, 1994 to 1999, fewer than 10 of the more than 2,500 reports that the FDA received came from manufacturers, according to a 2001 estimate from the inspector general of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (Other sources of reports included consumers, health practitioners, and poison-control centers.) Overall, the FDA estimates that it learns of less than 1 percent of adverse events involving dietary supplements.

THE ‘NATURAL’ MYSTIQUE

Many makers market their supplements as “natural,” exploiting assumptions that such products can’t harm you. That’s a dangerous assumption, said Lois Swirsky Gold, Ph.D., director of the Carcinogenic Potency Project at the University of California, Berkeley, and an expert on chemical carcinogens. “Natural is hemlock, natural is arsenic, natural is poisonous mushrooms,” she said.

A cautionary example is aristolochic acid, which occurs naturally in species of Aristolochia vines that grow wild in many parts of the world. In addition to being a powerful kidney toxin, it is on the World Health Organization’s list of human carcinogens. “It’s one of the most potent chemicals of 1,400 in my Carcinogenic Potency Database,” Gold said. “People have taken high doses similar to the doses that animals are given in tests, and they both get tumors very quickly.”

PROBLEM Andrade-Wheaton’s acupuncturist prescribed more than a half dozen Chinese herbal supplements to treat health conditions, including endometriosis. At least one of the products listed Aristolochia as an ingredient, even after the FDA issued a nationwide Aristolochia safety warning in 2001. She underwent a kidney transplant in September 2002 and must take anti-rejection drugs (below) for life.

The dangers of aristolochic acid have been known since at least 1993, when medical-journal articles began appearing about 105 patrons of a Belgian weight-loss clinic who had suffered kidney failure after consuming Chinese herbs adulterated with Aristolochia. At least 18 of the women also subsequently developed cancer near
the kidney.

These findings prompted the FDA to issue a nationwide warning against Aristolochia in 2001 and to impose a ban on further imports of the herb. But in early 2004, more than two years after the import ban went into effect, Consumer Reports was able to purchase products online that were labeled as containing Aristolochia.
In 2003, Gold identified more than 100 products for sale online with botanical ingredients listed by the FDA as known or suspected to contain aristolochic acid.

Donna Andrade-Wheaton, a former aerobics instructor in Rhode Island, learned those facts too late to save her kidneys. After taking Chinese herbs containing Aristolochia for more than two years, she suffered severe kidney damage; her kidney tissues were found to contain aristolochic acid. In late 2002, at age 39, she underwent a kidney transplant.

Andrade-Wheaton is suing both the acupuncturist who gave her the herbs and several companies that manufactured them. The acupuncturist declined to discuss the case on the record, and the manufacturer did not return our phone calls.

There’s another widespread and false assumption about natural supplements: that they’re always pure, unprocessed products of the earth. Because DSHEA permits the marketing of concentrates and extracts, supplement makers can and do manipulate ingredients to increase the concentrations of pharmacologically active compounds.

That’s especially true of the many weight-loss supplements designed for “thermogenic” stimulant effects–boosting calorie expenditure by revving the metabolic rate.

On one Internet shopping tour, for instance, we bought a product called Thermorexin–”the Hottest new Thermogenic on the market!” Its label says it contains, among its 22 ingredients, 30 milligrams of theophylline derived from a black tea extract and the stimulant bitter orange. Sold as Theo-Dur and other brands, theophylline is a prescription drug and an effective asthma treatment, but most doctors seldom prescribe it because it can cause seizures and irregular heartbeats at relatively low doses.

Larry Berube, president of Anafit, Thermorexin’s manufacturer, based in Orlando, Fla., described how the product’s combination of ingredients was developed: “Once we find out that the FDA says it’s OK, we put them together in the lab, run our tests, and do our trials, and if it comes up good, we capsulate it, put it online and in the stores and sell it,” he said.

Those tests involved asking fitness professionals to use the supplement, and measuring their heart rate and blood pressure, Berube said. The company doesn’t use a control group, he said. Then “we go to the fitness discussion boards and let trainers and people know we have a new product and do they want to try it,” he said. “And then they try it, and they report back.” Berube said he has not heard of any bad reactions to Thermorexin.

(http://www.consumerreports.org/ )

The skinny on Enviga

The skinny on Enviga
CR’s TakeThere’s scant proof that Enviga can help keep you skinny, although at 5 calories per 12-ounce can, it’s a better choice than sweetened soft drinks. If you do drink Enviga, watch your caffeine and calcium intake from other sources. “Burning calories is now officially delicious,” reads a full-page magazine ad for Enviga, a new sparkling green-tea drink from Coca-Cola and Nestlé. The ad claims the drink “invigorates your metabolism to gently increase calorie burning.”

Enviga contains a blend of caffeine, calcium, and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a powerful antioxidant in green tea and a popular ingredient in weight-loss supplements. In the study on which Enviga’s claims are based, financed by Nestlé and published in February 2007 in the journal Obesity, researchers asked 31 healthy, normal-weight men and women ages 18 to 35 to drink three cans per day of a beverage identical to Enviga while adhering to a set, calorie-controlled diet. Those participants burned 106 calories more per day on average while drinking Enviga than when they drank an equivalent amount of a placebo beverage.

But the study was short-only three days each in the Enviga and placebo phases. Because it involved only young, healthy people, it’s not clear at all whether it would have the same effect in the general population. And while calorie burning increased on average, 6 of the 31 participants actually burned fewer calories when drinking Enviga than when drinking the placebo.

In February the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a nonprofit consumer organization, filed a lawsuit against the makers of Enviga alleging, among other complaints, that by claiming to burn calories, the product implies that it will aid in weight loss, something it hasn’t been shown to do.

Rhona Applebaum, Ph.D., chief scientific and regulatory officer of Coca-Cola, countered that neither the can nor the Web site says the product will result in weight loss. Enviga’s makers have no plans to change the labeling on the can in response to the lawsuit, according to a company representative. What’s not up for debate is this: At $1.29 to $1.49 a can, a week’s worth of Enviga at the manufacturer’s recommended dose (three cans per day) will cost between $27 and $31-a lot to pay for the chance to shave off what amounts to about the calories in one tablespoon of butter a day. Three cans of Enviga a day also supply 300 milligrams of caffeine, the equivalent of about two to three cups of coffee, and 600 mg of calcium; so people who already drink caffeine or get extra calcium through supplements or fortified foods may need to use special caution.

(http://www.consumerreports.org/ )