Reply #2: ... failed to show the benefits they were believed to offer ...

[lindisfarne]

As it says in the article, one study alone isn't definitive. The article is quite well written, in my opinion, if you read it carefully.

But many of the claims for many supplements are either not backed up by well designed studies, or based on questionable "research" - and are often illegal.

Additionally, there is a huge issue regarding the fact that one cannot even be certain that what the label says is what is in each tablet/capsule and there are differences across and within manufacturers of the quality/potency of supplements.

Supplements need to be much better regulated than they are, and supplement manufacturers need to pay fees (through some kind of a fee assessed on total retail sales or per item or something) to cover the costs of regulation; existing laws aren't even enforced - how many ridiculous claims can you hear on Air America radio about diet pills or in health magazines about the same?)

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THE BOTTOM LINE: A combination of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate doesn't relieve knee pain for most people with osteoarthritis; it may yet be shown to help those with moderate to severe osteoarthritis of the knee.
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THE BELIEF: B vitamins cut risk of heart attacks and strokes by reducing the level of homocysteine (an amino acid) in the blood.
THE FINDINGS: Two large studies showed that while B vitamins did reduce homocysteine, they didn't reduce risk of heart attacks and strokes in people with heart disease or diabetes.
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